The turn out to watch the Christmas pageant last week was impressive for a new public event. Fifty floats representing organisations, businesses, schools and churches weaved slowly along the Esplanade and Knuckey Street spreading well wishes of Christmas to the crowds.
Up the front, leading the pageant was Larrakia Nation, and this is the right place for us to be. Why? Because Larrakia Nation is the cultural authority for the Larrakia people; it is our job to promote understanding and awareness of Larrakia people, culture and history. One way that we do that is by being present and obvious at community events like the Christmas pageant.
Community events offer an ideal platform to establish our cultural position at gatherings on Larrakia Country. We are the Traditional Owners of the land where Darwin sits, and its culturally correct for Larrakia Nation to lead community events.
Our Host program is always pushing for cultural awareness
Larrakia man David Kurnoth leads our Host program which is designed to promote our culture and educate the public on how to understand and respect Larrakia culture. “We want everyone to know they are on Larrakia land and how to respect Larrakia culture,” said David.
Host focuses on four main topics: cultural education, school-based learning, anti-social behaviour and business development.
Over the past few years inclusion of Larrakia Nation in events like the Christmas pageant and Welcome to Country ceremonies shows public sentiment is changing, and people are more aware of Larrakia, and why we need to be consulted and included on decisions made on Larrakia land.
“By establishing and strengthening our cultural footprint and unification of Larrakia, we strengthen the position for Larrakia Nation to open doors and provide opportunities for our members,” said David.