Students from Halls Head College spent last Friday celebrating a belated NAIDOC day (National Aboriginal and Islanders Day Observance Committee).
Following a dedicated school assembly, in which Theo Kearing and his “mob” performed a welcome dance and didgeridoo performance, the students engaged in workshops to learn more about the culture of Australia’s first people, run by AIME (Aboriginal Indigenous Mentoring Experience) mentors.
Mr Kearing said that celebrating NAIDOC day at school enabled Aboriginal students to take the lead and feel valued in the community.
“The Aboriginal kids actually get up and are a part of this program which kind of inspires them to go to school, so that’s a bonus for us… it gives them a sense of belonging, so once they’re a part of that they tend to want to do more in school,” Mr Kearing said.
Thierra Clanton, one of the AIME mentors, helped artist Sharyn Egan with her basket-weaving workshop.
“For me it’s very significant that places like Halls Head have these opportunities like weave-making and having the traditional dancing, because the more that it’s out there… the better that we’re going to break down the stigmas and negative stereotypes,” Ms Clanton said.
She said when she was at school NAIDOC hadn’t been widely celebrated.
Halls Head student Olivia McDonald said it was a day to celebrate culture and become closer to each other by celebrating it.
Her classmate Vanessa Dawson said it was also an important day to connect with other Aboriginal people and learn more about their tribes.
“I’m in the Whadjuk tribe and the Bibbulmun tribe, I’ve got a lot of tribes,” Vanessa said.
“On my father’s side I’m not allowed to do corroboree, but on my mother’s side I’m allowed to do some, like there was a female doing corroboree this morning as well… so i have to learn how to work around it, and also not breaking the normal law as well.”
As well as basket-weaving, the students also learnt some traditional dances usually performed at celebrations and ceremonies, including a creation dance in which all the students performed as different animals.
“When we do dance workshops in schools we try to teach them all about the local animals, so the kangaroos, emus, eagle, anything significant that we can teach them that we’re allowed to,” Mr Kearing said.
At lunch time students enjoyed an emu and kangaroo sausage sizzle to raise funds for their sister-school at One Arm Point to visit Mandurah.
