First Nations hub section 1b Introduction
Acknowledgement of Country
Yuin Country. Video by Craig Bender
The Museum acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora nation as the Traditional Custodians of the bamal (earth) and badu (waters) on which the museum is located and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples throughout Australia. We honour their continuing culture and connection to land and sea. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, we extend that respect and recognition to all First Nations peoples.
(bamal and badu are words from the Eora language of the Sydney region and are supplied courtesy of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council)
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island audiences are advised that this website contains names, images, video, voices, objects and knowledge of deceased people.
Welcome to Garrigarrang Garaguru
Welcome to Garrigarrang Garaguru, the first step on a curated pathway through the Museums 30-year history of engagement with First Nations Australia. We will share insights into the many stories, songlines, traditional knowledge and language across our continent. From featured artists to collection items, languages to poetry, highlighting Community creativity and knowledge is central to this digital experience.
The Australian National Maritime Museum acknowledges many contributions by Individuals, communities, artists and staff and is a reservoir of knowledges relating to the Museums custodianship and ongoing responsibilities to freshwater and saltwater.
Shaped by the Sea
Story telling of the seascapes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island worlds are at the heart of Australia’s deepest memories. Trade networks of coastal materials inter connect with song lines across the continent which shape distant kinship across the Australian continent and its island cousins. There are known to be more than 2 million square kilometres of the original coastal lands of Aboriginal Australia which today are submerged by the ocean.
Knowledge of these ancient landscapes were countless generations of peoples lived are preserved through performance, oral history, and languages. Stories of the creation of Australia’s contemporary coastlines predate the existence of the Zenedth Kes (Torres Strait Islands) and lutruwita (Tasmania). GARRIGARRANG GARAGURU is a repository of the museums ongoing commitment to bringing these stories to the surface.
Language
Saltwater and Fresh water languages embed experiential knowledge of where water, place and country are connected. This selection of Wiradjuri language words by Indigenous Programs curator Tyson Frigo explores the distribution of Wiradjuri language words across the largest language region in central New South Wales.