This craft-based activity reminds children of the cultural meanings and significance of the colours that make up the Aboriginal flag and the Torres Strait Islander flag.
Materials Needed:
The following colours:
- Black
- Yellow
- Red
- Green
- Blue
- White
- Black
What to do:
Explain the meaning of the Aboriginal flag is represented through:
- Black: the Aboriginal peoples of Australia
- Yellow: the Sun, the giver of life and protector
- Red: the red earth, red ochre and spiritual relationship to the land
The meaning of the Torres Strait Islander flag is represented through:
- Green: the land
- Blue: the sea
- White: peace
- Black: the Torres Strait Islander peoples
Before/after one of your early learning service’s flag raising ceremonies, or simply as part of an in-classroom discussion with the children, talk to the children about the symbolic cultural meanings behind the colours that comprise the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags. You may wish to actively involve children in the conversation through prompt questions such as:
- (Where) Have you seen Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flags being raised/flown?
- What does the Aboriginal Flag mean to you? What does the Torres Strait Islander Flag mean to you?
- What do you think the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags mean to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples?/your community?/your early learning service?/all Australians?
- Why do you think it is important to know about and recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags?
After your discussion, provide easy opportunities for children to be reminded and proud of the colours that comprise the Aboriginal flag and the Torres Strait Islander flag. For example, you may wish to focus on these colours during simple bead threading or yarn weaving craft activities. Think about appropriate ways for children to proudly wear their craft creations, or have them displayed around the classroom as further reminders of the significance of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags and the colours that serve as cultural symbols within them.
Hints and Tips:
Prior to carrying out this activity with the children, it is important for educators to develop their own knowledge and understanding about the Aboriginal flag and the Torres Strait Islander flag, particularly when it comes to the symbolic cultural meanings behind the colours that comprise these flags.
Reference:
Colours As Cultural Symbols (Early Learning), Narragunnawali Reconciliation In Education