Kado Muir facts for kids

Kado Muir is an important Australian Aboriginal person. He is an artist, a scientist who studies people (an anthropologist), and someone who works hard to protect the rights of Indigenous Australians. He lives in Western Australia.

Who is Kado Muir?

Kado Muir is a respected leader and advocate for Aboriginal people. He is known for his work in art, protecting cultural heritage, and fighting for land rights. He also helps make sure that traditional knowledge and culture are valued.

Early Life and Family History

Kado's father, Peter Muir, was a 'dogger' (someone who caught wild dogs). Peter named a very important Aboriginal sacred place called Serpent's Glen in the Little Sandy Desert. This place is also an archaeological site, meaning it has old things that tell us about the past.

In 1962, Peter Muir spent time around the Carnarvon Ranges (also known as Katjarra). He was the first to write about the amazing rock art found at Serpent's Glen, which is now called Karnatukul. He also named Billycan Spring. Peter married an Aboriginal woman named Daisy, and they had two sons, Talbot and Kado.

Traditional Connections

Kado Muir is a Ngalia traditional owner. This means he has a deep connection to the land and holds important cultural knowledge. He speaks the Mantjiltjara language and is connected to the country northwest of Leonora. He is part of a group of Mantjintjarra Ngalia people who are asking for their native title claim in the Goldfields region. This claim helps recognise their traditional ownership of the land.

Advocacy for Indigenous Rights

Kado Muir is a strong supporter of Indigenous Australians' rights. He works to protect their land, their heritage, and to make sure their traditional knowledge is respected. He has done a lot of research and written about Aboriginal heritage and native title.

In July 2021, Kado spoke to the United Nations (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 being planned still allowed the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs to ignore the wishes of traditional owners. Kado has also written articles about the destruction of Juukan Gorge for a website called The Conversation. This shows how dedicated he is to protecting important cultural sites.

Artistic Creations

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

Community Art Projects

In 2018, Kado and his wife, Deeva, painted a mural called Reti on the wall of the Kalgoorlie Police Station. Reti, also known as Empress Springs, is a very important cultural site in the Great Victoria Desert. It is on land that is part of a native title claim.

In 2022, Kado led workshops for an art project called Reclaim the Void. Ngalia elders and others worked together to make rugs from recycled fabric. These rugs will be joined to create a huge textile art piece. It will tell the story of the Tjukurrpa (dreaming) of the land where gold mines have been dug. The artwork aims to highlight the damage to the land and how much society consumes. This special artwork will be shown at the Western Australian Museum.

Other Important Roles

Kado Muir has held many important positions. He was the chairperson of the Tjupan Ngalia Tribal Land Council, which is an Aboriginal corporation. As of July 2025, he is the chair of the National Native Title Council. He is also a co-chair of the First National Heritage Protection Alliance and a member 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 also supports bilingual and "two-way" education in Australia. This type of education teaches both Indigenous and non-Indigenous ways of learning.

In Politics

Kado Muir has also been involved in politics. He ran as a candidate for the Greens in the 2004 and 2010 federal elections. He also ran in the 2005 and 2013 state elections in Western Australia. In 2016, he was chosen to be the main candidate for the WA Nationals in the federal election. However, his bid was not successful.

Personal Life

Kado Muir is married to artist Deeva Muir. Deeva was born in Malaysia and has a Sri Lankan Tamil background. Their oldest son, Karthi, is an actor. Their younger son, Kuberan, is an artist who studied photography. Their younger daughter, Ammbigai, is also a visual artist.