When I came to Australia 8 years ago my first home was at Cooinda Street. I didn’t know what “cooinda” means and as there was a lot of new things around I must admit I didn’t check it back then. Recently when I started thinking about this blog I have checked it and found out that it has origin in Aboriginal language and means “happy place”¹. What a great coincidence, starting my life in Australia in a happy place!

Some people ask me why I’m interested in Australian history if it’s shorter than European history. What makes me most interested in history of XIX and XX centuries is the fact that I can not only read about it but also see it in photographs and I have a feeling it’s more tangible. What makes me especially fascinated about Australian history is the mix of Aboriginal and European history I see with each step in my everyday life, for example the street name mentioned earlier.

Aboriginal heritage

“Brisbane was known to the Aboriginal people as “Mian-jin”, which means “place shaped like a spike”. The Turrbal and the Jagera people were the principal clans, with the Turrbal mainly living north of the Brisbane River and the Jagera to the south.” –  Brisbane Greeters

Aboriginal heritage is recognised in many ways in modern Australia, just have a look at names of some of the suburbs or areas like Indooroopilly (gully of the leeches), Kurilpa (water rat) or Woolloongabba (whirling waters).

The Aboriginal Heritage is protected under The Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003 which was passed by Queensland Parliament in 2003. It requires everyone who carries out an activity to take all reasonable and practicable measures to ensure the activity does not harm Aboriginal cultural heritage.

NAIDOC week

NAIDOC Week is held from the first to second Sunday in July each year, this year from 5 to 12 July 2015. If you want to celebrate in Brisbane you can join at Musgrave Park, West End for Musgrave park Family Fun Day on Friday 10th July. More details here

NAIDOC Week celebrates 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. The week is a great opportunity to participate in a range of activities and to support your local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. – http://www.naidoc.org.au/

The movement has started in 1920s when protests against the status and treatment of Indigenous Australians were ignored. Some organisations were created so movement would be more active. On Australia Day in 1938 protesters marched through the streets of Sydney, the gathering was called Day of Mourning and until 1955 the event was held annually on the Sunday before Australia Day. In 1956 the event was moved to second Sunday of July and became a day of remembrance of Aboriginal people and their heritage. The name of the week comes from the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. You can read more below, please click the image to enlarge.

_____________________________________

¹ Australian Aboriginal words and their meanings / by H.M. Cooper