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Conference Logo Story
As
a First Nations people the one common thread we have is land as the source of
life, the spiritual nexus to the Creator Spirit, and the basis of our cultural
identity and language. It is the one
factor all Indigenous people can relate to ‘land’ as it is all-encompassing
both nationally and internationally.
“Mother Earth
is the core, She is the source of life for her children - her people, (the red
ochre dots represent- people), She is the basis of our spiritual and cultural
identity through which She gave birth to our voice and through Her we can
maintain the power of our voice – to Raise Our Tribal Voice.”
David Pearce, Artist
Bio: David Pearce is a proud Ngarrindjeri man
from Raukkan, South Australia. David has a Bachelor of Arts degree with a
Anthropology Major/Politic and
Advanced
Diploma in Visual Arts and Applied Design Art from Tauondi College 2006. David
has a long history of mentoring youth and inspiring them to reach for the stars
and to not allow other people’s inability to see their potential to stop them
achieving their goals.
David has
collaborated and contributed to many high-profile exhibitions which include:
• 1996
– Tauondi College – student art exhibition
“Tauondi
Speaks From The Heart”
• 1997
– Feast Festival – Two Spirit People
• 1998
– Feast Festival – 2 Too Two Spirit People
• 1999
– Feast Festival – Blak‘n Out
• 2000
– Feast Festival – Going That Way
• 2000
– 2003 (national touring exhibition) – Adelaide Festival – 21st Century
Indigenous Explorers
• 2000
– Countervoice in Milk – collaboration with Japanese artist Tatsuo Miyajima
• 2005
– Tandanya National Cultural Institute – Petroglyphs – Signs of Life –
collaboration with Leigh Warren Dance Company
In more recent
years David has also worked with various organisations including government
(Youth Justice), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander NGOs, mainstream NGOs
which provided Indigenous youth and family
support programs.
Welcome!
Acknowledgement
of Country
Our Conference
is being held on the lands of the Wurundjeri and Bunurong people of the Kulin
Nation and we wish to acknowledge them as the Traditional Owners who have never
ceded sovereignty of their lands. We would also like to pay my respects to
their Elders, past and present, and Aboriginal Elders of other communities who
are here today.
Conference
Overview
This
is a historical event bringing Indigenous Church leaders and theologians
together on a national platform. Over 4 days we will explore the Indigenous
theological perspective of spirituality, colonisation, justice and
repatriation, Country, and ecology. The Conference will be an opportunity for
Christians to respond to the outcome of the ‘Voice to Parliament’ referendum.
It will be a cultural experience for delegates with highlights celebrating
First Nations history, culture, and spirituality founded in daily spiritual
reflections.
The “Raising
Our Tribal Voice for Justice: An Indigenous Theological Revolution” Conference
will focus on a First Nations theological perspective on Australia’s racist
colonial oppression of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the
role of the Australian Churches. You
will hear voices from First Nations theologians from across Australia,
Aotearoa, and the Pacific. The
Indigenous theological voices will review the concept of truth, reparations,
treaty, justice, and reconciliation and all delegates will have an opportunity
to contribute their voices to this through the daily discussion groups. This is
an important time for Australian Churches and the Christian community to take a
stand and support Indigenous people to secure justice and transform the
Australian nation.
Our Thanks
We express our
deep gratitude to our Red, Yellow and White Ochre Conference Sponsors, without
whom this conference would not be possible. Please take a moment to review our
Sponsors Page.
Thank you to
every delegate, donor, speaker and panelist for your support and contribution
to this ground-breaking inaugural Conference.
Professor
Dr Anne Pattel-Gray
Conference Housekeeping
Registration:
For
in-person attendance, please go to the registration desk from 7:30am to 8:30am
to register and obtain your lanyard.
For
livestream registration, please log on to the livestream platform between
8:15am – 8:45am Monday, 5 February 2024 and follow the instructions received
via email to you. Please reach out to our Conference team if you have any
questions.
Attendance:
All
sessions in the daily program will be available for in person delegates in the
St Paschal Chapel venue unless otherwise stated. Livestream coverage will
include all daily program sessions except for the daily discussion groups.
Truth
telling is always confronting and we ask each delegate to be mindful of
maintaining respectful discussion at all times as we wish to ensure this is a
culturally safe space to explore truth, justice and pathways forward.
We
encourage you to take notes as there will be an opportunity for questions and
answers after each Keynote and panelist group presentations.
Social
Media:
Show
your support through the Conference by engaging with us on social media @
unidivinity, Facebook, X (Twitter) using #RaisingOurTribalVoice2024.
Feel
free to follow us for all updates and post-conference updates @unidivinity
Media
Disclaimer:
Please
note that video and photography is being captured at this event and
livestreamed to the online delegates who will have access to recordings for 1
month post Conference.
By
taking part in this event, you grant the University of Divinity full rights to
use images and audio resulting from photography/video filming and any
reproductions or adaptations of the images for fundraising, publicity, or other
purposes to help achieve the University’s aims. This might include (but is not
limited to), the right to use them in their printed and online publicity and
social media.
Conference
Support:
There
is a quiet room (Seminar Room) open to delegates throughout the Conference if
you require a safe space to reflect identified on the venue map provided.
Any
delegate requiring accessible parking, please reach out to our Conference team
prior to the event to discuss your car parking and other requirements.
We
want your Conference experience to be positive and we encourage you to reach
out for any or queries, questions or concerns about the Conference, please
contact our conference team via phone 03 9853 3177 (Option “0” for reception)
or via email enquiries@divinity.edu.au
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Contents
Conference
Logo Story 2
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Conference Daily
Program |
6 |
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Monday, 5th February 2024 |
6 |
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Tuesay, 6th February 2024 |
8 |
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Wednesday, 7th February 2024 |
10 |
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Thursday, 8th February 2024 |
12 |
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Our Conference
Speakers |
14 |
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Keynote Speakers |
14 |
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Panel Speakers |
25 |
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Sponsor page |
36 |
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Conference Daily
Program MONDAY, 5TH FEBRUARY 2024
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TIME: |
SESSIONS: |
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9:00- 10:00AM |
Procession of
Indigenous Theologians into St Paschal Chapel MC
Introduction to Welcome to Country Des
Rogers Welcome
to Country Julie
Coombes – Wurundjeri Nation Welcome
by the University of Divinity Professor
Gabrielle McMullen AM – Deputy Chancellor Professor
Peter Sherlock – Vice-Chancellor |
|
10:00-10:35AM |
MC Introduction
of Opening Keynote Sandra
King OAM Opening Plenary
Address | Professor
Anne Pattel-Gray Australia’s
Redemption: Is Founded on a First Nations Theology of Restorative Justice |
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10:40-11:15AM |
MORNING
TEA |
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11:20-11:55AM |
MC Introduction
of Keynote Des
Rogers Plenary
Address | Dr
Josephine Bourne Insights
into Torres Strait Islander Theological Perspectives Q&A |
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12:00-12:35PM |
MC Introduction
of Keynote Des
Rogers Plenary
Address | Professor
Stan Grant Yindyamarra:
The Love of the Afflicted Q&A |
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12:40-1:40PM |
LUNCH |
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Conference Daily
Program MONDAY, 5TH
FEBRUARY 2024
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Conference Daily Program
TUESDAY, 6TH FEBRUARY 2024
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TIME: |
SESSIONS: |
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9:00-9:20AM |
MC
Introduction to Spiritual Reflection Des Rogers Spiritual
Reflection | Sherry
Balcombe Inner
Deep Listening and Quiet Still Awareness |
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9:25-10:00AM |
MC Introduction
of Keynote Rev
Canon Dr Garry Deverell Plenary
Session | Rev
Aunty Janet Turpie-Johnstone
The
Ongoing Colonial Invasions Q&A |
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10:05-10:35AM |
MORNING TEA |
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10:40-11:15AM |
MC Introduction
of Keynote Naomi
Wolfe Plenary
Session | Rev
Dr Katalina Tahaafe-Williams
Conspiracies of Hope Q&A |
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11:20-12:25PM |
MC Introduction
of Panel Session Des
Rogers Panel
Session | Moderator:
Ravina Waldren Panel
Speakers Mikenzie
Ling Is
Land My Mother? An Australian Aboriginal Christian Theology of Custodianship
and Connection to Country
Sean
Weetra Kungan
Winamaldi yanun Ruwungai (Listen to the Creator speaking in the Land)
Lilliani
Tahaafe-Williams Indigenous
Spirituality as a Revolutionary Liberatory Tool Q&A |
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12:30-1:30PM |
LUNCH (Optional)
Video Presentation in the UD Hall | Rev
Dr Denise Champion Creator, Mother Earth, and Our Place in Her Family |
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Daily
Program 
TUESDAY, 6TH
FEBRUARY 2024
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Daily
Program 
WEDNESDAY, 7TH FEBRUARY 2024
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TIME: |
SESSIONS: |
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9:00-9:20AM |
MC
Introduction to Spiritual Reflection Des Rogers Spiritual
Reflection | Sherry
Balcombe Inner
Deep Listening and Quiet Still Awareness |
|
9:25-10:00AM |
MC Introduction
of Keynote Rev
Aunty Janet Turpie-Johnstone Plenary
Session | Rev
Canon Dr Garry Deverell Christ
as Country: Changing the Frame for Christology in Gondwana Q&A |
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10:05-10:40AM |
MC Introduction
of Keynote Rev
Canon Dr Garry Deverell Plenary
Session | Rev
Canon Associate Professor Glenn Loughrey James,
Rhetta & Jimmy – An Unholy Trinity
Q&A |
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10:45-11:15AM |
MORNING TEA |
|
11:20-11:55AM |
MC Introduction
of Keynote Rev
Canon Dr Garry Deverell Plenary
Session | John
Lochowiak Evolving
Role of the Australian Catholic Churches in the Inculturation of the Liturgy Q&A |
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12:00-1:00PM |
LUNCH |
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Daily
Program 
WEDNESDAY, 7TH FEBRUARY 2024
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TIME: |
SESSIONS: |
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1:05-2:10PM |
MC Introduction
of Panel Session Des
Rogers Panel
Session | Moderator:
Bianca Manning Panel
Speakers Neil
Pattel The
Overrepresentation of Indigenous Youth in the Criminal Justice Systems
Rev
Hohaia Matthews A
Tribal Voice through Pakiwaitara (Story)
Pastor
Geoffrey Stokes Mamma
God and Tjukurpa – God and the Dreamtime Q&A |
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2:15-2:50PM |
MC Introduction
of Keynote Rev
Canon Dr Garry Deverell Plenary Address | Naomi
Wolfe Rebuilding
theological houses for better hospitality Q&A |
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2:55-3:30PM |
AFTERNOON
TEA |
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3:35-4:45PM |
Discussion
Groups (Break out groups)
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Daily Program
THURSDAY, 8TH FEBRUARY 2024
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TIME: |
SESSIONS: |
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9:00-9:15AM |
Spiritual
Reflection | Sherry
Balcombe Inner
Deep Listening and Quiet Still Awareness |
|
9:20-9:55AM |
MC Introduction
of Keynote Rev
Canon Associate Professor Glenn Loughrey Plenary
Session | The
Venerable Dr Lyndon Drake
Theological
Facets of He Poi, an Indigenous Chant Q&A |
|
10:00-10:30AM |
MC Introduction
of Church Leaders Professor
Peter Sherlock – Vice-Chancellor Church Leaders
Respond to the Voice of Indigenous Theologians Lt
Colonel Greg Morgan – Secretary for Mission of The Salvation Army Rev
John Gilmore – President of National Council of Churches in Australia Rev
Sharon Hollis – President of the Uniting Church in Australia |
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10:35-11:05AM |
MORNING TEA |
|
11:10-12:10PM |
Church Leaders
Respond to the Voice of Indigenous Theologians (continued) The
Right Reverend Dr. Keith Joseph – Bishop of Far North Queensland in the
Anglican Church of Australia The
Most Reverend Charles Gauci – Bishop of Darwin of the Roman Catholic Church Executive
Member - Churches of Christ Jane
Hope - The Religious Society of Friends Professor
Gabrielle McMullen AM – Deputy Chancellor of University of Divinity Rev
Dr Peter Cruchley – Director of Council of World Mission and Evangelism of
the World Council of Churches Reflection of
Responses Professor
Stan Grant Professor
Dr Anne Pattel-Gray |
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12:15-1:25PM |
LUNCH |
Daily Program
THURSDAY, 8TH FEBRUARY 2024
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TIME: |
SESSIONS: |
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1:30-2:10PM |
MC
Introduction and Moderator of Discussion Groups Reports Professor Peter
Sherlock Discussion
Groups Reports
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2:15-3:15PM |
Inner Deep
Delegate Reflection Professor
Stan Grant Invitation to
the Pledge to Support Australian First Nations Peoples Professor
Dr Anne Pattel-Gray |
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3:20-3:50PM |
AFTERNOON
TEA |
|
3:55-4:30PM |
Closing
Worship Rev
Dr Canon Garry Deverell |
|
4:35PM |
CONFERENCE CLOSE |
Our Conference
Speakers
The
University of Divinity’s Professor Dr Anne Pattel-Gray, Head of School of
Indigenous Studies, is leading this Conference alongside Indigenous Church
leaders and theologians who will call their Churches to action.
Keynote Speakers
Professor Dr Anne Pattel-Gray
Professor
Dr Anne Pattel-Gray is the Head of the School of Indigenous Studies at the
University of Divinity, Australia. Professor Pattel-Gray earned a PhD from the
University of Sydney awarded in 1995 in the Studies of Religion with the major
focus on Aboriginal Religion and Spirituality and a Doctor of Divinity from
India awarded in 1997. She is a recognised scholar, theologian, activist and a
celebrated published author with many books, edited books, chapters, and
journal articles. Professor Pattel-Gray is a member of the Uniting Church of
Australia and has achieved many firsts in her prestigious life. Known as a
fearless trail blazer, she has opened many doors for her people. Career
achievements include current member of the Commission for World Mission and
Evangelism, Founding Executive Secretary of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Commission of the National
Council of
Churches, Professor and Chair of Department at United Theological
College in
Bangalore, Executive Director of Tauondi College, and Deputy Chairperson of
Connecting Foster Carers in South Australia. Professor Pattel-Gray is a
descendant of the Bidjara Nations in Queensland and a renowned Aboriginal
leader, nationally and internationally. She has dedicated her life to the
struggle of Australia’s First Nations as a strong campaigner, lobbyist towards
seeking justice, equity, and equal representation for First Nations people.
Australia’s Redemption: Is Founded on a First
Nations Theology of Restorative Justice
Australia’s First Nations theology involves an ancient
spirituality and tradition that enables a lived experience of the Creator
Spirit, with people, land and creation, nurtured by a deep longing for justice,
wholeness and a resistance that gives priority to the cultural lens of First
Nations perspectives of trauma and survivors, and to the restoration of
justice, its sides with the powerless against the powerful and seeks to speak
truth to power drawing its inspiration from the prophetic path in the biblical
narratives and the Ancestral Narratives formed from our cosmology, worldview,
and epistemology (knowledges). Reconciliation can only be found in a process
based on the principles of restorative justice.
Dr Josephine Bourne
Dr Josephine
Bourne is an academic at the School of Political Science and
International Studies at the University of
Queensland. She is a Torres Strait Islander; a Gumulgaw/ Goemulgaw woman of
Mabuiag Island through her father’s Ancestral line with links to Moa/Mua
Island. Her mother’s Ancestral lines include Badu, Mer and Dawar Islands.
Josephine was involved in setting up the National Congress of Australia’s First
Peoples (2009-2011) and was a member of the Expert Panel on Recognising
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in the Constitution (2010-2012).
She was involved in processes leading up to the Uluru Convention (2016-2017).
More recently she was a member of the Queensland Government’s Eminent Panel and
Treaty Advancement Committee (2019-2021). Josephine is co-author of the second
edition of Australian Politics in the Twenty-First Century: Old Institutions,
New Challenges (Cambridge University Press, 2022). Her current and future
research is focused on Indigenous nation building and capturing the experiences
of cultural resilience and resurgence in the lifeworld’s of Torres Strait
Islanders.
Insights into Torres Strait Islander theological perspectives
Torres Strait Islanders embrace and
celebrate the Coming of Light annually commemorating the arrival of
Christianity in the Torres Strait on 1 July 1871. Torres Strait Islander nation
groups identified synergies between their own traditional theologies, traditional
knowledges, and Biblical literature. Individual characters and stories of the
rise and fall of nations and the concept of an almighty higher power provide
insights and wisdom that Islanders draw on daily. To this day various Torres
Strait Islander theological perspectives acknowledge shared insights from other
religious doctrine. Contemporary Torres Strait Islander theology is a
combination of traditional Indigenous theology and points of synergy with
biblical literature. This provides understanding of good leadership and
sustains their commitment to uphold their social and political order. When
interfacing with the systems, political culture and political actors of the
State, Torres Strait Islanders have experienced some points of convergence and faced
many experiences of divergence in relation to understandings of integrity and
morality in governing. I will discuss what this looks like in relation to
governance and policy making while pursuing their long-held political goal of
greater autonomy. Ultimately aiming to develop a relationship where they are
able to co-govern in their lands and waters with the relatively young
nation-state of Australia. I will discuss critical points for consideration in
the current Voice, Treaty, Truth policy era and reflect on the role Indigenous
and non-Indigenous theologians may have in strengthening the foundation for
this work.
Professor
Stan Grant is a proud Wiradjuri and Kamilaroi man. He holds a Doctor of Letters
from the University of New South Wales and will soon complete his Doctor of
Theology with Charles Sturt University. Stan began his career as a journalist
in 1987; he has worked for the ABC and SBS, the Seven Network and Sky News
Australia. From 2001 to 2012, he worked for CNN as an anchor and senior
correspondent in Asia and the Middle East. As a journalist, he has bestselling
book Talking to My Country, which won the Walkley Book Award and
to
the Referendum Council on Indigenous recognition. Stan is now Chair of
Indigenous/ Australian Belonging at Charles Sturt University and International
Monash
University.
Yindyamarra: The Love of the Afflicted
A thought-provoking exploration into the intersection of
Indigenous spirituality and theology, offering unique insights into a Wiradjuri
way of being and its transformative impact on our understanding of peace in
Jesus Christ.
the Australian
Catholic University, and she is currently a PhD candidate at relationality with
Country.
Aunty Janet
currently holds various positions such as: a board member of
board
member of Wellspring. generations not
yet born? I do not know; I just know the grief I live with daily.
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Rev
Dr Aunty Denise Champion is from the Adnyamathanha Nation; her for her services
to Indigenous theological education.
Creator, Mother Earth, and Our Place in Her Family
and creation.
Reverend Professor Dr Upolu Lumā Vaai
Upolu Lumā
Vaai has his childhood in the island of Savaii, Samoa, counting time by the
shadows of the sun, creating fire from rubbing sticks, living on what is
available each day. He learned land-based protocols on how to appreciate the
eleele (land) and its diversity, practiced regenerative economy, learned to
navigate complexity through wisdom, and walked the relational footpaths guided
by the spirits of his Ancestors. Principal and Professor of Theology &
Ethics at the Pacific Theological College, he is a practiced Indigenous
philosopher and decolonial theologian. He is a regional and internationally
leading voice in reclaiming and promoting Pasifika philosophies and theologies
to underpin the development of a new development story grounded on the ‘whole
of life’ philosophies of Pasifika communities. He is regularly invited by many
international forums to speak on Pasifika relationality, relational philosophy,
relational hermeneutics, relational theology, and relational ways of knowing
and being, which are ideas scattered throughout his many publications and
research projects. He currently leads the establishment of a new regional
Pasifika Communities University of the Pacific churches premised on the ‘whole
of life’ philosophies, spiritualities and communities-based learning approach.
Pasifika Theologies & Indigenous
Philosophies: Changing the Story for a ‘Whole of Life’ Theological Revolution
Theology should be biblically grounded,
contextually challenged, publicly stirred, and Indigenously shaken! Right?
Well, we want the theological story to sound like this, but it’s not. Theology
in Oceania has matured, but its roots are still confined within what Bishop
Leslie Boseto from the Solomon Islands called a colonial “theological pod,”
struggling to find the touch of the Pasifika soil. Our theologies that have
informed the faith and mission of the church have been guided by a colonial
bible of Western philosophers, informed by the colonizers’ perception of
colonized contexts and uncivilized worlds, and driven by an exegetical
hermeneutics that often demonizes Indigenous cultural approaches of learning in
favour of methods and criticisms developed by Eurocentric schools of thought.
Today, we are in the midst of a crisis of theologies ill-equipped to critically
respond to a flawed development narrative with its extractive economic system
pushed through our national government policies, affecting many Oceanic
Indigenous lands and peoples. Central to this crisis is that most of our
theologies that guide our faith and inform church doctrines such as sin,
salvation, grace, to name a few, are still very much cloned and controlled by
Western philosophies that only works through binaries, linearity, and
compartmentalization. This presentation tells the “Changing of the Story”
theological revolution led by the Pacific Theological College in Fiji, the
regional theological educational institution of the Pasifika churches. The
making of such revolution begins with acknowledging that the current story is
oppressive and top-down. We need a story driven by the ‘whole of life’ vision
that is grounded on the Indigenous philosophies of the Pacific Household of
God, radically biblical and justice oriented, and communities-based, to equip
the churches in their mission and to transform theologies to accurately respond
to the political and economic crises of our time.
embraces settlers as well.
parish priest at St Oswald’s Anglican Church, Glen Iris in Melbourne. He is a
people
who want to explore the spiritual journey. either
as a personal lived experience or belief or as representatives of the
interaction between cultures at the beginning of the 20th century. Bishop
outraged white Australia in 1900. This reflection is entwined with my own
story. As a Canon of St Paul’s Cathedral Melbourne, my stall is named after
recounted by her in her ‘Jimmy Governor Speech’.
John Lochowiak
is a Wadi (initiated Man) who has strong ties to many language groups
throughout Australia including but not limited to Pitjantjatjara, Kaurna,
Ramindjeri and Arrernte. His strong cultural grounding is complemented by his
deep Catholic faith. His career positions include Chairperson of NATSICC and
his current roles Manager of Aboriginal Services and Head of the Aboriginal
Catholic Ministry in Adelaide.
Evolving role of the Australian Catholic Churches in the
On the 50th Anniversary of the first National Aboriginal
Liturgy at Melbourne’s Eucharistic Congress, we explore the achievements and
challenges of enriching the Liturgy with the gifts Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander culture.
Naomi Wolfe is
a trawloolway woman, Director of Academic Programs, NAIITS College in
Australia, and she is a Lecturer at the Australian Catholic University. Naomi
encourages collaborative learning between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal staff
and students to break down barriers, dissolve stereotypes and to cultivate new
relationships based on respect. She has a professional and personal interest in
Indigenous cross-cultural training and awareness as well as Indigenous
pedagogies and theology. A leader in her own right, she is always looking to
listen and learn from Elders and community.
Rebuilding theological houses for better hospitality
Raising our Tribal Voices in future
years will require theological colleges, seminaries, and universities to be
prepared for monumental changes in how wider society makes space for, accepts,
and listens to Indigenous peoples here in Australia, and the world over. It
will require our colleges to dismantle and rebuild for better engagement with
community, and stronger responses to calls for education and training. How can
such things take place? It requires active participation within the
decolonization process – not focused only on the training and equipping of
students and graduates but on preparing and equipping faculty and staff for the
times ahead. What does this require of colleges, etc? Importantly what does it
require of Indigenous communities? And what work might be achieved together?
This paper seeks to explore some of the foundational matters with some
suggestions for action.
The Archdeacon
of Tamaki Makaurau & the Priest in Charge of Te Takiwa
The
Ven Dr Lyndon Drake (Ngāti Kuri, Ngāi Tahu) serves as Archdeacon of Tāmaki
Makaurau in the Māori Anglican bishopric of Te Tai Tokerau. Lyndon has recently
completed a DPhil in Theology at Oxford on economic capital in the Hebrew
Bible/Old Testament and has degrees in science and commerce (Auckland), a PhD
in computer science (York), two other degrees in theology (Oxford), and a
number of peer-reviewed academic publications in both science and theology.
Lyndon has written Capital Markets for the Common Good: A Christian
Perspective, (Oxford: 2017, Oxford Centre for Enterprise, Markets, and Ethics).
Until 2010, Lyndon was a Vice President at Barclays Capital, trading government
bonds and interest-rate derivatives. Since then, he has served in church ministry,
as well as teaching theology and serving in a range of Christian leadership
roles. He sits on a number of boards, including as Chair of Te Whare Ruruhau o
Meri Trust Board.
Indigenous Christian communities often find ways to express
their theology in forms that differ from traditional engagement in the
scholarly guild. An example of this is the Māori chant, He Poi. It was composed
by Sir Kingi Ihaka, a notable Māori priest, and highlights Māori agency in
engagement with Christianity in the 19th Century. In this paper, I will
identify key theological points embedded in this traditional form.
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Brooke Prentis is an Aboriginal Christian Leader and Wakka Wakka
woman. Brooke is a theologian, writer, speaker, educator, poet, and pastor.
Brooke has a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Arts from the University of
Queensland, and she was awarded a Graduate Certificate in Theology from the
University of Divinity in 2022. Brooke has published several theological
articles, papers and book chapters including two co-authored chapters in the
book Enacting a Public Theology, journal article Learning to be guests of
ancient hosts on ancient lands, chapter Dangerous Memories in the book Not in
Kansas Anymore, and chapter What Can the Birds of the Land Tell Us? in the book
Grounded in the Body, in Time and Place, in Scripture amongst others. Brooke
was the first Aboriginal person to be a CEO or Leader of a national Christian
organisation (Salvation Army) in Australia that was not Indigenous specific.
Brooke has appeared on national and international TV and radio broadcasts,
podcasts, and print including on ABC’s the Drum, NITV’s The Point, and ABC
Radio National programs Soul Search, God Forbid, and the Religion & Ethics
report, Christianity Today, The Bible for Normal People, and Sojourners, as
well as a guest host of Soul Search. Brooke is the coordinator of the Grasstree
Gathering, a network of over 200 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Christian Leaders and producer of #ChangeTheHeart. Brooke is currently working
as a consultant in schools and organisations and publishing a book, Listen,
Learn, Love: Walking with Your Aboriginal Neighbour; a practical guide for
Australian Christians and the Australian Church. Brooke works ecumenically
sharing a message of Reconciliation as Friendship and dreams of building “an
Australia built on truth, justice, love, and hope.”
Dreaming at Australia’s
Tipping Point: Truth, Justice, Love, and Hope
I dream of an Australia built on truth, justice, love, and
hope. It’s an Australia I hear echoed through
Aboriginal Christian Leaders across the generations – from
William Cooper to Sir Pastor Doug Nicholls, to Aunty Jean Phillips, to myself
and many others. It’s an Australia I hear screamed through injustices of Stolen
Land, Racism, Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. It’s an Australia I hear actions
provided for through the Day of Mourning, the Yirrkala Bark Petitions, the
Barunga Statement, the Statement from the Heart. This presentation will call
non-Indigenous peoples to wake up and stay awake as they hear, listen, and
respond to the cries for justice from Aboriginal peoples in these lands now
called Australia. This presentation will explore how Aboriginal Christian
Leaders of the past and present have called the Australian Church to account
and show that we have reached tipping point and that we must act now with the
call from Uncle Rev Graham Paulson to “read the Bible with Aboriginal
eyes”.
Nathan Tyson
Nathan Tyson
is an Aboriginal man of Anaiwon and Gomeroi heritage, born on Gadigal country
in Sydney, and raised in Sydney and on the North Coast of NSW. Nathan is
currently the Director of First Peoples Strategy and Engagement with the
Uniting Church Synod of NSW and the ACT.
A
lawyer, Christian, and long-time advocate for justice for First Peoples, Nathan
has previously worked for organisations including the NSW Ombudsman, the NSW
Anti-Discrimination Board, the Independent Commission Against Corruption, the
Australian Securities and Investments Commission, Muru Mittigar Ltd, Western
Sydney University, and Uniting NSW/ACT. Nathan has also held elected roles on a
number of Aboriginal community organisations, including Deputy Chairperson and
Treasurer of Kurranulla Aboriginal Corporation, and President of Ngalaya
Aboriginal
Lawyers and Law Students Association (NSW). Nathan lives in Western Sydney, on
Dharug Country at the foot of the Blue Mountains, and is currently completing a
Graduate Diploma in Theology at United Theological College.
Thou shalt not steal:
Addressing past injustice through the theological principles of reparation and
reconciliation
Nathan will consider the impact of colonial/western
Theology on Aboriginal peoples, and briefly reflect on this history of racism,
discrimination, and oppression. He will consider the theological principles of
reparation and reconciliation, and what this might look like if Churches use
the Gospels as a benchmark for addressing past injustice. Nathan will also
reflect on how Christian Churches might be reminded of Mathew 31:25-46, and
that we will not be judged on how big or wealthy our church is, but rather on
how we treat the least in our society.
Elverina Johnson
Elverina
Johnson is a highly respected Gungganji and Yidinji woman from the Yarrabah
Community, southeast of Cairns. With 60 kilometers of coastline to the east and
the Murray Prior Range to the west, Indigenous people have made this rainforest
Country home for millennia. The Community of a fluctuating population of about
2,600 people achieved a level of ‘self-governance’ as an ‘Aboriginal Shire’ in
2005 after decades of European administration following Anglican Church
settlement in 1892. For 35 years, Elverina has taken an inter-generational
approach within Indigenous community at local, regional, and state levels to
build strength and pride, address critical social issues, and to celebrate
culture through song, dance, theatre, photography, and fashion. Elverina’s
portfolio of diverse professional experience demonstrates an innovator who has
produced new knowledge drawing on traditional knowledge, state and church
archives, oral histories, and community relationships to deliver technical
reports, creative and public outcomes, and strategic advocacy at multiple
levels including the United Nations Permanent Forum on
Indigenous
Peoples in New York (2010). Elverina’s traditional name Bunya Badjil means
“Good Woman”. She is currently pursuing a Master of Philosophy at the
University of Queensland and her research focus is on Aboriginal Spirituality
and Christianity from an Artist Perspective.
Aboriginal Christianity in
Yarrabah
When the Stolen Generations era happened, the missionaries
and protectors had more control and therefore our people were forced to accept
the practice of Christianity, but it was more so to keep the peace and not
necessarily as a conversion as we know that many of our Ancestors still kept up
cultural practices but in secret. As the years passed it became a practice of
submission otherwise face punishment. I remember quite clearly a story that my
grandmother told me about when she was placed in the dormitory as a young girl
and how she was punished by getting her head shaved and wearing hessian bags if
they didn’t do what the missionaries considered to be good and well behaviour
according to their Christian standards. This is where many of our Ancestors learned
to sing as part of a choir and sung church hymns. Nowadays it is an individual
choice but there are still elements and remnants of mission time mentality.
Many still follow the old traditions of the Anglican Church practices. However,
over the years artists, in particular visual artists and singer / songwriters
have been bringing back the Gungganji language and writing Christian based
songs in the Gungganji language. There is more of an appreciation for culture.
More and more cultural dancing and music are now being used to share the
Christian faith. The expression of the Christian faith through Aboriginal
culture in Yarrabah is now becoming more Indigenized and leaders of the church
have a responsibility to change the narrative and inform our people that it is
okay to be still and to be First Nations and practice our faith with First
Nations cultural expressions.
Mikenzie Ling
Mikenzie
Ling is a proud Wiradjuri woman, living on Dharug Country in Western Sydney.
She is passionate about seeing Aboriginal Christians live out their culture and
their Christian faith in deeply authentic and holistic ways. Mikenzie recently
completed a Master of Theology, with her research dissertation titled: Is Land
My Mother? An Australian Aboriginal Christian Theology of Custodianship and
Connection to Country. Her areas of interest include Indigenous theology,
ecotheology, global theology and ecumenical unity. She is currently developing
a project centered on understanding and resourcing Aboriginal Discipleship
praxis.
Is Land My Mother? An
Australian Aboriginal Christian Theology of Custodianship and Connection to
Country
Working from the findings of my recent research thesis, and
my learning experience under Christian
Elders, I will consider Australia’s
racist colonial oppression of Aboriginal people and the role of Australian
churches in light of Indigenous sovereignty, custodianship, and relational
connection to Country. Aboriginal people have communed with Creator God in and
through these Lands from time immemorial, as such our justice is interconnected
with justice for our Lands. I believe Indigenous theological revolution
highlights the distinct and diverse cultural sources, processes, and practices
Indigenous people bring to the task of theology. The amplification of Elder’s
voices and recognition of Indigenous people’s God-given sovereignty is an
essential component to conversations of justice.
Sean Weetra
Sean Weetra is a proud Ngarrindjeri, Kaurna and Narungga man
from a small Aboriginal community called Raukkan on Ngarrindjeri Country, which
is situated on the banks of Lake Alexandrina in South Australia. With a
childhood foundation at Raukkan surrounded by lots of family and many cousins,
over the years, he has followed his passion to study and work in the community
services sector. Career achievements include starting with The Uniting Church
in South Australia working with Aboriginal families, The Living Kaurna Cultural
Centre, Raukkan Community Council, Coorong District Council and The Aboriginal
Lands Trusts. These various roles have been an experience for him, and created
ardent attitude towards issues including youth homelessness, youth incarceration,
social justice, global warming, conservation and land management, community
development, Aboriginal rights, reconciliation, Aboriginal tourism, etc. With a
strong interest in Ngarrindjeri Theology, Sean shares his people’s worldview
and an understanding of our Creator in the beginning, now and future.
Kungan Winamaldi yanun
Ruwungai (Listen to the Creator speaking in the Land)
I’ll be sharing the worldview of the Ngarrindjeri people of
the Coorong. It will suggest that the biblical/church Jesus becomes important
because of the disruption of colonialism. It will offer some reflections on how
Jesus both affirms and strengthens our cultural identity and offers a counter
narrative that helps Ngarrindjeri critically engage with ongoing colonial
occupation of land, lives, and minds.
Lilliani Tahaafe-Williams
Lilliani Tahaafe-Williams is an Indigenous Polynesian woman of
Christian faith. She is deeply embedded in her Polynesian worldview and
understands the rich complexities of Indigenous spirituality and wisdom that
teaches, social cohesion, sustainable living, and mutual respect. She is
currently engaged in her PhD studies to explore and articulate what she knows
intuitively in empirical terms.
Indigenous Spirituality as
a Revolutionary Liberatory Tool
Lilliani will lead and engage in conversations about how
Indigenous spirituality is foundational and integral to resolving 21st-century
woes.
Reverend Hohaia Matthews
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|
Matahourua is the canoe, Whiria is the mountain, Hokianga is
the river, Kupe is the man, Pakanae is the Marae, Ngati Korokoro, Ngati
Whaarara and Te Pouka are my subtribes, Ngāpuhi is the Tribe, My name is Rev.
Hohaia Haami
Matthews. |
Originally a
boilermaker-welder by trade, a schoolteacher by profession and a Minister by
Call. Rev
Matthews moved
from Aotearoa New Zealand to South Australia in 1985. He was a Minister of
Logan
Central
Multicultural Uniting Church, working with Grasstree Gathering but retired from
ministry in August 2016. Rev Matthews returned to whānau in Murray Bridge,
South Australia and came out of retirement in October 2016 to start a Māori
Christian Church in South Australia: Te Hahi Māori
Kauwhau i te
Rongopai i te Ahitereria i te Tonga/The Māori Evangelical Church of South
Australia.
A Tribal Voice through Pakiwaitara (story)
Rev Matthews will take delegates through the story. The
Hapu whakapapa is a chain of some forty links back to the first Ancestor Kupe,
the first footprints in the sand at Te Pouahi, those generations ago. Much
later Kupe left for his home island. In preparation for his journey, he climbed
the sand hills above Te Pouahi to say his farewell to the land. First, he
sacrificed his child Tuputupuwhenua in the spring of water as a fountain head
for his descendants, then spoke these words of farewell: ‘Hei konei ra e te
puna o te ao marama, ka hoki nei ahau e kore ano e hokianga-nui-mai” He
summoned two taniwha Arai-te-uru and Niua, and placed them on each side of the
harbour as guardians, then summoned three great waves, Ngaru-nui, Ngaru-roa and
Ngaru-pae-whenua to assist them, then departed. Kupe had put in place, the
spiritual, heritage and traditional value base for the land. Then came
Nukutäwhiti and Ruanui to build on the substance of their tupuna Kupe. The
latter, generations of their descendants, either occupied or located close to
the places established by the earlier people, Ngati Korokoro, Ngati Wharara and
Te Pouka hapu by virtue of uninterrupted occupation and unbroken whakapapa are
the ahi ka (roa) and caretakers of this very special place. The unbroken
whakapapa link back to Kupe, who established the first and to this day,
unbroken Ancestral occupation rights confer special customary rights and
responsibilities on the hapu, that must be recognized and provided for. Without
question the hapu have kaitiakitanga, the guardianship and the responsibility
role over all those taonga, on behalf of the whanau, and all Rāhiri descendants
wherever they reside. The hapū rohe is the heartbeat of Ngāpuhi, the rohe is
important to other iwi and so too, to the nation. It is one of the founding
places of Aotearoa. Though society has changed over the last six generations,
the Ancestral mantle woven into the land by past customary practices, and worn
by all previous generations, is now worn by the hapu.
Panel Speakers
Pastor Geoffrey Stokes
Geoffrey Stokes is an Aboriginal man of the Wongutha,
Mulba-Ngadju and Mirning Tribes of the Eastern Goldfields. He has spent most of
his life in the Goldfields. Fortunately, his family was able to stay together
throughout his childhood and none were “stolen”. His parents educated him about
his culture, the land, and the history of his people. He spent most of his
early life moving throughout the Goldfields with his family, living out bush
for long periods and often living in the Aboriginal camps on the edge of the
missions or towns. Geoffrey is the pastor of a nondenominational church in
Kalgoorlie based Ninga Mia Aboriginal Community. The Ninga Mia Fellowship
caters especially to Aboriginal people from remote areas and those living in
town but keeping strong their cultural traditions and beliefs as well as their
deep Christian faith. Geoffrey is both Wati and Christian Pastor. He is a vocal
advocate for the rights of Indigenous People everywhere and a fearless fighter
for the people of the Goldfields region.
Mamma God and Tjukurpa – God and the
Dreamtime
The Wongutha people of the Eastern Goldfields first
encountered non-Aboriginal people about
125 years ago when prospectors flooded their lands. This
was a terrible and dangerous time for Aboriginal people and Mt Margaret Mission
was set up to offer safety to the Wongutha people of the northern Goldfields.
It was there that Geoffrey’s grandparents and then his father, mother and
extended family came into contact with Christian Missionaries and became
powerful Christians themselves. They also had a deep understanding of Tjukurpa,
their traditional lore, stories, and culture and, even though the missionaries
frowned on this, they passed much of this knowledge and respect for their
culture and history on to their children. Geoffrey has a deep understanding of
the intersection between traditional culture and belief and his Christian
faith. He has participated in traditional ceremony and is Wati (senior man) –
he has also studied the bible extensively, initially under Pastor Ron Williams.
He has travelled to the Holy Land and seen how much traditional Jewish culture
parallels his own traditional culture. He will talk about how Christianity was
seen by his people not as a new thing, but as a recognition and extension of
Tjukurpa and illustrate this using the dreamtime stories,
including the story of the Southern Cross.
Workshop Facilitator
Sherry Balcombe
Sherry Balcombe is an Olkola / Djabaguy (Ol-Kola /Jab A Guy)
woman. Her traditional lands are far north Queensland, born on Wurundjeri land
and growing up on Bunurong Land where she still resides. She is dedicated to
working towards ensuring a positive, present and a vibrant future for all our
community members. Sherry currently holds the position of the Coordinator of
the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry Victoria. She has a vast array of roles held
over the years including working at the Victorian Aboriginal Childcare Agency
in Foster Care and family group homes for 6 years and employed at the
Aboriginal Catholic Ministry since 2003.
Sherry is the
Victorian representative for NATSICC (National Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islanders Catholic Council) for the last 7 years and volunteered with the
Commission for Aboriginal Children and Young People as an Independent Visitor
Program (VIP) to Aboriginal children at Parkville Detention Centre for 6 years.
In 2022, Sherry started visiting clients at Thomas Embling Hospital in
Fairfield. She
is on the Board of Mackillop Family Services Ethos Committee, the Board of
Catholic Social Service Victoria, Committee Member of the School of Indigenous
Studies, selection committee for the Victorian Aboriginal Honour Role, as well
as many other smaller committees where needed, not only in Victoria but
nationally. Her Ministry support is to the local Aboriginal Community wherever
possible including but not restricted to Christmas gifts and hampers for local
Aboriginal families in need. She supports the Journey of the Archdiocese and
related organisations and parishes wherever the need arises, particularly in
giving advice and guidance on issues relating to Aboriginal People. In
conjunction with her community, Sherry supports a weekly liturgy service at
ACES and they have been doing this as an Aboriginal Catholic community for 6
years. Sherry has particularly enjoyed her contact with the Elders inher
community.
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NOTES
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NOTES
Wandiligong Indigenous Ministry Fund
Bruce
was committed to lifelong theological learning. He was an accredited Lay
Preacher in the
Methodist-Uniting
Churches from his early 20s. Bruce was curious to explore Aboriginality through
a Christian lens, but like so many colonialists he struggled for clean language
to ask questions, without also deepening wounds. Our prayer is that the School
for Indigenous Studies will create safe spaces to ask and tell, and to explore
the way of Jesus through an Indigenous lens. Through shared language, insights,
practices and understanding, we hope that wounds won’t be whitewashed but,
rather, held, heard, and eventually healed.
National
Aboriginal National
Council of Indigenous
Ministries and Torres Strait Churches
in Australia Australia
Islander
Anglican
Council
(NATSIAC)
We
are very grateful to all our conference sponsors, partners and supporters who
make this historic opportunity possible, including the Franciscan Friars for
donating the use of St Paschal Chapel venue, our accommodation partner Quest
Mont Albert, Eva Burrows College, the Catholic Dioceses of Melbourne, Brisbane
and Sydney, the Religious Society of Friends, Trinity Uniting Church in Perth,
our marketing provider Tarnya Sim from Media Game, our graphic designer Annette
Deal from Ginger Blue Graphics, our Livestream provider James Carrett, our
catering provider, Hot Dish, and our dedicated staff at the School of
Indigenous Studies and University of Divinity.
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