Kaurna projects help us celebrate and recognise Kaurna heritage with our community.
Please find information below about recent Kaurna projects we have been involved with.
The Art of Reconciliation
Reconciliation is a journey for individuals, families, communities, organisations and importantly for all Australians. At the heart of this journey are relationships between the broader Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The Art of Reconciliation, an award-winning documentary, was an arts-based storytelling project, capturing the journey of eight Aboriginal storytellers and their non Aboriginal artists as they paint portraits and tell of their experiences of what it is like to be Aboriginal in today’s society.
Our partners the City of Port Adelaide Enfield, Channel 44 and John Nieddu Photography have been instrumental in bringing this captivating film and exhibition to fruition.
Between 27 May and 3 June every year, Australia celebrates National Reconciliation Week (NRW) which marks two significant milestones in Australia's Reconciliation journey:
27 May acknowledges the anniversary of the 1967 referendum where more than 90% of voters gave the Commonwealth the power to make laws for Aboriginal people, and for Aboriginal people to be recognised in the national census. It was Australia’s most successful referendum.
3 June acknowledges the 1992 landmark decision by the High Court of Australia that overturned the legal doctrine of ‘terra nullius’ and led to the creation of the Native Title Act 1993 and subsequent native title regime. The case was led by Torres Strait Islander man, the late Eddie (Koiki) Mabo and his fellow plaintiffs including the late Rev David Passi and the late James Rice.
National Sorry Day is also acknowledged on 26 May annually.
National Reconciliation Week provides an opportunity to celebrate the unique culture and history of Aboriginal people. Collectively, our voices can lift and support to privilege and amplify First Nations’ voices calls for reconciliation and justice.
We all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation, and in playing our part we collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures, and futures.
The Art of Reconciliation won the award for Outstanding Creative Achievement in a program, at the 2023 Antenna Awards.
Kaurna Country
The theme for NAIDOC Week 2021 was ‘Heal Country’ - recognising and celebrating the culture and values of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
Healing country means more than land, or place. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, Country is family, kin, law, ceremony, traditions, and language, and it has been this way since the dawn of time. Healing Country means embracing First Nation’s cultural knowledge and understanding of Country as part of Australia's national heritage, and that these cultures and values are respected equally to the cultures and values of all Australians.
The City of Charles Sturt is located on traditional Kaurna land and includes several significant cultural sites. We have an ongoing commitment to improving Kaurna recognition and inclusion in our area.
As part of this commitment, we collaborated with the City of Port Adelaide Enfield to produce a unique Welcome to Kaurna Country film to enable us all to embrace cultural knowledge and understanding of Country.
Kaurna Country is more than a place and is inherent to Aboriginal identity. We want people from across our Cities to know the land on which they live, work and connect with each other is Kaurna Country.
This video shares the connection of Kaurna people to land, to water, to nature. To Country.