Voice. Treaty. Truth. Panel Discussion

Join Ku Arts and ACE Open at this special NAIDOC week event which draws together a range of speakers to reflect on this year’s NAIDOC theme, Voice. Treaty. Truth. Featuring Jack Buckskin, Clayton Cruse, Sharon Meagher and Dr Jared Thomas each panellist will unpack what a treaty would mean both personally, and for their broader communities. Facilitated by Clayton Cruse (Ku Arts), this is a unique opportunity to learn more about the path towards treaty here in South Australia, as together we move towards a shared and truthful understanding of colonisation and its legacy. Jack Buckskin, Cultural Mentor and Consultant, Tauondi Aboriginal College + Kuma Kaaru Aboriginal Dance Group Jack is a Kaurna and Narrunga man, whose homelands include the Yorke Peninsula and the greater Adelaide plains area. Jack is a Cultural Mentor at Tauondi Aboriginal College in Port Adelaide and is the Principal Consultant/Manager of Kuma Kaaru Aboriginal Dance Group. Jack has become a strong advocate for the Kaurna and Narrunga people and has worked tirelessly to further Kaurna peoples’ reclamation of their heritage language, particularly through his work with the linguistics department at the University of Adelaide. Jack has built an outstanding profile, not only in South Australia, but internationally, and he has used this to educate thousands on Kaurna heritage, language and culture. Jack has been instrumental in shaping a strong identity for thousands of young Kaurna and Narrunga people, and this has been portrayed no better than in ‘Buckskin’ (2013) a biography and portrayal of the immense amount of work Jack has put in to stand-up for his people. Clayton Cruse, Programs Officer, Ku Arts Clayton is an Adnyamathanha man from Vulkathunha – the Flinders and Gammon Ranges in the north of South Australia. Clayton’s Adnyamathanha homeland is Nepouie, between Balcanoona and Arkaroola, and he maintains strong social and cultural links to this area. Clayton has spent close to a decade employed in the education sector, both here in South Australia the Northern Territory, and after working as a youth worker and in-school tutor, Clayton completed his Bachelor of Education (Secondary; Aboriginal Studies) in 2017, graduating from the University of Sydney. Clayton is the recently appointed Programs Officer with Ananguku Aboriginal Arts and Cultural Organisation, which is the South Australian support organisation for Aboriginal art centres and artists. Sharon Meagher, Education Development Officer, Women’s and Children’s Hospital Sharon Meagher is an Adnyamathanha woman whose traditional homelands is Nepouie Springs in Vulkathunha, or the Gammon Ranges in the state’s north. Sharon maintains family and cultural connections to the greater Flinders and Gammon Ranges area. Sharon has been working as an Education Development Officer, Centre for Education and Training at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital for the past 4 years, and prior to this, worked within the university sector, across the 3 major universities in Adelaide. Her most recent appointment within a university was as a course coordinator and lecturer at the David Unaipon College of Indigenous Education, Uni SA, where she lectured in Aboriginal education and Aboriginal health. Sharon also spent a number of years working within the state Aboriginal Affairs Department. Sharon is a mother to 3, and grandmother to 5.  Dr Jared Thomas, William and Margaret Geary Curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art and Material Culture, South Australian Museum Dr Thomas is a Nukunu person of the Southern Flinders Ranges and is a Director of the Nukunu Wapma Thura Aboriginal Corporation. The Nukunu people have recently been granted a successful native title determination by the National Native Title Tribunal. Dr Jared Thomas is the William and Margaret Geary Curator, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts and Material Culture at the South Australian Museum. He is the former Manager, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts and Culture at Arts South Australia and Lecturer at the University of South Australia where he worked as a lecturer of Communication: Aboriginal Studies and Literature from 2006-2013. An international award-winning author, his works of theatre and fiction explore issues relating to Aboriginal marginalisation and resistance, the environment, gender and sexuality. He is also a proud Ambassador of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.