ABORIGINAL SCHOOL PERFORMS IN AOTEAROA AND LEARNS ABOUT BILINGUAL EDUCATION
It has been one year since the first bilingual school to feature Aboriginal language opened in NSW.
Bularri Muurlay Nyanggan Aboriginal Corporation opened the Gumbaynggirr Giingana Freedom School in 2022 and is an Aboriginal Independent primary school offering bilingual education.
Gumbaynggirr language teacher Ellie Buchanan says that after one year she is seeing cultural impacts in the children.
“One year on we are seeing our children really strong in their culture, really strong in their identity and in their belonging,” she said.
“Language and being together has this beautiful power of lifting up children’s wellbeing overall.”
The teachers and students from the Bularri school visited schools in Aotearoa/New Zealand to see what more they could learn from the bilingual schools there.
The Bullari group also went to other cultural events including Waitangi day commemoration, and performed at the NRL All Stars match on Saturday.
CEO of the Corporation Clarke Webb spoke about how exciting it was to be asked to perform at the NRL All Stars and visit the schools to learn about how Maori teach bilingual education and culture.
“We’ve been asked to participate in the dawn ceremony here at the Treaty of Waitangi, we are very excited and humbled.”
Elders, dancers, students, teachers and young people part of the trip performed.
The cross-cultural exchange with local Maori people is to learn as Mr Webb said.
“To learn how Maori people educate other children through a Maori philosophy and Maori lense,” he said.
Minyungbal woman Rachel Cavanagh is a parent of one of the children from the Bullari schools went to the Waitangi day in Aotearoa.
Rachel explains that exposing children to the cultural day in New Zealand that also had Aboriginal performances for the first time, provided the children with a sense of belonging.
“Having things like this and really immersing our children into that cultural way of being… is powerful in itself and gives our kids a sense of belonging to their community, to their mob to their family and to their homelands which they don’t get anywhere else,” she said.
“Quite often even in our own home country we don’t get the same respect and understanding from the wider community and you know that is happening but we are still quite a far way off.”
“Being able to showcase who we are as Aboriginal people… just really provides that level of cultural connection that we have to our country, our land and our language,” she said.
The Waitangi day commemorates the signing of the Treaty, and reflects some of the issues that we are facing in Australia as the treaty discussions continue
“It’s that deeper understanding on a spiritual level of the same struggles and the same barriers that our people from home and here face”
Rachel has a yarn with Ngaarda Medias Tangiora Hinaki about their experience visiting Waitangi day, visiting bilingual schools and about the upcoming Voice to parliament.