Our Reconciliation Journey
On Friday 2 September, our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island students worked with Artist Caity Davies-Plummer from Dustin Koa Art and our Aboriginal Secondary Education Transition Officer Lily McNamara to create a visual representation of our reconciliation journey.
Students worked tremendously and tirelessly for the day to create a beautiful piece of art, which will be hung in the school alongside the description to represent our school and journey.
The central image of the special meeting place represents the Norwood International High School. This is a place where students and staff can come and learn, feeling safe and protected. The two campsites on either side of the meeting place represent Norwood Morialta Senior and Norwood Morialta middle school and the past histories of both sites. There are journey lines connecting both towards the centre which is the new school site.
There is a mountain at the bottom of the painting that is used as a symbol for perseverance and resilience and overcoming hard things. The other two mountains are representing Morialta and paying respects to the special connections of the Kaurna people to that area.
The campsite to the left of the painting with people gathering around, is representing people from different cultures gathering together. We wanted to pay respect to all cultures that attend Norwood International School.
The campsite next to the bottom mountain is representing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people gathering together and having strength to move forward through Australia’s history. Next to the people are stars, representing our ancestors, signalling them always being with us.
Journey lines connect all aspects of the painting together towards the central meeting place.
There are tidal patterns that represent the ocean and the special connection ocean mobs have with the water and life in it. There is also sections representing different elements of the bush and paying respects to those mobs who’s connection to that area.
The circular dot patterns are similar to ripple effects and remind us that the energy we give out is what we will get back.
This painting pays respects to language groups all over Australia as well as the local Kaurna people. It pays respects to all other cultures attending Norwood International school, representing the school as a safe place for all.
We would like to acknowledge the Kaurna people as the traditional custodians of the land in which this painted was created.
Our students will show our wider school community their beautiful artwork, and it will proudly sit for our community to view.