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25.01.2022 Proud Waluwarra woman Ashlei Major is on the path to turning her creativity into a career after completing a specialist make up course, delivered by Huxley Sch...ool of Makeup in partnership with TAFE Queensland. This stunning look is just one where she has combined her Aboriginal heritage with her now viral skills that have garnered massive followings on social media and attention from brands like MECCA, Adore Beauty and Frank Body. Read more about her journey on our blog at https://bit.ly/3eW6HPz. #NAIDOC2020

23.01.2022 Reminder for State Disability Inclusion Plan 2019-2023 Launch Tomorrow 9amReminder for State Disability Inclusion Plan 2019-2023 Launch Tomorrow 9am

22.01.2022 A Kununurra woman has won a national fashion award. Miriwoong artist Peggy Griffiths won the Cultural Adornment and Wearable Art Award at the first ever Natio...nal Indigenous Fashion Awards. Her long flowing dress, called the Legacy Dress, is made up of ten layers, with block prints of local bush foods in earthy shades of ochre and blue. Every pattern on the fabric is symbolic or tells a story handing down knowledge. The Legacy Dress was designed by Torres Strait Islander Grace Lillian Lee and incorporated the work of textile artists at Waringarri Arts in Kununurra. Peggy Griffiths, pictured here wearing the Legacy Dress, is an award-winning artist who's been with Waringarri Aboriginal Arts since 1985. She beat her daughter Jan in the same fashion category last night. Grace Lillian Lee and Chris Barker

20.01.2022 there are no words....

20.01.2022 Our website is up and running again. Look out for a revamp in 2019 with all the old articles and the archives. If you want to write an article, please PM us and we can talk about submitting your stories.... #laterallove #unclebrian #mygrandfatherscountry #australia #happy2019 #laterallovestories

20.01.2022 As the sculptor devotes himself to wood and stone, I would devote myself to my soul. ~ Toyohiko Kagawa

19.01.2022 Today is International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous peoples have been heavily impacted by COVID-19. This year’s theme, COVID-19 and Indige...nous Peoples' Resilience highlights the preservation of Indigenous peoples’ traditional knowledge and practices which can be leveraged more fully during this pandemic and build back stronger. Head to the United Nations' website to learn more about this year's theme https://www.un.org/en/observances/indigenous-day #WeAreIndigenous #IndigenousDay #IndigenousPeoplesDay

18.01.2022 Aboriginal Women’s Art Although women have always been prolific artists in Aboriginal societies, the importance of their work was not widely recognized until re...cently. Collectors who acquired women’s paintings, fibre arts and carvings during the nineteenth century, failed to understand that female artists worked separately from men and their works had distinctive uses and meanings. At that time, European explorers and researchers were predominantly male and Aboriginal women did not display sacred images or reveal aspects of their religion to men. The division between men’s and women’s ceremonies and art forms is explained by elderly men in Arnhem Land who admit that in ancient times women owned all sacred rituals and exerted spiritual authority over men. But they were careless with that knowledge so men took it and have excluded women from important ceremonies ever since. In fact, women have their own ceremonies, ritual knowledge and repertoire of symbols and meanings. In regions such as Melville and Bathurst Islands, they take an active role with men in carving, painting, dancing and composing songs although older men confirm the correctness and quality of their work. AADC Emily Kame Kngwarreye as at 2019 was the No.1 ranked of the The Top 200 Aboriginal Artists. Followed by Rover Thomas, Albert Namatjira, Lin Onus, and Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri respectively. Image APY Lands senior female artists Paniny Mick, left, and Wawiriya Burton in front of the APY women’s painting of the seven sisters story. Photograph: Tjala Arts

16.01.2022 Updated website: What is Lateral Violence? #laterallove... http://laterallove.com.au/what-is-lateral-violence/

16.01.2022 I thought you might enjoy revisiting or reading for the first time Cally’s wonderful TEDX Talk from 2016. Kaya Bulup, Hello everyone. Thank you for the ...chance to address you all today. I can’t deny that I am very nervous. Despite being a high school teacher for a decade and having stood in front of literally thousands of students in that time, I still find addressing any crowd of adults quite scary. I feel a judgemental glare when I speak about Aboriginal related matters; it shakes my confidence and focus. I imagine the thoughts and words around me in the room. ‘Here we go again, more special attention for the Aboriginal kids’; ‘they get too much already’; ‘she’s as white as I am, what would she know?’ Some might say It’s all in your mind and maybe in some cases it is - but there’s a reason that seed of insecurity has been planted in my mind. My husband is dark skinned and obviously Aboriginal, and despite my thorough knowledge in Indigenous history, culture and language most people will bypass me and assume he is the expert. Which can be frustrating for me, and rather awkward for him. The experiences of racism that he experiences are far more frequent and hurtful. Quite recently we went to the doctor surgery for separate appointments and ended up in line together afterwards. The receptionist smiled and greeted me politely and asked if I’d be paying by cash or card. I paid the bill and stepped aside to wait for my hubby. The receptionist’s whole demeanour changed. No smile or greeting. ‘Do you have your healthcare card there?’ she asked him. When he replied he did not have one she responded impatiently with ‘haven’t you been down to Centrelink yet to apply for one?’ It’s not an isolated incident and it takes a strong person to endure it day in and day out. Most Aboriginal people are extremely strong though. So strong in fact that many on the outside are completely oblivious to what it means on a personal level to be an Aboriginal Australian. How it feels to be demonised in the media; to be resented on the basis of criminal and primitive stereotypes and all types of incredible Aboriginal benefits that simply just don’t exist. To be scrutinized and targeted every time you walk into a shop. They don’t know what it is like to have their credibility measured and identity determined by others as being authentic, fake, real, half-caste or full blood. They don’t consider the dread they would feel as a parent knowing that sooner or later their child will reach an age where they come to understand that are perceived as second-class citizens by many fellow Australians. When they see stuff written on the back of a toilet door or cop it in the playground. When they feel the weight of hurtful words, it keeps old wounds open and creates new ones. At my primary school the Aboriginal kids were teased relentlessly and made the butt of racist jokes and names. In line up, students would protest about holding hands with the Aboriginal kid. Comments about being smelly and dirty were often made. At my private high school Aboriginal people were called boongs and abos and my fellow students thought nothing of referring to beat up cars or their messy houses as boong mobiles or abo camps. There was zero inclusion of and value placed on Aboriginal content. I later learned that the school was named after Frederick Irwin, a cruel man who had pre-empted the Pinjarra massacre of 1834. 25-armed men on horseback gunned down men, women and children, my partner’s ancestors, in the river ford. This has been brushed aside to make way for a nicer story about a noble pioneer. I find it ironic that the school’s motto is ‘the truth shall set you free’. When shall they set that bit of truth free? I remember the Reconciliation movement being a really big deal in the 90’s. In theory, the movement sounded positive, about making amends between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. It wasn’t until years later that I could see it was a government campaign aimed at getting votes above all else. The political parties grew tired of it and moved along. The biggest flaw though was the very concept of ‘reconciliation’. To ‘reconcile’ implies a return to some pre-existing harmony or equal footing. How can we return to something that we have truly never had or known? When you really think about it, in the past 230 years of this country’s turbulent history, the First Australians and those who came after have never shared a harmonious relationship based on mutual respect and equality. That is yet to come. On the day that then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd had said sorry to The Stolen Generations, a significant day for many; I can remember being disheartened with the defensiveness and lack of compassion expressed by some. Even people I worked with I overheard them grumble about it being unnecessary and over dramatic. It can be difficult to feel like change is happening when you experience attitudes like this. But we must persist. Last month I was supervising my boys playing in the neighbourhood park. My heart sunk when I heard another child ask my eldest if he was ‘an abo’. I was proud and relieved when my son replied. ‘No, I am Nyoongar’ and then went on to explain it meant an Aboriginal person from the South West area. The other child was satisfied with this and asked to play a game of chasey. I comfort myself knowing that while I can not shelter my children from the racism that exists out there, I can raise them to be strong and resilient in the face of it. I decided to stop dwelling on the negative and concentrate on being part of the change I wanted to see. I focused my efforts on those individuals with a desire to listen and learn. I started to talk and write, every day to whoever would listen. When I discovered the power of social media to give voice to alternative perspectives I saw an opportunity for me to combine my greatest passion and biggest strengths to reach more people and help them to see a new perspective- we do not need to ‘move on’ or ‘get over it’, we are waiting for others to catch up and fill in the gaps so that we can start together from the same page of the same book. It is about facilitating those all-important conversations between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people that were neglected when the newcomers first arrived and have been since. It’s about growing compassion, respect and support for Aboriginal perspectives and ambitions among the general population. Involvement in social media has exposed me to the most toxic and unabashed racism that exists in our society but has been FAR outweighed by the growing support and solidarity of people that I’ve witnessed online. I believe that a positive change is coming; that it is happening right now in fact and that no amount of resistance and denial will stop it when it reaches its full momentum. I simply have to believe it. For my children; our children. When I started an alternative program for at risk teens this year and I began to share stories about my students online - their lives, their feelings and experiences as young Aboriginal people, the reaction was overwhelming. One student in particular captured the hearts of many. At 14 years old, Bevan has no stable home or guardian but goes from couch to couch- ours included. An angry, neglected individual surrounded by crime, drug and alcohol abuse and violence. The chip on his shoulder was huge; he hated the world and most people in it. Because he truly believed that most people hated him. The media, schoolyard racism and family stories had taught him this. Can you imagine just for a moment what those constant messages of racism and hate do to a person’s concept of self? When I took him to the shopping centre to buy some clean clothes we had to argue with security for him to be allowed in. Apparently he looked like he could be one of the boys that had been playing up there last week. His body language told everyone to stay away, be fearful, that he had an attitude. His environment and life is wrought with bad influences and uncertainty but he now has a link to something different through social media and his schooling. He reads the teacher logs that I write and then post. And he reads the post comments made by people from all over the country showing him compassion, understanding and encouragement. His perceptions of non-Aboriginal society have been challenged and the anger and hate in his heart have begun to thaw. He has re-engaged with his schooling and found solace in his culture by joining the local Noongar dance troupe. He has begun to grow in tolerance and compassion himself. It’s youth like Bevan that give me hope. As a mother, as an educator, and an Australian. I want to live in a place where my grandchildren can grow up free of stereotypes, stigma and constant judgment. I want a world where our children are not confronted by hateful messages online, in the news, on the back of toilet doors, that tell them they are second class, a burden and a problem. In a place that is their home. I desperately wanted to present a unique and mind blowing idea to you today. All I really have to offer you though is my honesty and an idea that comes straight from the core of my heart and soul. An idea for Australian society that a great many Australians already share. It’s not about reconciling, but ‘conciling’. Stepping away from the politics, stereotypes and defensiveness long enough to see one another’s humanity. It’s about starting at the beginning and working through the difficult, uncomfortable and painful all the way up to the present so that together we may finally own our past and look forward to a conciled future. I want us to talk, and more importantly, to listen to one another. To be brave enough to tackle the dark history of our collective past and united enough to forge a more compassionate and inclusive nation. You might be wondering ‘what can I do?’ And I can tell you the answer is plenty. You can be a force for positive change in very simple ways, everyday. I ask you not to be complacent to racism, don’t turn a blind eye instead challenge it head on. I ask you not to believe so readily what you hear and read about Aboriginal people, but to look a little deeper. I ask you to consider how very important it is to our peoples’ entire well being to be valued and heard. Please don’t leave this idea at the door, please take it home with you and help me to grow it. Thank you.

16.01.2022 Wishing you & your family, a time filled with Lateral Love and Caring over the New Year. #LateralLove #UncleBrianWishing you & your family, a time filled with Lateral Love and Caring over the New Year. #LateralLove #UncleBrian

16.01.2022 What is Lateral Love? **** Lateral Love is a simple truth, that all of us deserve compassion and kind treatment, not our hate, not violence or aggression, is going to break through the years, decades and centuries of lateral violence, hurt, pain and anguish....Continue reading

15.01.2022 Aboriginal Dreamtime is the link between the physical, human and our spiritual world. It is based on the inter-relation of all people and all things. To learn more about this fascinating philosophy please go to http://artlandish.com/dreamtime

15.01.2022 Perhaps the surest test of an individual’s integrity is his refusal to do or say anything that would damage his self-respect. ~ Thomas S. Monson

14.01.2022 ~ F I E L D O F L I G H T ~ The Field of Light installation at Uluru is absolutely breathtaking. We were lucky enough to take a quick tour tonight. What a gor...geous example of how lighting can change a landscape. #uluru #fieldoflightuluru #foxavenuestudio #landscapedesign #consultation #landscapelighting #greatsouthernland

12.01.2022 It's always amazed me how despite being a people of many distinct nations, The Rainbow Serpent - or Wagyl in my lingo- is a spiritual belief that links us all. ...It's also one of the oldest worshipped deities in the world. The Rainbow Serpent is known by different names by different Aboriginal nations. The Rainbow Serpent (or Serpents if there are more than one) is known as Borlung by the Miali, Dhakkan (or Takkan) by the Kuli, Kajura by the Ingarda,Goorialla by the Lardil people, Kunmanggur by the Murinbata, Ngalyod by the Gunwinggu, Numereji by the Kakadu, Tulloun by the Mitakoodi, Wagyl by the Noongar, Wanamangura by the Talainji, and Witij by the Yolngu. C.Jetta Pic: Wagyls are the official Bibbulmun Track trailmarkers between Kalamunda and Albany in Western Australia.

12.01.2022 http://education.abc.net.au//classroom-resources-to-help-s

12.01.2022 I hope everyone in Adelaide is coping with the heat. Please drink lots of water and try to stay cool. If you are struggling please seek help. Dont forget to bring your pets inside. They suffer from heat stroke as well. Stay Cool.

11.01.2022 Imagine being able to wake up in a world where there was no separation between any of us not based on sex, colour, country, or economic status. Imagine a world in which we could all hold hands across the planet. That’s what I see as possible if we all chose to come out of judgment of ourselves and each other so we all have permission to just be ourselves. ~ Richard Sauerman on Soul Sessions

04.01.2022 Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. ~ Albert Einstein

01.01.2022 Uncle Brian talks about this... https://www.instagram.com/p/CCNrNBYp_4c/?igshid=msatyohkx00h The post is very interesting and it’s outcomes are generally Lateral Violence.