NAIDOC Week - Secondary Campus

NAIDOC Week in the Art Room

NAIDOC celebrations are usually held at the start of July, however due to the pandemic this year, the National NAIDOC Committee postponed celebrations to 8 – 15 November. Each year, a theme is chosen to reflect the important issues and events for NAIDOC Week. For this year’s NAIDOC celebrations, the Committee chose the theme ‘Always Was, Always Will Be’. The theme recognises that First Nations people have occupied and cared for this continent for 65,000+ years.

On the secondary campus, students looked at this year’s poster called ‘Shape of Land’ by Noongar and Saibai Islander man Tyrown Waigana, which tells the story of the Rainbow Serpent. The Serpent, represented by the snake from the Dreamtime that created this land, symbolising First Nations people’s deep connection with Country.

This connection to land highlights the heartbreak people felt when the Victorian government moved ahead with plans to cut down an ancient yellow box tree that had cultural significance to Australia’s Indigenous Djab Wurrung women. Students were moved by this news and a few created artworks to celebrate and acknowledge the Directions Tree, it’s significance, and the disrespect this showed to indigenous people.

We also looked at the copyright controversy the Australian Aboriginal Flag is currently involved in. The free use of the flag is exclusively restricted to a non-indigenous company called WAM clothing, who have bought the design. Free the Flag is a national campaign and movement that is lobbying to free the Australian Aboriginal flag so it is free to use just like every other flag in the world! Students were rightly outraged and many artworks included this campaign in their designs.

For some uplifting inspiration, students watched a film clip by the Aboriginal Australian rapper, dancer, artist, and actor Baker Boy. A Yolngu man (from north-eastern Arnhem Land, NT), Baker Boy is known for performing original hip-hop songs incorporating both English and Yolŋu Matha. We watched the video for Marryuna (Mar/re/ooh/na; verb; Let's Dance). In Yolngu culture dance plays a pivotal role. There’s ceremonial dance, celebratory dance and then there’s Marryuna; to dance with no shame, to freestyle for the sheer elation of dancing.

Students from 6 to 9 were asked to design an artwork that communicated something about NAIDOC week and had freedom of what they used. Some chose to work digitally, other created collages, some did drawing, and a few painted. It was a great way to celebrate and acknowledge our indigenous people and their land.

Shannon W

Arts Domain Leader and Teacher of Visual Arts and Design