Kumpul: AIYA’s Indigenous Engagement Committee
What is AIYA’s involvement in Indigenous Engagement?
AIYA’s activities in Indigenous engagement began in 2020 with the inaugural Advisory Committee for NAIDOC Week 2020. NAIDOC Week traditionally celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia. The Advisory Committee used this platform to engage with Indigenous history, culture and language in both Australia and Indonesia. Due to the Committee’s success and the important role it played, AIYA has now established this as a permanent committee within the Special Projects portfolio.
The name “Kumpul”, meaning “gather” in Bahasa Indonesia, was chosen to symbolise the way in which AIYA wants to engage with Indigenous issues: AIYA is a youth led organisation for Australians and Indonesians of all backgrounds. AIYA’s objectives in connecting, informing and inspiring Australian and Indonesian youth extends to the recognition and celebration of indigenous peoples and culture.
What does “indigenous” mean?
The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues defines indigenous people as “the descendants … of those who inhabited a country or a geographical region at the time when people of different cultures or ethnic origins arrived”. AIYA recognises that the term “indigenous” has different meanings in Australia and Indonesia. For example in Australia, people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent are Indigenous. In Indonesia, this term will encapsulate people with different ethnicities, customs and cultures. AIYA recognises these differences and wants to welcome all Indigenous perspectives into the Kumpul Committee.
NAIDOC Week 2020
In 2020, the Advisory Committee ran events including an online trivia night, YARN event where 20 selected AIYA members were facilitated in an inter-cultural learning discussion, a social media campaign to educate people about Indigenous culture in both Australia and Indonesia, and Martabak Vegemite conducted a cooking demonstration with Aunty Dale making Kangaroo Nachos.
Committee in 2021
Due to the success of the NAIDOC Week events, the Committee was broadened to include general Indigenous engagement in 2021. So far the Committee has run a poetry writing competition celebrating Harmony Day.
If you would like to be involved in Kumpul, please email secretary@aiya.org.au .
