Australia is home to one of the world’s oldest, surviving cultures. Aboriginal and Torres Straiter Islander peoples were Australia’s first nations and have lived in balance with the land and each other for millennia. There are over 250 different and distinct groups today, each with their own culture, customs, language and laws. GEN Australia recognises and honours that indigenous communities were Australia’s first ecovillages, acknowledges the traditional custodians of land on which it is on, and pays respect to elders past, present and future.
Many indigenous communities, mainly northern QLD, Northern Territory, Northern WA and SA, still have family clans living together on ancestral land in line with their traditional ways, in close relationship with country and each other. GEN Australia seeks to engage with the indigenous communities in Australia, as there is strong alignment with regenerative culture and practices, both in intentional and indigenous communities.
With the vast amount of different tribes, cultures and languages, engagement with each indigenous community would be unique and not necessarily replicable throughout Australia, however, lessons and insights gained from working with one community, could be adapted to another. GEN Australia acknowledges that relationship with one indigenous group requires time and trust and therefore its unrealistic for GEN Australia to engage with the indigenous community of Australia as a whole. Therefore, we will aim build trust and relationship with one community, so we can support communities wishing to transition to be resilient thriving communities, using their traditional knowledge and wisdom, and ecovillage principles as guidance.
