NAIDOC Week facts for kids
Quick facts for kids NAIDOC Week |
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|---|---|
| Dates | First full week in July each year |
| Location(s) | Australia |
| Years active | 1975–present |
NAIDOC Week (pronounced NAY-dok) is a special week of celebration in Australia. It starts on the first Sunday of July and lasts for a whole week.
The name NAIDOC is an acronym. It stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. This committee helps organize the week's events.
NAIDOC Week is a time to celebrate the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It's a celebration for all Australians, not just Indigenous communities. Government offices, schools, and many workplaces join in the events.
Some Indigenous leaders have suggested making a day during NAIDOC Week a national public holiday. This would give everyone a special day to celebrate the rich culture of Australia's First Peoples.
Contents
The Story of NAIDOC Week
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The Day of Mourning (1938)
The idea for NAIDOC Week began a long time ago. In 1938, Aboriginal leaders like William Cooper, Douglas Nicholls, and Jack Patten organized an event called the Day of Mourning.
This was not a day for being sad. It was a day to get everyone's attention and talk about the challenges and unfairness that Aboriginal people were facing. They wanted to create understanding and ask for justice and respect. They even met with the prime minister, Joseph Lyons, to ask for a voice for Aboriginal people in the government.
A Day of Celebration
Over time, the idea changed. By 1957, Indigenous leaders decided to move the event from January to July. The first Sunday in July became a day to remember and celebrate Aboriginal people and their amazing heritage. The group that organized it was called the National Aborigines Day Observance Committee (NADOC).
From a Day to a Week
In 1991, the event grew from a single day into a whole week of celebration. The committee's name also changed from NADOC to NAIDOC. This was to make sure that Torres Strait Islander people were also included in the name and the celebration.
The name of the committee, NAIDOC, is now the name of the week itself.
Changes During COVID-19
In 2020 and 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic caused some changes to NAIDOC Week. Some events were moved to later in the year, and the big National Awards ceremony had to be cancelled a couple of times. Even with these challenges, people still found ways to celebrate.
How People Celebrate NAIDOC Week
All across Australia, people take part in NAIDOC Week. There are fun and educational activities in schools, workplaces, and local communities.
Some popular activities include:
- Listening to Indigenous Australian music.
- Reading Dreamtime stories.
- Visiting Indigenous websites to learn more.
- Holding art competitions.
- Watching special TV shows and movies about Indigenous culture on channels like ABC and SBS.
Big celebrations happen in major cities and in large Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities like Alice Springs and Shepparton.
National NAIDOC Awards
At the end of NAIDOC Week, there is a special event called the National NAIDOC Awards Ceremony and Ball. Each year, it's held in a different city. It's a fancy party that celebrates the amazing achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The event often features delicious Indigenous food and live music.
The NAIDOC Poster Competition
Every year, there is a competition to create the official NAIDOC poster. The first poster was made way back in 1972. Artists create a design based on that year's theme. These posters are a powerful way to share the message of NAIDOC Week.
Yearly Themes and Host Cities
Each NAIDOC Week has a special theme. Here is a list of the themes and the cities that hosted the National Awards.
- 1972: "Advance Australia Where?"
- 1973: "It's Time For Mutual Understanding"
- 1974: "Self-Determination"
- 1975: "Justice for Urban Aboriginal Children"
- 1976: "Trucanini Last of her People Born 18?? . Died 1876. Buried 1976. Received Her Land Rights at Last"
- 1977: "Chains or Change"
- 1978: "Cultural Revival is Survival"
- 1979: "1979 International Year of the Child. What About Our Kids!"
- 1980: "Treat Us to a Treaty on Land Rights"
- 1981: "Sacred Sites Aboriginal Rights-Other Australians Have Their Rites"
- 1982: "Race For Life For a Race"
- 1983: "Let's Talk—We Have Something to Say"
- 1984: "Take a Journey of Discovery – To the Land My Mother" (Adelaide)
- 1985: "Understanding: It Takes the Two of Us" (Melbourne)
- 1986: "Peace—Not For You—Not For Me But For All" (Adelaide)
- 1987: "White Australia Has a Black History" (Perth)
- 1988: "Recognise and Share the Survival of the Oldest Culture in the World" (Brisbane)
- 1989: "The Party is Over—Let's Be Together as an Aboriginal Nation" (Darwin)
- 1990: "New Decade——Don’t Destroy, Learn and Enjoy Our Cultural Heritage" (Tasmania)
- 1991: "Community is Unity—Our Future Depends on Us" (Sydney)
- 1992: "Maintain the Dreaming—Our Culture is Our Heritage" (Canberra)
- 1993: "Aboriginal Nations—Owners of the Land Since Time Began—Community is Unity" (Darwin)
- 1994: "Families Are the Basis of Our Existence—Maintain the Link" (Melbourne)
- 1995: "Justice Not Tolerance" (Perth)
- 1996: "Survive—Revive—Come Alive" (Adelaide)
- 1997: "Gurindji, Mabo, Wik-Three Strikes for Justice-Celebrating the 1967 Referendum" (Brisbane)
- 1998: "Bringing Them Home" (Broome)
- 1999: "Respect" (Alice Springs)
- 2000: "Building Pride in Our Communities" (Townsville)
- 2001: "Treaty—Let's Get it Right" (Melbourne)
- 2002: "Recognition, Rights and Reform" (Sydney)
- 2003: "Our Children Our Future" (Hobart)
- 2004: "Self-determination-Our Community—Our Future—Our Responsibility" (Perth)
- 2005: "Our Future Begins with Solidarity" (Adelaide)
- 2006: "Respect the Past-Believe in the Future" (Cairns)
- 2007: "50 Years: Looking Forward, Looking Blak" (Darwin)
- 2008: "Advance Australia Fair?" (Canberra)
- 2009: "Honouring Our Elders, Nurturing Our Youth" (Brisbane)
- 2010: "Unsung Heroes – Closing the Gap by Leading Their Way" (Melbourne)
- 2011: "Change: the next step is ours" (Sydney)
- 2012: "Spirit of the Tent Embassy: 40 years on" (Hobart)
- 2013: "We value the vision: Yirrkala Bark Petitions 1963" (Perth)
- 2014: "Serving Country: Centenary & Beyond" (Gold Coast)
- 2015: "We all Stand on Sacred Ground: Learn, Respect and Celebrate" (Adelaide)
- 2016: "Songlines: The living narrative of our nation" (Darwin)
- 2017: "Our languages matter" (Cairns)
- 2018: "Because of her, we can!" (Sydney)
- 2019: "Voice Treaty Truth" (Melbourne)
- 2020: "Always Was, Always Will Be"
- 2021: "Heal Country, heal our nation"
- 2022: "Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!"
- 2023: "For Our Elders"
- 2024: "Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud & Proud"
- 2025: "The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy" (Perth)
NAIDOC Week and Sports
NAIDOC Week is also celebrated in the world of sports. In the West Australian Football League, two teams play a special Australian rules football match. Since 2007, the winner gets the Jimmy Melbourne Cup. The cup is named in honour of Jimmy Melbourne, who was the first known Indigenous Australian to play in a major Australian football league.
See also
