Today's Paper | The North West Star

The Australian First Nations culture is one of the oldest and richest in the world, and while many people see the practices as a thing of the past, some of the protocols surrounding it still exist today. The practices that are still around are based around building a sense of community, and sharing local knowledge and stories passed down through generations. Gomeroi Dance Academy's Bradley Flanders, who is a proud Gomeroi man, said it's important these protocols are followed, and it's deeply hurtful to the community when people ignore or actively rival them. "Around the cultural protocols that do occur within our community and our culture, before talking about ceremonial business or law, you must go to a community and sit with the community," he said "You must learn from them and get acceptance from them. "The protocols are community-based ... sit with the community, be with the community, talk with the community, understand the community and what they want and how they feel, and do things that are right by the community and not necessarily for themselves." Mr Flanders said it's also harmful when knowledge or stories are passed on that are inaccurate, or not relevant to the region. "Our stories are rich and they're true and they've been here for thousands of years," he said. READ ALSO: "We're fortunate enough to pass that down and be a part of a beautiful community such as Tamworth and the region that still has that here." Gomeroi woman, Cathy Trindall, is also an educator. She said it's crucial the rich history of Indigenous culture is passed down the correct way, so it can continue living on through new generations for thousands more years. "We do have protocols that are older than time itself that are still active in today's society, particularly in Tamworth, we are a united but at times divided community, and that isn't just a black thing it's a generally community thing altogether," she said. "But we stand united when it comes to the breaking of cultural protocols. "It just gives us a really bad look, we have got so much negative media around us, we do not need this additionally placed upon us. "We are sovereign people, we are people that really need to be able to stand our ground, and when people from other cultures come into our community there is due respect they need to acknowledge." Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:

Latest Edition

Get Today’s Paper in your inbox

How to use Today’s paper

Previous Editions