Journey Together

Academy: Port Lincoln

Description:

Our design shows the Aboriginal Totem groups from all over the Eyre Peninsula coming together through the connections of both the desert and the ocean.

They are guided by two rainbow serpents who are connecting and guiding us on our way to Adelaide for the Power Cup.

This journey is highlighted through our totem groups all moving towards a Black Swan which represents the totem of the Kaurna People.

The Rainbow Serpents run through the centre, and on the outside we see 32 gathered family groups representing all of the members of our Port Lincoln SAASTA academy.

This highlights connections to the dreaming story and how the serpent used to guide all living things to a certain area.

We have featured the sun in the top right hand corner as a symbol of our Elders’ knowledge and the power of yarning.

We have also represented travel paths and song lines leading to water sources to show how the knowledge travels through Country and how we are caretakers of that knowledge as young leaders.

Our Team Story is written as a song because music helps us stay connected to our culture and to each other.

The flowing river in the middle of the design symbolises our path to the future.

Similar to a river, our future is ever-changing and no two paths are the same.

Our collaborative piece incorporates seven main language groups coming together.

The white on the edges is to signify peace and the Torres Strait Islander culture.

The pathways that lead to the centre use earthly colours to represent the land and rocks, which was completed by a proud Yamitji student. These paths lead to the weaving aspect of the design which represents Ngarrindjeri culture.

Alongside that is the greenery next to the water which represents the rushes that the Ngarrindjeri people use for weaving and the waterways of Kaurna country.

At the top a Boonwurruny student represented his country, where turtles are found.

The seven circles scattered across the artwork symbolise the seven languages that our academy share.

The butterfish at the bottom of the collaborative piece was incorporated by a proud Narungga student.

The brown Mimis across the artwork were interlaced by an Arrernte student, along with honey ants and their nests.

The animal prints are the Ibis and Kangaroo, which are of significance and commonality to Kaurna land.

We have incorporated our Totems which connect us to country. By respecting our ancestors and acknowledging our present, we can begin our journey into the future.

The third major aspect of this year’s design is the representation of the future.

Footprints were also an additional detail that has been included. These being placed moving upwards from present to future, represent us crossing over and transitioning from where we are now to where we will be.

The symbols inside of the desert hills represents a kinship system but only a small amount is shown on the design to represent how the kinship connections have been lost over time.

Our connection to the land, the Dreaming and our ancestors flows through the centre of our home as we continue our journey of exploring our identity.