Heal Country, heal our nation. The 2021 NAIDOC theme Heal Country calls for stronger measures to recognise, protect, and maintain all aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and heritage.
‘Country’ is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander concept, technology and belief system that goes beyond Western definition of land to encompasses earth, water, air, under the earth, animals, plants, people, kin, every living thing no matter how big or small. ‘Country’ recognises that everything is connected, everything is related. ‘Country’ is also how we as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people identify ourselves.
For example, I’m a Mununjali person who is deeply connected to every living thing on our Black Soil Country between what’s known as the Logan and Albert rivers. And I live and work on Turrbal and Yagera Country which means I have a responsibility to act with an awareness of my physical footprint on this Country and my relationality to this Country. When an Elder or Custodian gives me knowledge about Country, it’s my responsibility to pass on that knowledge to First Nations people and non-First Nations people that are on that Country. This is how that responsibility to Country continues. And that’s our culture.
‘Country’ recognises that everything is connected, everything is related. ‘Country’ is also how we as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people identify ourselves.
As First Nations people, we have so often said that if Country is sick, we are sick too. That’s why healing is connected to all aspects of our lives and we cannot have a healthy future unless our Country is being taken care of.
For thousands of years Country was nurtured and protected by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through a sophisticated system that encompassed agriculture, architecture, technology and science. Deep knowledge of both fire and water shaped this continent. Art naturally had an ecological purpose too, with dance, music, art, language and story shaped around the environment. When our Nations were brutally invaded, chains of this sophisticated system were broken and the Settler-Invaders took over. Thousands of First Nations people were massacred, hundreds of plant and animal species went extinct, waterways were destroyed, resources were taken out of the ground, and the ecology drastically changed in a rapid amount of time.
In 2021, slowly, these injustices which continue to affect us are being recognised. And protections are being sought and gained for Country. But none of us can afford to rest. Climate action needs to happen quickly.
In 2021, slowly, these injustices which continue to affect us are being recognised. And protections are being sought and gained for Country. But none of us can afford to rest. Climate action needs to happen quickly.
The five pieces I have commissioned for this series speak to this urgency. This series showcases the strong voices of five First Nations women. Their pieces are informative and inspiring.
The native black bean tree is known as ‘boogem’ in Bundjalung, which is also a word for love, that’s how significant they are. We all need to think of trees as people too, Jenny Fraser writes in her piece about many things, but most joyously about guerrilla planting.
Musician Tilly Tjala Thomas shares the inspiration for her music which is about sharing her mob’s Nukunu language, culture and healing to a broad audience.
I tried to weave a basket. But the world was on fire. Jazz Money narrates trauma to Country during the devasting 2020 bushfires.
Wiradjuri writer Jeanine Leane unveils settler naming practices and how they contribute to the sickness of Country in her piece.
I believe that the survival of culture, language and the physical survival of our lands is an interconnecting conversation. Jasmin McGaughey writes in her piece about the unique threat to the Torres Strait Islands.
Each piece has been thoughtfully illustrated by Tori-Jay Mordey, the Torres Strait Islander illustrator and artist.
These pieces speak truth to power and highlight the knowledge and wisdom from our cultures. Share the words as they are vessels to safe passage from the climate storm we are battling.
I recommend reading up about the threats to the Country you are living on, and how you can support local Traditional Owners and custodians.
Country is our healing and we all benefit from living on land that is healthy and well-cared for. So much has been taken. We must give back to Country.
Mununjali author Ellen van Neerven is the editor of SBS Voices' NAIDOC Week essay series inspired by the 2021 theme 'Heal Country’.
The illustration for this piece is by Tori-Jay Mordey, an established Indigenous Australian illustrator and artist based in Brisbane. Growing up she openly shared both her Torres Strait Islander and English heritage, which is often reflected in her contemporary Indigenous art practice - producing work based around her family and siblings as a way of understanding herself, her appearance and racial identity.
National NAIDOC Week (4 – 11 July 2021) celebrates the history, cultures and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Join SBS and NITV for a full slate of NAIDOC Week programming and content, and follow NITV on Facebook and Instagram to be part of the conversation. For more information about NAIDOC Week or this year’s theme, head to the official NAIDOC website.
More from SBS Voices' NAIDOC Week collection
Country is our healing and we all benefit from living on land that is well-cared for
