Aldinga School

Aboriginal Education

Aboriginal Education Team

Rebecca Price – AET (Aboriginal Education Teacher)
Warwick Wallace – ACEO (Aboriginal Community Education Officer)

Welcome and Acknowledgement to Country Statement:

Aldinga Primary School wishes to acknowledge the traditional Aboriginal owners of this beautiful country.

We acknowledge the Kaurna people as the custodians of the Adelaide region. Their cultural and heritage beliefs are still as important to the living Kaurna people today.

We walk in their footsteps…

Download the Student Display Page

Aldinga Primary School acknowledges and celebrates the past, present and future, Indigenous culture of our community.

We do this by:

Supporting classroom teachers to teach Aboriginal Education across the school.
Nurturing the growth and development of Indigenous students within the schools. Support and guidance is provided to ensure they have the best possible avenues to succeed within Australian society.
Endeavouring to acknowledge, educate and celebrate the days of Indigenous significance throughout the year.
Teachers are offered in class support as well as lessons provided by the teaching team. Dreaming stories, Indigenous Art and history studies are among a few of the topics taught.
Classroom teachers can bring classes to the ‘Nunga room’ to use the resources and be immersed in some aspects of the Culture. The Nunga room is also a place where breakfasts, lunches and activity times are held for Indigenous students.

The growth and development of our Indigenous students is supported in many ways, including:

Some indigenous students have the opportunity to work one on one or in small groups for literacy and numeracy support each week.
Weekly Nunga activity time is held where students are involved in a number of cultural activities. These include craft activities, Dreamings, games and songs.

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The Kaurna People

The Adelaide Plains of South Australia are the home to the Kaurna Aboriginal people.

This welcome message:

Ngai wangandi marni nabudni Kaurna yertaanna

In the Kaurna language (pronounced ‘garna’) and translates to:

First let me welcome you all to Kaurna Country.

Aldinga: “ngaldengga” - place for meat, other meanings include: much water / hunting place for meat / tree district / battle or burial ground.

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Aboriginal Days of Significance

26th January Australia Day / Day of Mourning/ Survival Day / Invasion Day.

21st March Harmony Day / International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

25th April Anzac Day.

26th May National Sorry Day.

27th May- 3rd June National Reconciliation Week.

27th May 40th Anniversary of 1967 Referendum.

3rd June Mabo Day.

1st July Coming of the Light Festival / Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Sunday.

1st – 8th July NAIDOC Week.

4th August National Aboriginal & Islander Children’s Day.

9th August International Day of the World’s Indigenous People.

1st –8th September Aboriginal Cultural Awareness Week.

1st November All Saints Day.

2nd November All Souls Day.

11th November Remembrance Day.

25th November U.N. International Day to promote the elimination of Violence against Women.

10th December Human Rights Day

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At Aldinga Primary School we are committed to flying the Aboriginal, Australian and Torres Strait Islander flag each day.

Indigenous Flags and their meanings…

The Australian Aboriginal flag was designed by artist Harold Thomas and first flown at Victoria Square in Adelaide, South Australia on ‘National Aborigines Day” 12th July 1971. It has since become widely recognised as the symbol for unity and the identity of Aboriginal people. Due to the flags wide acceptance and importance in Australian society the Commonwealth took steps in 1994 to give the flag legal recognition. The Aboriginal flag, after a period of public consultation was proclaimed a ‘flag of Australia’ under section 5 of the flags act 1953. Harold Thomas stated the meaning of the three colours in the flag as;

Black - represents the Aboriginal people of Australia

Red - represents the red earth, the red ochre used in ceremonies and Aboriginal people’s spiritual relation to the land.

Yellow - represents the sun, the protector and giver of life.

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The Torres Strait Islander Flag was designed by the late Bernard Namok. It symbolises the unity and identity of Torres Strait Islanders. The flag was the winning entry in a design competition which was run by the Island Coordinating Council (ICC), and was adopted in 1992. Recognition in the same year by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Commission (ATSIC) was granted providing equal status with the Australian Aboriginal Flag. As with the Aboriginal Flag the Australian Government gave recognition to the Torres Strait Islander flag as an official flag of Australia under the Flags act 1953.

Green - represents the land

Blue - represents the sea

White - represents peace

Black - represents the Indigenous peoples

The Dhari - represents Torres Strait people and the five pointed star represents the five island groups within the Torres Strait.

The star - is also a symbol for seafaring people as it is used in navigation.

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Some interesting websites:

http://www.abc.net.au/messageclub/

http://www.dreamtime.net.au/

http://www.decs.sa.gov.au/corporate/a8_publish/modules/publish/content.asp?navgrp=default&id=aboriginalaustralia

http://www.aboriginalart.com.au/didgeridoo/dig_background.html

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Last Modified: August 2007.