Aboriginal Way

01/08/2025

In this episode, we speak with Glenn Chisholm about the vital work of River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation (RMMAC) rangers in the Riverland.

Cultural heritage protection is at the heart of their work, with a special focus on protecting ancestral burial sites using both traditional knowledge and modern scientific methods.

Glenn envisions state-wide ranger gatherings where teams can share knowledge, skills, and experiences across different Country types.

The program is growing, with plans to add new rangers over the next three years if funding is secured.

Following the devastating floods of 2022-23, rangers have been restoring damaged cultural sites and discovering new ones exposed by the waters.

They use mapping and monitoring techniques to track changes to sites over time and identify areas needing restoration or protection.

Collaborating with landowners and other stakeholders is crucial, though can be challenging, to gain access and support for protecting sensitive sites.

As Glenn proudly notes, these rangers aren't just protecting their own Country - they're making an impact that reaches far beyond their "little old country town."

Listen to the full interview here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1zY8Pmq4OBr8bMecUphxUf?si=78f8b2ad680b4385

29/07/2025

You might have noticed we’ve been a little quiet recently. That’s because SA Native Title Services, which we are a part of, has been working on an exciting new project looking back over 30 years of native title in South Australia.

‘Country, Culture, People’ opens in the foyer of the South Australian Museum from Friday, 8 August. Every weekend from then on throughout August you’ll be able to step onto Country through virtual reality experiences guided by Traditional Owners on their land and waters.

Later in the month you’ll be able to pick up a special commemorative edition of Aboriginal Way, highlighting the journey of Aboriginal groups in achieving native title, alongside insightful interviews with legal and research professionals.
We hope you will be inspired, learn something new and celebrate these wins with us.

Country, Culture, People – Exhibition & Virtual Reality Experience
South Australian Museum foyer from 8 August
VR experience available weekends only – 🎥 Topbunk

16/06/2025

Yitpi Yartapuultiku, the soul of Port Adelaide, recently opened to the public at an event attended by around 10,000 people.

Nearly 30 years in the making, the cultural centre is led and mostly funded by the City of Port Adelaide Enfield.

🎧 Aboriginal Way spoke with 95-year-old Kaurna Elder Uncle Lewis O'Brien and Aboriginal Community Lead Rodney Welch onsite about the importance of the new centre. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

03/06/2025

Today we pause to remember the legacy of Eddie Koiki Mabo, a Meriam man from Mer in the Torres Strait.

On this day in 1992, the Mabo Case successfully overturned the myth that Australia was 'terra nullius' or land belonging to no one.

Five Meriam people led the battle, including Eddie Koiki Mabo, Reverend David Passi, Sam Passi, James Rice and Celuia Mapo Sale.

The first named plaintiff, Mabo, passed away before the High Court made its decision, but this case led to a legal framework for recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s rights over their land and waters - the beginnings of native title.

As National Reconciliation Week 2025 draws to a close, we acknowledge Eddie Koiki Mabo's efforts in recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People's unique connection to Country.

3 June marks Mabo Day. A day that commemorates Mer Island man Eddie Koiki Mabo and his successful efforts to overturn the legal fiction of terra nullius, or ‘land belonging to no one’.

The Mabo case ran for 10 years, culminating in a landmark decision by the High Court of Australia. The Court ruled that terra nullius should never have been applied to Australia. This decision recognised that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have rights to the land – rights that existed long before British arrival and continue to exist today.

The Mabo decision marked a significant turning point in the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ rights. It acknowledged their ongoing and deep connection to Country and led to the passing of the Native Title Act in 1993.

Native title is the legal recognition that some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have rights to, and interests in, certain land because of their traditional laws and customs.

Sadly, Eddie Mabo passed away 5 months before the historic decision came on 3 June 1992 that native title did exist.

Today, native title continues to shape the lives and futures of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. As we move forward on our journey of reconciliation, we honour the legacy of Eddie Koiki Mabo and continue to strive for truth and justice across our nation.

📌Learn more: https://www.reconciliation.org.au/commemorating-mabo-day/

26/05/2025

Today is a day marked in calendars across the country to acknowledge the experiences of those impacted by the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and the generational impact of what is now referred to as the Stolen Generations.

It’s been 28 years since the landmark Bringing Them Home report was tabled in the federal parliament, encompassing the findings of the first inquiry into this, and the first National Sorry Day was held the following year on 26th May, 1998.

One of the many significant recommendations of this report was the ongoing commemoration of Sorry Day. However, only 6% of the recommendations from 1997 have been completed.

That is why the theme for National Sorry Day this year is “We cannot wait another generation”.

Find out the ways you can support survivors of the Stolen Generations here - https://healingfoundation.org.au/

20/05/2025

In the latest episode of Aboriginal Way, we speak with the South Australian Museum's Aboriginal Heritage and Repatriation Manager, Anna Russo.

Learn more about the museum's updated repatriation process, the different communities that have been involved and the importance of repatriation in reconnecting Aboriginal people with their heritage.

🎧 Listen to the episode here - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/repatriating-ancestors-and-healing-communities/id1644805432?i=1000709090399

You can read the accompanying story in the Autumn 2025 edition of Aboriginal Way magazine, out now - www.nativetitlesa.org/aboriginal-way-mag/

Aboriginal Way has spoken with several different communities about repatriation to get a varied perspective over the years. Search back through our podcast or magazine archives for more repatriation stories as we continue this coverage.

*Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners, please be advised that this episode contains mention of deceased people.*

13/05/2025

🔉🔊Issue 98 of Aboriginal Way is out now!

Check out these stories and more:

⚫️ Construction underway on Purrkanaitya Elders Village
🟡 Lowitja - a trailblazing life of leadership and legacy
🔴 Repatriating ancestors and healing communities: reconnecting Aboriginal people with their heritage
⚫️ Security boost for significant Koonalda Cave
🟡Ngadjuri cultural camp brings young people to Country

➡️ www.nativetitlesa.org/aboriginal-way-mag/

05/05/2025

Groups of young Aboriginal people are learning more about Country by heading out to remote nature reserves for 5-day camps through the Nature Foundation's Kids on Country junior ranger program.

Traditional Owners mentor high school students as they engage in practical on-Country studies in conservation and land management through a SACE-accredited course, which also involves classroom study and online learning.

Nature Foundation’s CEO Alex Nankivell says that since launching in 2016, Kids on Country has become a sought-after program for schools, with enquiries from across Australia and even overseas.

The camps combine cultural stories, life skills such as car maintenance, fence repair, and cooking kangaroo tails over a campfire, as well as conservation projects such as bird and animal surveys.

🎧 Hear from program coordinators and students in this podcast, "Kids on Country" available on Apple Podcasts or Spotify now, and read the full article in the autumn edition of Aboriginal Way, out soon.

Photo: Kids on Country camp coordinators Warren Milera and Katie Perry, teachers Lina Ruggiero and Joseph, and student participants Sophie, Val and Isabella at LeFevre High School used with permission.

14/04/2025

**Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, please be advised this post contains images and stories of someone who has passed away*

During her childhood, Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue AC CBE DSG was told that she would never amount to anything. She went on to be described as “the greatest Aboriginal leader of the modern era.”

Dr O’Donoghue, a Yankunytjatjara woman, passed away peacefully on Kaurna Country last year at the age of 91, and her life and legacy are soon to be commemorated with an exhibition in her honour.

LOWITJA – A Life of Leadership and Legacy will feature a selection from Dr O’Donoghue’s extensive personal collection of her landmark speeches and media interviews, never before seen photographs, letters and reports spanning across her lifetime relating to the Stolen Generations, nursing and healthcare, Aboriginal affairs, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, her own significant achievements, family and Indigenous peoples.

🎙 AW spoke with Dr O'Donoghue's niece, Deb Edwards, who heads up the Lowitja Foundation, about her incredible life and impact - listen on our website nativetitlesa.org/lowitja-a-life-of-leadership-and-legacy/ or wherever you get your podcasts. 🎧

LOWITJA – A Life of Leadership and Legacy
Wednesday 4 June to Friday 25 July 2025
Kerry Packer Civic Gallery
The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre
UniSA City West Campus

Photo: Dr Lowitja O'Donoghue AC CBE DSG with great niece Ruby Edwards (left) and niece Deb Edwards (right) - credit Leanne King, courtesy of Deb Edwards.

27/03/2025

A sod turning ceremony was held on Tuesday to launch construction of the long-awaited Purrkanaitya Elders Village at Warriparinga/Bedford Park.

Purrkanaitya is a Kaurna word meaning "for all Elders", with the facility set to deliver 40 modern and culturally appropriate homes near the Sturt River.

The project is slated to take around 14 months, with the facility offering Elders the opportunity to live independently on country in affordable, safe and secure community housing.

Funding for the project has been contributed by the SA government, federal government and Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation (ILSC), who also donated the land for the project.

AW spoke about the importance of Purrkanaitya at the ceremony with ILSC chair Ian Hamm, listen to full interview below:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4r0Vu4F8vpTzGe8L45Md9x?si=f370ea7f04054303

03/03/2025

📌📰 Issue 97 of Aboriginal Way looking back over summer 2024/25 is out now, have you got your copy? 📰

Check out these stories and plenty more...

🔸Take a look at the 2024 PBC (Prescribed Body Corporate) Forum held in Coffin Bay in December
🔸 Fancy a holiday? First Nations tourism is booming
🔸 SA Voice makes historic first address to parliament
🔸 Kauwi cultural cruise
🔸 Healing trauma is the key to preventing family and domestic violence

📰 Read it online here www.nativetitlesa.org/aboriginal-way-mag/

✔️ Subscribe via the link in our bio for the online edition or to receive a free hard copy of the next edition delivered directly to your letterbox.

11/02/2025

State Records of South Australia was the country's first service of its kind when it was established more than 100 years ago in 1919.

State Records SA has an Aboriginal Reference Group and specific Aboriginal access services, which include Aboriginal access officers.

These services can help you find your Aboriginal family history through culturally sensitive archival records. They can specifically assist members of the Stolen Generations in identifying and becoming reunited with members of their families. They also help researchers find information and gain access to the correct records for their needs.

“We support the spirit of Reconciliation and the recognition of individuals’ right of access to their own personal information” - State Records SA

Today, AW is speaking with Senior Aboriginal Access Officer Tara Collier and Senior Reference Archivist Nick Miller about their work and how they can help you discover more about your own family history.