Acknowledgement of Country
5 Lands Walk Inc acknowledges that we operate and function on the lands of the Darkinjung people.
We pay our respects to these lands and their people. We acknowledge and pay our respects to their Elders who are the knowledge holders, teachers and pioneers. We also acknowledge their youth, who are the future leaders, and in whose hands is held our hope as a nation for a reconciled future.
We acknowledge their ancestors who defended, walked and nurtured these lands for thousands of generations and who have left a legacy of strong cultural wisdom and knowledge embedded in these lands today.
We acknowledge all Aboriginal people who have come from other First Nations groups and who have now come to call this country their home.
We acknowledge all Aboriginal people who were forcibly removed from their families and communities and acknowledge the negative impact and disconnection to family, land and community.
The Aboriginal community’s involvement is led by the 5 Lands Walk Aboriginal Committee, which is made up of respected leaders from within the Aboriginal community of the Central Coast.
Members of the Aboriginal community will present important ceremonies and tell you the stories and share their cultural heritage. That will help you to connect to the people and place of each Land.
About the Aboriginal Community
The Aboriginal people are the first people of Australia and have been living on the Central Coast for thousands of generations. Evidence of that occupation is in the stories they still tell and in the rocks, middens and occupation sites that can still be clearly seen today.
Most importantly, it's a living culture. A large population of Aboriginal people make the Central Coast their home where they live lives as modern Australia citizens who proudly celebrate their rich cultural heritage.
The culture of the Aboriginal people is the oldest continuing living culture in the world. And the Central Coast is home to one of the richest sources of ancient artworks in the world with literally thousands of rock carvings, or "petroglyphs", on the coast and hinterland.
What's on - where & when?
The Aboriginal people of the 5 Lands will be present throughout the 5 Lands Walk sharing their cultural understanding of the country, its environment and its spiritual significance to us all.
But they have selected North Avoca as their place to participate in ceremony and cultural activities, and invite you share in them and learn from them.
So take plenty of time to:
Interact with the Aboriginal culture
Pay homage to place and acknowledge the Aboriginal Midden Site at the North Avoca Surf Club
Experience some traditional music and art works by accomplished Central Coast Aboriginal women.
Aboriginal Ceremony, Culture & Story
The Awakening Ceremony, incorporating a Welcome to Country, is held at Kincumba Mountain a week prior to the 5 Lands Walk to make the 5 Lands Walk spiritually safe.
The Message Stick, with a message formed at The Gathering, held when the Emu constellation is clear in the sky, will be carried through each Land. The message is read at each Land to strengthen our connections and our spiritual values.
The Aboriginal Committee of the 5 Lands Walk plans the full Aboriginal program for 5 Lands Walk including creating an Aboriginal Space at North Avoca with storytelling, making art and craft, live music and an exquisite art exhibition.
