nindi dinatji nindi ngujarn nindi gundj
nindi djinan yerribi dununak yalagan dinatji
garek ngalak, njarala ngalak bala-bala nindi goorabung
In the Monero Ngarigo language, this means:
"Our land, our mother, our home
Our footprints connect us to our beautiful lands
Sit quiet, sit and listen to our talk about our future."
We live the principle that we must ourselves determine our lives, our rights, our responsibilities, our Cultures and our futures. We have a collective responsibility and inherited right to our Cultures and Countries that is as unique as it is fundamental. We must be enabled to live self-determination through our embodiment of the oldest living Cultures on earth.
As a statutory body of Victorian Traditional Owners, it is essential that the structures through which Council works are decolonised. It is both fundamental to the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and commitment to principles of self-determination that Council becomes truly autonomous of government.
Strategic Actions
|
Enacting self-determination through |
|
|
Including Traditional Owners in |
all areas of Cultural Heritage management, protection and celebration |
|
Leading by |
increasing protections for Cultural Heritage in state and national legislations |
"It is in our Cultures to respect the strength of words and the meaning of symbolism. In speaking openly and with focus about the colonising structures in which our Peoples live their Cultures, we remove some but only some, of its power. To truly be allowed to determine our lives for ourselves, the authorities that help manage our Cultures must be governed by Traditional Owners."
Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council
November 2020
Lakes Entrance
Updated