Danjoo
Koorliny
Walking Together Project
Danjoo Koorliny Walking Together Towards 2029 and Beyond is a bold, long-term, large-scale, Aboriginal-led project to help all of us - be it in Western Australia, the rest of Australia, or around the world - walk together as Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people to co-create a better future for all.
The first milestone on this road is 2029 (200 years of colonisation in Perth), but the project will go far beyond WA’s bicentenary. As Noongar Elder Noel Nannup said, “Our focus is on 2029 at this stage. However, we have the potential to go way beyond that because this is about being a person - a human being”.
“We have our vision set for the next 10 years,
and
that is to care for everything.”
Dr Noel Nannup OAM
Danjoo Koorliny is a complex concept to translate from Noongar into English. One translation could be 'going together to the future' or 'moving together', or it could be simply translated as ‘walking together’.
The ‘ny’ at the end of Danjoo Koorliny is pronounced like the 'n' in onion.
Danjoo Koorliny is a vision. It’s our djinda - our collective star - to guide us towards 2029 and far beyond. It is the values that we embody. It’s the way we get there, and the principles we work with. It’s the sum of our collective actions that take us to where we need to be in order to create a 2029 we can all be proud of. It belongs to no organisation but hovers above all of us, and aligns us so that we can care for everything.
WALKING
TOGETHER
VALUES
RESPECT
(the four pillars of respect-tolerance, acceptance, dialogue and collaboration)
EARN DEEP TRUST
CARE
GOING TOGETHER TO THE FUTURE
INTEGRITY
DANJOO KOORLINY
PRINCIPLES
• Aboriginal-led and strongly supported by everyone else
• Open mind, kind hearts and strong spirits
• Never underestimate the power of the spirit
• Shared through story, song, dance and art
• No one is left behind - everyone can be part of this journey
• Take responsibility for the change we want to see
• Trust is built through listening and acting with integrity
• Co-designing our way forward
• Love and friendship
• Aligning to care for everything
• Cultural governance
• Constantly linking through dialogue and action
• Create what we want to see in 2029 now
• Aboriginal-led to ensure better outcomes for everyone
*Please note these are in development and evolving as we walk together to the future
PROTOCOLS
• Acknowledge Country and the Whadjuk Noongar
People.
• Respect for everything.
• This journey is led by Aboriginal knowledge and
practices and we acknowledge the system of harmony
these created for people living in this place for
tens of thousands of years.
• Dah-ni! (deep listening/meditation).
• Follow energy not time.
• Always strengthen the collective.
• Acknowledge different ways of knowing, being and doing.
• Knowledge shared within the context of this workshop remains the property of those who have shared it.
• Knowledge is responsibility not power.
• We are all unlearning and learning. The process is likely to bring up all kinds of emotions. Take care of each other.
• Everyone is invited on this journey and they are free to join.
OUR IMPACT BRANCHES
Appropriate, effective and enduring solutions are required to involve wide-scale changes to the many systems that demonstrates the harsh impact of colonisation. Danjoo Koorliny has recognised a need for change in practices, policies and processes that will improve outcomes across four key pillars of society.
SOCIAL
Supporting individuals, families and communities to live with a sense of social wellbeing, by reversing the effects of systemic racism, historical injustice and intergenerational trauma.
CULTURAL
Reinvigorating Aboriginal led arts and cultural events in our communities, to cultivate social harmony and belonging, building on the resilience demonstrated by Aboriginal people.
ENVIRONMENTAL
Uplifting Aboriginal land-management practises, to support the restoration of degraded lands and waterways, whilst teaching communities about their responsibility to ‘care for everything’.
ECONOMIC
Creating economic independence for Aboriginal peoples, by supporting Aboriginal businesses and the Aboriginal economy, increasing employment opportunities, and building Aboriginal incomes and wealth.