Monthly Reflection: Kalimat (Words)| On NAIDOC

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“Where are you on your journey of reconciliation?” a newfound Indigenous friend kindly and gently asked me. It’s a question that lingers, that echos, and that I come back to time and time again. Where am I?

I’m not sure I know. But I’ll keep moving even if it means heading in the wrong direction and needing to humbly retrace my steps, even if it means admitting I’m sometimes lost or confused, even if I don’t know the length of the journey or its milestones. As long as I’m moving towards an understanding of reconciliation, as long as I’m making an effort, I believe I’m still on my journey.

In her insightful and powerful 16 minute talk published several months ago, Dr Penny Taylor asks a similar question and offers some possible paths to unity, justice and reconciliation with First Nations Peoples.

Why am I talking about reconciliation? Well, July 7-14 is NAIDOC Week, a national week of celebrations held across Australia to honour the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities, but by Australians from all walks of life.

Three years ago, the Baha’i Blog team decided that we wanted to make an effort to contribute to the conversations and discourses sparked by NAIDOC. Naysan wrote:

I have to admit that I felt very nervous about even the idea of attempting to do something in honour of NAIDOC Week, given that I’m not indigenous to Australia and don’t know much, but after consulting with a number of friends, I felt that perhaps one of the things I could do was to create a space for conversations and personal stories to be heard, and it was time to start using Baha’i Blog to provide that space and to listen to what our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander friends have to say.

As a starting point, Naysan interviewed his friend’s mother, Marjorie Reid of the Wulli Wulli people who come from the Auburn Hawkwood area of Queensland, close to where he was living at the time. Since then, we have made a video every year:

• Bilyana Noel Arthur Blomeley is a Torres Strait Islander educator, Baha’i, wordsmith, father, traveller and storyteller. He has lived across Australia and beyond, and now finds residence on Larrakia lands in Darwin.

• Last year, Racquel spoke with Elizabeth Hindson. In 1967 Elizabeth Hindson was the first Indigenous Australian elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Australia.

This year we’re treated to a conversation with Uncle Chris Tobin, a long time friend of the Baha’is, and a prominent artist working with Dharug motifs and materials. In this video he shares his wisdom, insights, and experiences connecting through art with Peoples, Cultures and Country:

NAIDOC week is a uniquely Australian celebration however questions regarding reconciliation can be asked by people in many places. Wherever this newsletter finds you, we hope our small attempts to be a part of NAIDOC week potentially contribute to discourses and conversations where people are contemplating “What does reconciliation look like?”, “What part do I have to play in this process?” or “Where am I on the journey of reconciliation?”

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Sonjel Vreeland

In her innermost heart, Sonjel is a stay-at-home parent and a bookworm with a maxed out library card but professionally she is a museologist with a background in English Literature. She currently lives on Prince Edward Island, an isle in the shape of a smile on the eastern Canadian coast. Sonjel is a writer who loves to listen to jazz when she's driving at night.