To me, Healing Country doesn’t mean
a band-aid on a tree.
To me it means healing
our past,
our ancestors,
and listening to First Nations people and their ways,
of dealing with fires and floods,
because before the English settled on the land
the Aboriginal people dealt with it using smoking
ceremonies and other traditions.
Artist Statement:
When I first heard Healing Country, I thought it is watering the grass and helping the trees grow, but I realized quickly that it meant Healing Aboriginal people and their past and making us all welcome in the community, all different tribes and Countries. I feel that making everyone feel welcome will heal our past.
Reconciliation means…
To me Reconciliation means being sorry and not just saying it because you are forced to, but because you have a deep understanding of what happened to First Nations People in the past. Understanding that our words are not perfect, but we can make it better.
Artist: Ava Regan