For young people to understand and appreciate Australia’s First Peoples (our mob) is something I feel is important to us all. If Aboriginal Ways are part of our education from the very earliest age then as adults, we are more likely to live respectfully on this land, the land that holds the world’s oldest living culture. Aboriginal lore is passed on through the generations using ceremony, art, song, dance and storytelling. The depth of the culture is accessible in stages. As we learn, we grow and are able to learn more. This is not unlike the system of education in mainstream Australia, however cultural learning is integrated into life and our living environment, more than structured into lessons in classrooms.
How we experience our environment is crucial to how we learn to know and respect our place and then learn to respect other people’s places. Learning about ‘place’ and respect for personal space is a vital cultural competency for everyone. As we walk on country we walk through the seasons and we see, hear, touch, taste and feel what comes with each season.