The popular and enlightening Waranara First Nations tours return to the Australian Museum (AM) this winter, inviting visitors to learn about the knowledge systems and sustainable practices that helped Australia’s First Nations Peoples become one of the oldest living civilisations on the planet.
The Australian Museum is an esteemed member of the Discover Aboriginal Experiences collective.
Waranara means ‘to seek’ in the First Nations languages of the Sydney region – seek knowledge, seek truth, seek understanding. Visitors will do just that on this one-hour tour of the First Nations Galleries, including the exhibitions Bayala Nura: Yarning Country and Garrigarrang: Sea Country. Led by guides from the AM First Nations team, visitors will also hear personal stories about the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
Laura McBride, Wailwan and Kooma woman and Director, First Nations at the AM, said the return of the popular Waranara tours are part of a larger vision to prioritise and amplify First Nations voices so that Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, and Pacific communities represent themselves and their cultures within the AM.
“We know our visitors want to learn more about First Nations cultures and Waranara tours allow us to share our extensive knowledge about critical issues affecting our communities, such as climate action and sustainable living,” McBride said.
Director and CEO, Australian Museum, Kim McKay AO, said that the Australian Museum is committed to being a world-leading cultural centre and trusted sharer of knowledge for First Nations stories and voices.
“Following the success of the award-winning Unsettled exhibition, we are excited to offer our visitors another opportunity to learn about and celebrate the history and resilience of First Nations cultures. Waranara tours are the perfect way to bring our First Nations Galleries to life and share knowledge about the cultural objects from the First Nations collection,” McKay said.
In addition to Waranara tours and the permanent First Nations Galleries, the AM offers First Nations learning journeysand other rich digital content, including an immersive virtual experience of the Unsettled exhibition. Next month, the AM will open Burra, an exciting new play space which brings together the work of the First Nations team and the Australian Museum Research Institute.
This experience is available as a scheduled tour and as a private guided experience. Further information about the experience – here
DISCOVER ABORIGINAL EXPERIENCES
Tourism Australia’s ‘Discover Aboriginal Experiences’ is a collective of quality and inspiring Aboriginal experiences, guided by Aboriginal people who share personal stories about their own country to bring the landscape and their culture to life. A diverse range of over 185 experiences is offered from 47 businesses. The collective is part of the ‘Signature Experiences of Australia’ program and is a flagship suite of extraordinary Aboriginal Australian experiences, showcasing the world’s oldest living culture through the cornerstones of cultural insight, authenticity, and meaningful connection.
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