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| The Message Stick |
2012 marks the third year that a Message Stick is carried
through the 5 Lands on the Central Coast of NSW Australia on the day of Walk, carried by its Guardian, an Aboriginal Youth, representing both the youth of the Central Coast
and the Aboriginal community.
This year, young Darkinjung woman Rikki Naiobah (pictured
left with Gosford Mayor, Laurie Maher right) has accepted the role. The Guardian also
carries a message from the organising committee of the 5 Lands Walk to be read
at all lead-up events and at all the 5 Lands on the day of the walk.
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The message stick is an important symbol used in the
traditions of Aboriginal people to connect with each other in times of great
ceremony to bring people together and celebrate the sacred stories of life.
These stories passed down generation after generation from
the time when the great Creator Spirit Baiyami stepped down from the
Mirrabooka, the Milky Way, on the way to Mt Yango.
As the sacred lores were given, the message told that we
always continue to celebrate our ancestors of Earth and Creation, remembering
those journeys through time which give us the life we enjoy to this day.
The preservation and protection of our environments, the
kinship and the relationships of our families and peoples, acknowledgments and
respect which in turn creates a balance between all living things.
We send the Message Stick through our communities for the
gatherings, to come together to strengthen those connections and the spiritual
values in life.
The first Guardian was Jesse Lifu-Bligh, whom the Committee
invited to participate as a representative of his culture and to honour his
father, Phil Bligh. Phil has been involved with the 5 Lands Walk since
inception and has been one of the driving forces behind the development of
Aboriginal program and participation. .
The 2012 Message
Walk softly on the land
Feel your feet warmed by her hearth
Bid the morning star to guide you
Walk softly on the land
Let her light shine from your heart
The 2011 Message
The Aboriginal people are the traditional custodians of our
land, Australia.
Their elders, past, present and future, hold the memories,
the traditions, the culture and hopes of Indigenous Australia
A deeper understanding of these values carries our hope for
a better Australia
for all
The 2010 Message
The 2010 message was composed during a visit to Mt Yengo
National Park on 1 May, in sight of the sacred "Yango", now called Mt
Yengo, one of the most important sacred sites in Eastern Australia, equivalent
in status to Uluru, in Central Australia.
We all come from the earth
We are part of the earth
The earth is part of us
As we connect to the earth,
we connect to ourselves and to each other
The earth is our past and our future
To respect our origins and enrich our future,
we respect life itself
We are part of the earth
The earth is part of us
As we connect to the earth,
we connect to ourselves and to each other
The earth is our past and our future
To respect our origins and enrich our future,
we respect life itself
Gift from the Maori Community
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| One of the 3 baskets |
The Maori community particpated in the Message Stick
ceremonies at Terrigal in 2010, and to honour the Guardian, Jesse Lifu-Bligh,
presented him with a gift of Three Knowledge Baskets within Baskets, containing
three important messages about:
- Past, Present & Future
- Learning & Knowledge
- Living things.
Jesse thought these gifts are such an important a symbol of
how the 5 Lands Walk connects people to people, that he has donated them to the
5 Lands walk as a permanent record of the participation of the Maori community.
For more Information about the other activities connected with the 5 Lands walk, refer to these previous articles in The Holiday and Travel Magazine:
- Enjoy The 5 Lands Walk 6/2/12
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