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First Australians

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Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property

We have developed an Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) Protocol to guide people on how to access and use ICIP in our collections.

First Australians
A group of young girls are sitting on a large white and green mat outdoors, reading books together in a sunny, lush green forest setting.

Image courtesy of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.

Indigenous Literacy Foundation: Strength in our stories

The Indigenous Literacy Foundation and Ben Bowen present a lecture on the power of books, language and storytelling to strengthen culture and Community.

Event
A promotional graphic featuring a collage of three diverse women, each in a different portrait style, alongside the text 'She Shapes History at the National Library of Australia.' The women are presented in black and white or muted tones, suggesting a focus on historical or influential figures. The overall design is modern and impactful, with the text prominently displayed on a pale pink background.
Why didn’t anyone tell me Australian history was interesting?

In this opening talk, Sita Sargeant was joined by Santilla Chingaipe, Jacinta Mackay, and Harini Rangarajan: three women who between them show what becomes possible when you go looking for the version of Australia that never made it into the textbooks.

Learning activity for adults
Rebecca Bateman, holding the NLA Publication, Wangka Wakanutja, in the National Library of Australia

Rebecca Bateman, and NLA Publication, Wangka Wakanutja.

Learn with the Curators of Wangka Wakaṉutja

Discover the decades-long, remarkable efforts of the Papunya community to record language and culture and keep it alive.

Learning activity for adults
Video
A woman in a grey jacket with a pink and black undershirt holding sepia collection material in the Special Collections Reading Room at the National Library of Australia

Stephanie Lee, 2025 National Library of Australia Scholar

Improving desert fire management with culturally directed science

Learn about 2025 National Library of Australia Scholar Stephanie Lee’s research into Indigenous rangers' "right-way" fire practices.

Blog
library-card-catalogue
Reconciliation Day: First Nations family history tour

The National Library is proud to participate in Reconciliation Day. This is an introduction to the First Nations family history resources we offer.

Event
An illustration of black pen on green paper of a snake wrapped around a boom box. This is pictured beside an exhibition sign in a gallery.

(L) Kulata Dennis Nelson and Papunya Literature Production Centre, Pijkatj anta rikulta [The snake and the recorder], 1990, nla.obj-3286603500; (R) Wangka Wakanutja exhibition signage at the entrance to the Library's gallery

Reconciliation Day: Wangka Wakanutja exhibition tours

The National Library is proud to participate in Reconciliation Day. Our expert curators ran a free guided tour of our major exhibition Wangka Wakanutja.

Event
A cosy living room. A small table surrounded by four chairs takes up much of the image. There are a few other seats in the image, and artwork and sculpture adorning the walls and shelves lining the walls.

Duldig Studio sitting room. Image courtesy of the Duldig Studio Museum + Sculpture Garden ©2026.

Community Heritage Grants: New Applicants Q&A forum

This was an opportunity to learn more about the Community Heritage Grants program and ask specific questions about your proposal.

Event
Rebecca Bateman, holding the NLA Publication, Wangka Wakanutja, in the National Library of Australia

Rebecca Bateman, and NLA Publication, Wangka Wakanutja.

Learn with the Curators of Wangka Wakaṉutja

We learnt from experts who have brought the Wangka Wakanutja exhibition to life.

Event
Yellow poster with the black and white image of a group of children on pavement outside a building with the sign 'Murawina' on it, picture is captioned 'Aboriginal pre-school, Sydney, NSW', above the image the poster is titled 'Just this? - or Justice' in large font, underneath the image at the bottom of the poster says 'National Aborigines Week 7-13 July 1975', in the bottom right hand corner in tiny font is signed 'National Aborigines Day Observance Committee'

Designed by an unknown artist, Just This? — Or Justice: National Aborigines Week, 1975, https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/catalog/3044575

50 years of NAIDOC

Breakfasts, bold voices, and a groundbreaking poster: step inside the first-ever NAIDOC Week in 1975 and meet the community of women who transformed a local children’s program into a national call for justice.

Blog
Red text reading 'Wangka Wakanutja' on a yellow background
Wangka Wakaṉutja: The Story of the Papunya Literature Production Centre

Explore the decades-long, remarkable efforts of the Papunya community to record language and culture and keep it alive. 

Exhibition
Cover of 'Wangka Wakanutja: The story of the Papunya Literature Production Centre' by Vivien Johnson, Charlotte Phillipus and Samantha Disbray
Wangka Wakaṉutja: The Story of the Papunya Literature Production Centre

Vivien Johnson, Charlotte Phillipus and Samantha Disbray

Book

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