INDIGENOUS CULTURE

In 2023, Canberra will be at the heart of an important discussion around establishing an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. The city is on Ngunnawal country and has been home to the Ngunnawal, Ngunawal and Ngambri peoples for over 20,000 years.

Our city’s name, ‘Canberra’, is thought to be derived from the Ngunnawal word for ‘meeting place,’ and the capital offers a range of indigenous experiences for your delegates to learn, share and participate in.

Welcome To Country

A Welcome to Country allows an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander custodian to welcome visitors to their land through speech, song, dance or ceremony. Recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, the nation’s First Peoples and custodians of the land, with welcome and acknowledgement protocols in your event.

Exhibitions And Tours

Aboriginal Tent Embassy : Founded on Australia Day 1972, the Aboriginal Tent Embassy was set up by four Indigenous Australians – Michael Anderson, Billy Craigie, Tony Coorey and Bertie Williams – protesting the McMahon government’s approach to Indigenous land rights. Today, the embassy is permanently established on the lawns outside Old Parliament House and has come to represent Indigenous Australians’ quest for sovereignty and right to self-determination.

Australian Parliament House: Join the ‘Yeribee’ Indigenous experiences of Parliament House tour to hear the stories of Indigenous parliamentarians, gain insights into how Australia’s First Peoples participate in the nation’s democratic processes, and enjoy significant artworks from the Parliament House Art Collection by celebrated Indigenous artists. Tour available daily, free admission.

Dhawura Aboriginal Cultural Tours: Travel back in time to become part of ‘The Dreaming’ and gain a deep understanding of Aboriginal culture with an experienced Aboriginal guide.

Museum of Australian Democracy : This tour follows the journey of First Nation Australians in their search of equality. Learn about the Wiradjuri elders who travelled 150kms to attend the opening of Old Parliament House, the activists who have campaigned for a voice in Federal Parliament, and the accomplishments of Neville Bonner, the first Aboriginal Australian to be elected to parliament. First Nations people should be aware that this tour includes names and images of deceased people. The tour must be booked prior to visiting.

National Arboretum Canberra: The Mununja Garden, shaped in a butterfly form, located in the Gallery of Gardens at the Arboretum tells a Dreamtime story from the Ngunnawal people that has been passed through generations for thousands of years. Ngala Tours, a new offering from the Arboretum, provides Indigenous tours and experiences including Discovery bus tours and immersive cultural experiences such as Walk on Country and Discover Art and Country tours.

National Triangle: Take a self-guided tour through the artwork at Reconciliation Place. Located in the heart of the National Triangle, these artworks symbolically and physically place Reconciliation at the heart of the nation.

National Gallery First Nations Art : Immerse yourself in the largest and most comprehensive First Nations Art Collection in the world. Take a guided tour with one of our experience voluntary guides and learn more about Indigenous culture and art.

National Museum of Australia: First Australians and Talking Blak to History are permanent exhibition galleries that explore the shared stories and experiences of Australia’s first peoples. The museum’s First Australians Tour presents the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, their history, culture and connection to Country in the building’s largest exhibition space. Great Southern Land is a vast exhibition of artefacts and unique Australian environmental tales that also tell the stories of the earliest Indigenous inhabitants and those who followed.