Community members, scholars and elders gathered at the University of Notre Dame Australia’s Broome Campus for the Lucy (Ngarbal) Marshall Oration of the Chair of Indigenous Knowledges.
The annual event, hosted on Friday by the university’s Nulungu Research Institute, honours the profound contributions of senior Kimberley Aboriginal leaders and offers a unique platform to celebrate, preserve and elevate Indigenous “ways of knowing” within a university setting.
Anne Poelina spoke on the topic “Old people taught me many many things” and offered deep reflections on the intergenerational transmission of knowledge, law and cultural identity.
Professor Poelina, a citizen of the Nyikina Warrwa Nation and the Nulungu Chair of Indigenous Knowledges, is recognised nationally and internationally for her leadership in Indigenous science, environmental stewardship and cultural advocacy.
Her oration paid tribute to the enduring intellectual and cultural contributions of Aunty Annie Milgin, a renowned author, artist, teacher and keeper of songlines.
For those unable to attend in person, a full recording of the event will be made available online in the coming weeks through the Nulungu Research Institute’s website.
Now in its third year, the Oration of the Chair of Indigenous Knowledges is held on the first Friday in May to honour the birthday of the late Lucy (Ngarbal) Marshall AM, a West Australian Indigenous elder who had a distinguished career working for Aboriginal associations.
The oration is a key event in the Nulungu calendar, recognising the authority, research leadership and cultural knowledge of Kimberley Aboriginal people.
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