ABORIGINAL WOMEN RETURN FROM ‘IWI INDIGENOUS WOMEN IN INDUSTRY' CONFERENCE
credit: Puoro Mai Rangi
BY TANGIORA HINAKI
An opportunity to engage with First Nations women from around the world took place in Aotearoa, NZ this month.
Ten women from the Nyiyarparli and Banjima tribes traveled from WA to immerse themselves in Maori culture and rub shoulders with First Nation female leaders of the world. Aboriginal women from all over Australia attended the conference.
Jahna Cedar was co lead of the Australian delegation alongside Kristal Kinsela and Jaynaya Winmar at the Iwi Indigenous Women in Industry Conference.
The summit was held in Rotorua and a gathering of 200 First Nation women at Te Puia created a discussion around economic development, independence and development of an international network.
Ngaarda Media’s Tangiora Hinaki spoke with Yindjibarndi and Nyiyarparli leader, Jahna Cedar who says the summit fostered collaboration of traditional knowledge and sharing of social justice.
“We had a group of Pacifica young women from Samoa and Tonga. They got on stage and presented from a younger demographic perspective the issues that they're seeing in community.
But also what they're doing about those issues - so very much coming with a Solution focused outcome about Community leading change themselves and not waiting or expecting others to do it for them.”
credit: Puoro Mai Rangi
Mrs Cedar says that our youth are the future elders.
“We are generally raised where our elders speak, our elders lead, to have the view from a younger demographic who are future elders and you know what they're actually leaders in their own right at the moment was amazing to hear and they're so fresh and vibrant full of energy. We're many of us that I guess have been beaten by lateral violence or beaten by policy."
We know that we're passing that Legacy on to somebody that's going to drive it and then the second big key for me, I think was listening to the Native American women speaking about how they work within their sovereign territories and the strength of those but also they've got a lot of similar issues and stories that we have here in our nations with impacts of Mining and things so, you know, it was great that as a collective, we're coming together with similar situations, but it's that power of Unity. One of the values that we had was ‘Kotahitanga’ throughout - That power of collective Unity to really advance something that we can really move forward with.”
credit: Puoro Mai Rangi
Founder of Iwi Indigenous Women of Industry, Rachel Petero says she learned to make room and hold space for others to thrive.
“That looks like setting my own tikanga and kawa (boundaries, how I want to be treated) and letting the world adjust.
It's a life long practice. It is intentional. It is trusting myself. It is not perfect.
It's not my job to fix and please everyone. That's exhausting. I tried it. It made me sick.
It is my job to help Indigenous women rise and take one hundred percent responsibility for their lives.
From this space they will fly and soar on their own, a reciprocal process, when one Indigenous woman rises, we all rise.
We need each other. We are stronger together.
If you are not clearing space for others, you are probably taking up space for others.”
Australia will be hosting the Iwi Indigenous Women of Industry conference in 2028!