As Palawa we have always belonged and always will belong to the islands of Lutruwita/Tasmania.

From the end of the last ice age, when the land bridge linking us with the rest of the continent was inundated, we became isolated for over 10,000 years. Across our many sovereign nations and multiple family collectives, we spoke many distinct languages. Everything was in balance.

In 1803, Britain invaded and brutally sought to establish a colony here. The genocidal Black War period lasted until the mid-1830s. Grandfather Mannalargenna, depicted here in water colour by Thomas Bock, was a key figure in the Aboriginal resistance. He passed at Wybalenna (Black Man’s House) on Flinders Island in 1835.

By the time Britain’s Colony of Tasmania was officially established, on unceded lands, in 1856 our survival hinged on the women and girls kidnapped by sealers from Trawlwoolway Country – our homelands in northeast Lutruwita – and enslaved on Tayaritja/Furneaux Islands in Bass Strait.

A thriving community developed over time, especially on Truwana/Cape Barren Island, with a unique culture. Our Old People’s cultural practices, that we still have connection to today, were passed down within that island community despite outsider influences. We became known as Straitsmen and, yet again, the strength of our community threatened the colonial authorities.

As a community and as individuals we have been, and continue to be, subject to dispossession, displacement, segregation, police brutality, child removal, over-policing, racial profiling and many other forms of discrimination that impact us intergenerationally.

Yet out our culture, our stories and our beloved Ancestors and Elders, such as Woretemoeteyenner and her father Mannalargenna and the People whose portraits line the walls of our hall, guide us and give us daily strength.

The importance of having spaces, such as the Elders, where we are safe to come together, be our full selves, and practice and share culture cannot be overstated.