Acknowledgment of Country Workshop

By Mia G and Anthony (Year 5)

On Tuesday 6 September, some students with an Indigenous heritage were selected to participate in a rewriting of Holy Cross’  Acknowledgement of Country  to be shared with the school on Indigenous Literacy Day.  The purpose of this workshop was to allow students to have a deeper understanding of the importance of Country and our connection to the sacred land and elders. 

We were honoured to welcome Marley H’s grandmother, Cate Baillie, to our school. She is a Darud woman from the Booreberongal tribe, who are direct descendents of  Yuramundi. Miss Baillie spoke to us about her Indigenous heritage and the importance of honouring and respecting our elders.

Our outdoor session began with us mindfully walking around the playground.  We then placed our hands on the grass, closed our eyes, and focused on the sounds and the feel of nature around us. We wanted to have a further connection with our land so that we can take care of it more. We learnt that when the Gymea Lilies bloom, it indicates that the whales will approach our waters. When the lilies start to wither, the whales will migrate South.  We also learnt about different totem animals belonging to certain tribes.

Afterwards, we moved into three groups and composed Acknowledgement of Country statements suitable for Kindergarten, Stages 1-2, and Stage 3. We hope that with this adjustment to our school Acknowledgement of Country, each class can develop a deeper understanding of the importance of Indigenous culture, our traditional custodians and connection to Country.