Narungga culture continues to be strengthened through community-led initiatives and partnerships that strengthen cultural authority and self-determination. Significant cultural work includes:
- Cultural mapping and documentation of objects, sites and knowledge
- Language revitalization and education initiatives
- Caring for Country and land and sea management programs
- Cultural heritage protection and monitoring
- Intergeneration knowledge transfer and youth engagement
These initiatives support the protection, continuation and celebration of Narungga culture for current and future generations, while ensuring cultural knowledge remains held and led by Narungga people.
Welcome to Country
A Welcome to Country is a formal cultural protocol delivered by a recognised Narungga Elder or cultural authority. A Welcome to Country speech or ceremony welcomes visitors onto Narungga Country and acknowledges the ongoing custodianship of land and sea by Narungga people. A Welcome to Country is performed at significant events and gatherings and is an important act of respect and recognition.
Welcome to Country may include spoken words, language, song, dance or other cultural expressions that reflect the purpose of the gathering and the place on Country. It comes from ancient cultural protocols to show respect, acknowledge custodianship and ensure safe blessings and passage while on Narungga Country. Practising this is a cultural responsibility and a privilege that keeps our culture strong.
To organise a Welcome to Country, please email hello@nnac.org.au.
Smoking Ceremony
A Smoking Ceremony is a traditional cultural practice used to cleanse people and places, provide spiritual protection and make important transitions or beginnings. Traditionally, native plant materials are burned, and the smoke is directed over people or spaces as part of the ceremony.
On Narungga Country, Smoking Ceremonies are conducted by appropriate cultural practitioners and are often held at the opening of events, new buildings, programs or significant community moments. The ceremony carries deep cultural meaning and should always be undertaken with respect and cultural authority.
Narungga also undertook water and combined water and ash cleansing, although perhaps not as commonly used today. The blue bush which grows on Narungga Country was traditionally used in ceremonies.
To organise a Smoking Ceremony, please email hello@nnac.org.au.
Cultural Education
Cultural education on Narungga Country supports understanding, respect and ongoing learning about Narungga history, culture and contemporary life. Education activities may include:
- Narungga history and governance
- Connection to land and sea
- Language, stories and cultural values
- Caring for Country practices
- Contemporary Narungga perspectives
Cultural education programs are delivered by Narungga people and are tailored for schools, organisations, government agencies and community groups.
Cultural Tours
Cultural tours provide opportunities to experience Narungga Country through the guidance of Narungga cultural knowledge holders. Tours may take place across coastal, inland and community sites and share stories of place, cultural practices and ongoing connections to Country.
Stories and Songlines
Stories and songlines hold knowledge about Country, law, relationships, survival and responsibility. They connect places across land and sea and carry teachings that have been passed down for countless generations.
On Narungga Country, stories and songlines continue to inform cultural identity and connection. Some knowledge is shared publicly, while other knowledge is protected and shared only with permission in accordance with cultural law.