INDIGENOUS CULTURE
INDIGENOUS CULTURE Welcome to Country at National Convention Centre Canberra (NCCC) Credit: Mode Imagery
Canberra is 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 is an opportunity for 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: ‘Yeribee’: Indigenous experiences of Parliament House shares the stories of our Indigenous parliamentarians and staff, explores the site history of Parliament House, and showcases significant artworks from the Parliament House Art Collection by celebrated Indigenous artists.
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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: MoAD offers special tours, which consider aspects of the experiences of Indigenous Australians within our democracy. Sharing stories of how Indigenous Australians and their supporters have taken different pathways to bring about change, many of which led them here – the seat of Federal Parliament between 1927 and 1988. Bespoke tours can be arranged for a range of group sizes with advance booking. 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. National Capital Authority: Reconciliation Place Walking Tour encourages participants to explore the physical and symbolic heart of Australian democratic and cultural life and recognise the importance of understanding the shared history of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. National Gallery of Australia: Immerse yourself in the most comprehensive Indigenous Australian Art Collection in the world or take an Indigenous Cultural Tour with a local Aboriginal tour guide. 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.
