Celebrate Indigenous culture during NAIDOC Week in Byron Bay

A SMOKING ceremony, cultural performances, and weaving with NRL players will be among the highlights of NAIDOC Week celebrations in Byron Bay on Thursday July 10.

Hosted by the Arakwal Bundjalung people and Byron Shire Council, the free community family day will begin with a march from Railway Park to Dening Park at 10am.

The celebrations will continue at Dening Park until 2pm, including market stalls, an elders’ tent, face painting, and a free barbecue lunch.

An emu egg on display at the Learning from the Past NAIDOC Week exhibition at Bangalow Heritage House & Museum. Photo: SUPPLIED

NAIDOC, which stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee, originated in the 1920s as a movement to raise awareness about the treatment of First Nations people in Australia. The week-long celebration was formally established in 1974.

This year’s NAIDOC Week, running from July 6 to 13, carries the theme: ‘The next generation: strength, vision and legacy’. It honours the achievements of the past while celebrating a bright and empowered future.

Other activities planned across the Byron Shire include an exhibition at Bangalow Heritage House & Museum. The display features Indigenous artefacts loaned by the Arakwal Bundjalung people.

Indigenous artefacts on display at the Learning from the Past exhibition at Bangalow Heritage House & Museum. Photo: SUPPLIED

Byron Shire councillor Delta Kay dropped off several items to the Bangalow Historical Society for the Learning from the Past exhibition last week.

“From painted turtle shells and woven bags to throwing sticks and boomerangs and a magnificent emerald blue emu egg tucked away in a basket lined with emu feathers, plus possum skin furs and coolamons — there is an abundance of authentic items on display to discover,” exhibition curator Heather West said.

The museum has also included works from Living Lab Northern Rivers’ recent exhibition, Tracing the Past, Shaping the Future, which explored Indigenous knowledge and cultural land management.

Byron Shire mayor Sarah Ndiaye celebrating NAIDOC Week. Photo: LYN McCARTHY

“We’re also really excited to have images on display which show how many native plants sustain our local ecosystems, have deep cultural ties and have shaped Bundjalung Country’s past, present and future,” Ms West said.

The Museum is open Wednesdays to Fridays from 10am to 2pm and Saturdays from 9am to 12pm. The exhibition will run for a month.