NAIDOC
Encyclopedia
NAIDOC is an awareness committee and the name of an Australia
n week of observance lasting from the first Sunday in July until the following Sunday.
After a time of seeking justice from the Australian government, Indigenous Australians
held the first "Day of Mourning
" in 1938 to highlight injustices put upon them. In 1955, it was suggested that this day become a National Day with the aim to change negative views and celebrate the richness of Indigenous culture and heritage.
In 1957
, the first National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) with the support of Federal and local governments was formed. To mark Aborigines' Day in Australia, on the first Sunday in July every year, NAIDOC celebrations and events happen within Indigenous Australia and invites the rest of the world to join in.
Many Torres Strait Islanders
commemorate the Coming of the Light Festival the week before 1 July, which is the day the London Missionary Society
first arrived in the Torres Strait.
NAIDOC Activities that are held during the week-long celebrations are cultural and educational activities in schools, public displays and the NAIDOC Ball is held in each city across the nation, which celebrates the end of the festivities with Indigenous food and bands.
NAIDOC is primarily celebrated in Adelaide, Darwin and Sydney but large rural Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, such as those Alice Springs, Hermannsburg
, Shepparton and Mildura, are also involved.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n week of observance lasting from the first Sunday in July until the following Sunday.
After a time of seeking justice from the Australian government, Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
held the first "Day of Mourning
Day of Mourning
The Day of Mourning was a day of protest held by Aboriginal Australians on 26 January 1938, the sesquicentenary of British colonisation of Australia...
" in 1938 to highlight injustices put upon them. In 1955, it was suggested that this day become a National Day with the aim to change negative views and celebrate the richness of Indigenous culture and heritage.
In 1957
1957 in Australia
-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Sir William Slim*Prime Minister – Robert Menzies-State Premiers:*Premier of New South Wales – Joseph Cahill*Premier of South Australia – Thomas Playford IV...
, the first National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) with the support of Federal and local governments was formed. To mark Aborigines' Day in Australia, on the first Sunday in July every year, NAIDOC celebrations and events happen within Indigenous Australia and invites the rest of the world to join in.
Many Torres Strait Islanders
Torres Strait Islanders
Torres Strait Islanders are the indigenous people of the Torres Strait Islands, part of Queensland, Australia. They are culturally and genetically linked to Melanesian peoples and those of Papua New Guinea....
commemorate the Coming of the Light Festival the week before 1 July, which is the day the London Missionary Society
London Missionary Society
The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and Nonconformists, largely Congregationalist in outlook, with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa...
first arrived in the Torres Strait.
NAIDOC Activities that are held during the week-long celebrations are cultural and educational activities in schools, public displays and the NAIDOC Ball is held in each city across the nation, which celebrates the end of the festivities with Indigenous food and bands.
NAIDOC is primarily celebrated in Adelaide, Darwin and Sydney but large rural Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, such as those Alice Springs, Hermannsburg
Hermannsburg, Northern Territory
Hermannsburg is an Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory of Australia, 131 km southwest of Alice Springs. It is known in the local Western Arrernte language as Ntaria....
, Shepparton and Mildura, are also involved.