Australia begins week-long event to celebrate Aboriginal cul

SYDNEY, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Major cities across Australia have begun celebrations on Monday, with events to showcase the culture of the national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders native to the nation.

There is plenty to celebrate, according to Premier of Queensland Annastacia Palaszcuk, who said that the contributions of Indigenous Australians are immense, and culturally significant.

"NAIDOC Week is a celebration of the history, culture and successes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and our state's ongoing reconciliation journey," Palaszcuk told Xinhua.

In Sydney, the NAIDOC in the city event took over the centrally-located Hyde Park, with thousands of Sydneysiders enthralled by the performances, displays, and opportunities to get up close and personal with many aspects of Indigenous culture.

This year's event was themed "Our Languages Matter," and Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore in a statement stressed the "importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages."

"Language is at the heart of cultural identity, embracing deep spiritual significance and knowledge, and linking people to land, water and the environment," Moore said.

"We celebrate Aboriginal languages every day with our park signs greeting visitors with the words 'bujari gamarruwa' - 'good day' in the local Gadigal language of Sydney."

There were a number of ways in which visitors and tourists were able to experience the culture on display, one of which was the 'gunya' - a hut made from paper bark from melaleuca trees, and cane - with performers in full aboriginal dress entertaining the crowds.

An Indigenous chef was also on hand to share his special 'outback recipes,' cooking up dishes using techniques and methods, that have been passed down through the generations of his family.

The children at the event were treated to Aboriginal basket weaving courses, art workshops where they learned the traditional ways of Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander painting, along with language and culture lessons, widening the cultural exchange for the next generation of young people.

The NAIDOC week will continue with events across Australia until Friday.