As all Australians are invited to celebrate the rich history, culture and achievements of our First Nations People. It is an opportunity for the wider Australian community to recognise the contributions that Indigenous Australians make to our society, and this year's theme is Because of her, we can!
"As leaders, trailblazers, politicians, activists and social change advocates, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women fought and continue to fight, for justice, equal rights, access to education, employment and to maintain and celebrate our culture, language, music and art. They are our mothers, our elders, our grandmothers, our aunties, our sisters and our daughters. For at least 65,000 years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have carried our dreaming stories, songlines, languages and knowledge that have kept our culture strong and enriched us as the oldest continuing culture on the planet. Their achievements, their voice, their unwavering passion give us strength and have empowered past generations and paved the way for generations to come. Because of her, we can!" - NAIDOC 2018
Mary Vanbee and Jessie Moora (above) from Yakanarra Remote Community (Kimberley, WA) and Nina Black (below) from Milikapiti Remote Community on Melville Island (NT) are just a handful of women in remote communities who are working to preserve their language and culture. Working with our Foundation, they have helped children in their communities create stories and songbooks, which are now published and available through our Community Publishing Project.
This NAIDOC Week, we invite you to join us in celebrating their remarkable contribution by enjoying and sharing some of their stories below.
Yakanarra Song Book
- Mary Vanbee and Jessie Moora
Yakanarra Song Book is a collection of beautifully illustrated songs about place, the sounds of the animals and birds, hunting and fishing. Ten Walmajarri songs are featured that were written in the 1980s by Walmajarri teachers. In 2016 Mary and Jessie worked with the children from Yakanarra Community School, alongside our ambassador Alison Lester at an ILF workshop, to record the songs in written form. The children beautifully illustrated the songs in vibrant watercolours and the result is this alurring hard back, which we published last year.
If you believe, BECAUSE OF HER, WE CAN, order your copy now.
No Way Yirrikipayi!
- Nina Black
No Way Yirrikipayi! is the story of a hungry crocodile that goes searching for food on Melville Island in the Northern Territory. Along the way he encounters both land and sea animals. Written in both Tiwi and English, it was developed in ILF workshops with Nina Black and Alison Lester, illustrated by children from Milikapiti School. We published and launched this popular book in 2015 and this year, we have been working with Nina to record the aural translations in Tiwi.
If you believe, BECAUSE OF HER, WE CAN, order your copy now
Alison Lester and Nina Black
This NAIDOC Week, we invite you to enjoy, share and celebrate these stories by ordering a copy above. Your support will ensure we can continue to create and publish more stories with Nina, Mary and Jessie; that preserve their language and culture and paves the way for generations to come. Because of her, we Can!
The Indigenous Literacy Foundation works as an initiative of the Australian Book Industry with the support of:
The
Indigenous Literacy Foundation is registered with the ACNC and is a Public Benevolent Institution with DGR1 and TCC status.
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