With a 10-person limit on outdoors gatherings, Njernda Aboriginal Corporation will celebrate the week virtually and connect with the community online.
“We obviously can’t gather everybody because of COVID-19 so we want to bring NAIDOC to their homes,” Njernda chief executive Aaron Wallace said.
“It’s a really important time to celebrate culture and identity for Aboriginal people, which is why we’re going to do it online rather than not having anything.
“We want to go the extra mile so people can still have those moments they would normally have during the week,” he said.
NAIDOC Week usually takes place in July but was postponed to November 8 to 15 due to COVID-19.
This year’s theme is ‘Always Was, Always Will Be’, which recognises First Nations people have occupied and cared for Australia for over 65,000 years.
“It’s significant for us to reflect and remember we’re on Aboriginal land — it always was and always will be, and to be proud of it,” Mr Wallace said.
Njernda will release a mix of pre-recorded and livestreamed videos throughout the week on its social media platforms, including flag-raising and smoking ceremonies, storytelling and corroboree.
“Culture is healing to our mob and sharing moments of culture and who we are, I think that’s going to contribute to the wellbeing of our mob,” Mr Wallace said.
“It’s important for us as a community to celebrate who we are and what we stand for.”
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