The Yabun Festival is a free event that takes place on 26 January at Victoria Park from 10am to 7pm. Yabun is the largest one day gathering of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures in Australia. Yabun celebrates the survival and resilience of the world’s longest living continuous cultures. Organised by Gadigal Information Service Aboriginal…

Ngalu Warrawi Marri means ‘We stand strong’ in Gadigal. This event on Wednesday 24 January 2018, curated by First Nations staff, highlights and celebrates First Nations protest and resilience & interrogates the way Australia celebrates national identity. A provocation for the curious, Culture Up Late at the Australian Museum turns the museum inside out. With…

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Redfern Speech. On 10 December 1992, the launch of the International Year of the Word’s Indigenous People took place in Redfern Park. The most notable event of the day was the speech delivered by former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating that is now known as the ‘Redfern…

The exhibition Gapu-Monuk Saltwater – Journey to Sea Country, recognising Indigenous Sea Rights, will be an acknowledgement of the significant and stunning story of the Yolŋu people of northeast Arnhem Land and their fight for recognition of Indigenous Sea Rights and the Blue Mud Bay Legal Case. When: 10 November 2017 to 10 May 2018…

ONES COUNTRY – the spine of our stories is a brand-new triple bill, performed within the immersive, industrial surrounds of Carriageworks. These three diverse works bring together the choreographic talents of Bangarra dancers Elma Kris, Nicola Sabatino, Kaine Sultan-Babij, and Bangarra foundation member and Yolngu songman Djakapurra Munyarryun. Join us on a journey from the…

Celebrate the annual Gawura (Eora word for whale) migration season with a day of interpretive stories and dance inspired by a series of distinctive engravings, carved thousands of years ago into the landscape around Vaucluse House. The Gawura migration signifies revitalisation and birth of a new generation, a unique and ongoing story of Aboriginal connection…

Bujari gamarruwa means ‘good day’ in the Gadigal language. The City acknowledges the Gadigal or the Eora Nation as the traditional custodians of this place we now call Sydney. Did you know the word Koori comes from the Awabakal language and refers to Aboriginal people from either New South Wales or Victoria? This is just…

Acclaimed Indigenous artist Christian Thompson brings song, spoken word, sculpture and video together in the performance Tree of Knowledge as part of the Liveworks Festival 2017. Dreams, memories and aspirations are transformed into surreal gestures. When: 19-22 October 2017 Where: Carriageworks, 245 Wilson Street, Redfern Tickets: $25 / $35; more information on the Performance Space…

Join PhD Candidate Jodi Edwards for Talking Deadly: Indigenous Voices at the State Library of NSW as she discusses her fascinating research on the continuity of culture in the Yuin and Dharawal Nations in the areas of Language, Performance, Possum Skin Cloaks and Fishing. Where: State Library of NSW, Glasshouse, Lower Ground Floor, Macquarie Street,…

Aimed at children 5-12 and their parents or carers, Sand Song tells the story of ‘Cheeky Brolga stealing Emu’s egg’, which is the Gammilleroi Dreaming story of the ‘First Sun’ – the first time the sun’s light shone on Australia. During a 30 minute hands-on workshop, children meet the performers, learn the Emu dance and…

Teams from all over New South Wales will be competing in the annual NSW Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout in Sydney from 29 September to 2 October 2017. This annual event has importance as a cultural vehicle and event for Aboriginal social and cultural expression. The knockout is reminiscent of a four-day traditional ceremonial dance and…

Have you ever been told you’re good looking for an Aboriginal? Have cab drivers driven straight past you? When you turn 40, do you qualify for elder status and free cups of tea? These are the hard-hitting questions Cope ST’s Colin Kinchela will attempt to answer as he is grilled by fellow Cope ST member…

107 and Blak Mirror Present, The Gilded Age. A collection of works by Contemporary Aboriginal artists reflecting on the underlying social and political nuances of today, gilded by a thin golden veneer. This multi disciplinary exhibition is complimented by a program of inspiring artist talks. Join us at Australia’s largest Art Fair and get amongst…

In this free illustrated talk as part of the Guringai Festival 2017, historian Keith Vincent Smith will look at Indigenous informants and cultural brokers from the Sydney area, including Bennelong, Patyegarang, Bungaree and Maroot the elder. Their legacy is a gift of knowledge from the past, words and meanings, that now help revive the language…

Living in Their Times is a free one-day event commemorating the 1967 Referendum and the legacy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander activism that preceded and followed this landmark moment. Curated by Djon Mundine OAM and presented by UTS ART and Jumbunna Institute, the event activates several sites across UTS with art installations and film…

Sydney Theatre Company and Allens present Black is the New White by Nakkiah Lui. Guess who’s coming to dinner? Charlotte Gibson is a lawyer on the up. She won a landmark Native Title case, she’s making her parents proud, she could have her own TV show tomorrow. But she has other ideas. First of all,…

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the 1967 referendum when over 90% of Australians voted ‘yes’. This changed to constitution to remove a race clause that excluded Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from the census. It also shifted Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs from the state governments to the Commonwealth government. Count…

To celebrate 2017 National Reconciliation Week (27 May to 3 June), the Pauline McLeod Awards come to Bondi Pavilion, marking the 50th anniversary of the 1967 referendum and 25th anniversary of the Mabo decision. Presented and supported by the Eastern Region Local Government Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Forum (ERLGATSIF), this important celebration encompasses community…

First Hand Solutions Aboriginal Corporation is holding its annual Aboriginal cultural welcome ceremony for refuges and newly arrived Australians at its Blak Markets on Bare Island on Sunday 7 May. Individuals and families who are new to Australia are invited to join in a special traditional welcome and smoking ceremony conducted by Aboriginal elder, Greg…

A History of Aboriginal Political Thought is a five week course taught by Paula Jane Byrne at WEA Sydney. The course concentrates on Aboriginal political perspectives since 1788. It deals with Aboriginal readings of the state and its role in people’s lives which at times incorporates non – Aboriginal people as well. Influences drawn on and rejected are discussed as…

‘Fire’ is known by many terms in many languages. Firesticks uses the term ‘cultural fire’ to describe the myriad ways fire occurs in cultural practice and belief. Cultural fire has spirit and authority and must be respected. The cultural values and practices that manifest as cultural fire are underpinned by a fundamental intent and knowledge…

For a decade, Black Arm Band has been sharing the music, songs and stories at the centre of Indigenous life, touching hearts and minds across the country and abroad. A collective of contemporary Aboriginal music pioneers and emerging greats who have inherited their legacy, Black Arm Band celebrates its tenth anniversary with Songs of the…

For both Anmatyerr women from central Australia and Kam (in Chinese, Dong 侗) women from south-western China, singing is associated with feelings and thoughts about home. The Sydney Conservatorium of Music presents Songs of Home: Anmatyerr and Kam singing traditions, a very special evening where ‘home’ is brought to life through Anmatyerr and Kam songs, translations…

In this solo exhibition at the NAS Gallery, conceptual artist Vernon Ah Kee presents a thought-provoking portrait of black and white political issues, attitudes and ideologies. 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the 1967 referendum in Australia, which amended the constitution to remove provisions that racially discriminated against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, including…

Home / On Country is  an exhibition of works by Sydney-based photographer Sarah Rhodes featuring Indigenous Elders wearing their language group’s possum skin cloak. The images celebrate the role of the possum skin cloak in strengthening cultural identity, connection to Country and the Elders’ pride in the revitalisation of this traditional cultural symbol. The exhibition…