Kado Muir facts for kids

Kado Muir is an Australian Aboriginal artist, scientist, and activist from Western Australia. He is also an anthropologist and archaeologist. Kado Muir works hard to protect the rights and culture of Indigenous Australians.

Kado Muir's Early Life

Kado Muir's father was Peter Muir. Peter Muir gave the important sacred site Serpent's Glen its name. This place is in the Little Sandy Desert. In 1962, Kado's father spent time near the Carnarvon Ranges. He wrote the first description of the rock art at Serpent's Glen. This site is now known as Karnatukul. Peter Muir also named Billycan Spring. He married Daisy, an Aboriginal woman. They had two sons, Talbot and Kado.

Traditional Owner and Cultural Knowledge

Kado Muir is a Ngalia traditional owner. This means he holds important cultural knowledge. He also knows the Mantjiltjara language. His family's traditional country is northwest of Leonora. He is part of a group of Mantjintjarra Ngalia people. They are working on a native title claim in the Goldfields region. This claim helps recognise their traditional ownership of the land.

Protecting Indigenous Rights and Heritage

Kado Muir is a strong supporter of Indigenous Australians' rights. He works to protect their land rights and heritage. He also believes in the value of traditional knowledge and culture. He has written many articles about Aboriginal heritage and native title.

In 2021, Kado Muir spoke to the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP). He told them that the Australian Government was not doing enough to protect Aboriginal heritage. He explained that a new law still allowed officials to ignore the wishes of traditional owners. He has also written about the destruction of Juukan Gorge. This was a very important Aboriginal site.

Kado Muir's Art and Creativity

Kado Muir is a talented visual artist. He often creates prints and works on canvas.

In 2018, Kado and his wife Deeva painted a mural. It was called Reti and was on a police station wall in Kalgoorlie. Reti, also known as Empress Springs, is a special cultural site. It is in the Great Victoria Desert.

In 2022, Kado led workshops for an art project called Reclaim the Void. Ngalia elders and others made rugs from recycled fabric. These rugs will be joined together to make a huge textile artwork. It will show the story of the Tjukurrpa (Dreaming) of the land. This art piece will also comment on how mining harms the land. It will be shown at the Western Australian Museum.

Other Important Roles

Kado Muir has held many important leadership roles. He was the chairperson of the Tjupan Ngalia Tribal Land Council. This is an Aboriginal corporation. As of 2022, he is the chair of the National Native Title Council. He is also a co-chair of the First National Heritage Protection Alliance. He is part of the steering committee for the First Nations Clean Energy Network.

Since 2021, he has been a director of the Wakamurru Aboriginal Corporation. This group represents the Manta Rirrtinya Native Title Holders. Kado Muir also supports bilingual education in Australia. This means teaching in both English and Aboriginal languages.

Politics and Public Service

Kado Muir has also been involved in politics. He was a candidate for the Greens in federal elections in 2004 and 2010. He also ran in state elections in 2005 and 2013. In 2016, he became the lead candidate for the WA Nationals in the federal election. However, he was not elected.

Personal Life and Family

Kado Muir is married to Deeva Muir, who is also an artist. Deeva was born in Malaysia and has a Sri Lankan Tamil background. Their oldest son, Karthi, is an actor. He studied at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Their younger son, Kuberan, is an artist. In 2019, he was studying photography at Curtin University. Their younger daughter, Ammbigai, is also a visual artist.