NAIDOC Week 2022: Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!

#Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!

NAIDOC Week 2022 will be held from Sunday 3 to Sunday 10 July and is an opportunity for all Australians to come together to celebrate the rich history, diverse cultures and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The NAIDOC 2022 theme – Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up! - invites the nation to rally for systemic change and support institutional, structural, collaborative and cooperative reforms. It emphasises that beyond acknowledgment and good intentions, the relationship between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non‑Indigenous Australians needs to be based on justice, equity, and the proper recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ rights.

*Source: www.naidoc.org.au *

Celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with us at Westfield Whitford City.

View a beautifully curated piece of Indigenous artwork located in our Dining Hub, from Sunday 3 July, by Seantelle Walsh, a Noongar Artist, born and raised in Boorloo, Perth (Whadjuk country). Her mother’s paternal heritage connects to the Perenjori Balardong area and her mother’s maternal ancestry connects with the Wilman Tribe from Gnaala Kala Boodja region.

See more of Seantelle's work >

The story behind the artwork

'Mamang Koorliny’ - Whale journey

Mamang (whale) is an important wardan barna (sea animal) and holds great significance to Noongar people. When the sea level rose over 10,000 years ago many spirits were trapped under the sea. These spirits attach themselves to Mamang who will take the spirits on a journey for up to eighty or ninety years around the ocean before returning to the West Australian coast where then, the Mamang will beach themselves to return the spirits back into the land where they belong.
Noongar’s would help with this ceremony and also be provided seaonal daatj (meat), and djerany (fat/blubber) for their skin.

Above Mamang you will find four obscure circles that represent Lake Joondalup, also featured is Yaakan, the turtle representing ties to other nearby wetlands, Balga trees representing Noongar/Mooro country and wirin (spirit) from our ancestors.

The stars up above also give reference to the Charnock woman and the children that were released back into the night sky to create our djindas (stars).

To find out more about NAIDOC Week 2022, click here