Yarning circle first step in connecting winery and First Nations
The Northern and Yorke Landscape Board supported the first step in a genuine connection between traditional custodians and a Barossa winery business.
Hill-Smith Family Estates hosted our Five First Nations Landscape Committee at its Heggies Vineyard in the Eden Valley. The business has committed to welcoming Peramangk and Ngadjuri people, the traditional custodians of the land where it has wineries and several vineyards.
The group came together in a yarning circle, overlooking the southern dam, and discussed what the future could look like for all involved. While still early days it was an honest and productive conversation, and a second visit is already being arranged.
For Hill-Smith Family Estates, it’s about engaging with First Nations people to better understand the land they operate on and acknowledging and paying respect to the traditional custodians. And for First Nations people, it’s about stepping onto the land of their ancestors to help the next generation connect, share stories and learn cultural practices.
It was heartening to see how corporate and cultural aspirations can co-exist.
The Board’s Five First Nations Landscape Committee meets four times a year on Country. Two representatives from each of the region’s five Nations – Narungga, Ngadjuri, Nukunu, Kaurna and Peramangk – are part of the committee. The meetings are a chance to see the landscape through First Nations’ eyes and to share knowledge of caring for Country.
