Cultural Awareness

Yolngu Matha is the official name given by linguists for the languages of the Yolngu (Yolŋu), the indigenous people of northeast Arnhem Land in northern Australia. Listed below are the definitions of a number of important academic Yolŋu Matha terms,…

  This speech was delivered to Warramiri Cosmology Conference at Charles Darwin University by Dianne Biritjalawuy Gondarra on 21st February 2019. It was translated into English by Richard Trudgen Image by Wayne Quilliam **           Thank…

As a number of Yolŋu watched Adam Goodes perform his "war cry" or "haka" on TV after he kicked the goal, they were excited because it was great for their culture to be represented there on the big screen. “Here in Arnhem Land in the NT we call what Adam performed ‘balyunmirr’."

If you want to learn an Aboriginal Language it’s best to find an existing resource for the language group and region you want to work with. It’s very important to do your own homework rather then just going to find a…

This is a short video exploring the confusion between the knowledge systems and worldview of Yolŋu culture and the dominant culture of mainstream Australia, and the devastating impacts this confusion has on Yolŋu people. Dharaŋanawuy – a Yolŋu word meaning…

“I call you ŋäṉḏi, you call me waku. I am your daughter.” That was the moment when I stepped into the intricately beautiful kinship system of the Yolŋu people of North East Arnhem Land. Eight years on and I am…

Learning an Aboriginal language has so many advantages that you could write a book about it. Sadly, because of the way the dominant culture views Aboriginal languages, many of them are dying out and we are losing powerful academic concepts…

                  This week is NAIDOC Week and this year’s theme is focused on the 50th anniversary of the presentation of the Yirrkala Bark Petition. It is a good time to remember the…

                  Is Why Warriors cross-cultural training relevant for others outside of Arnhem Land? This is a question that we are asked quite often when people approach us to meet their training needs.…

Response to the federal Government’s Our Land Our Languages inquiry into Indigenous languages.             Why Warriors has always advocated that working with Yolŋu people in their own languages is the most efficient way for Yolŋu people to receive effective education, training and information…

Cross-cultural training is a difficult subject to talk about due to a whole range of factors. One of the main factors is that many dominant culture and Aboriginal people now carry psychological scars or defensive attitudes that have become an…

Based on our nine years of work in business development with Indigenous families, I think there are 5 main points that define the process of rebuilding sustainable economies in remote Indigenous communities. A local economy grows from personal motivation and…