Celebrating 60,000 years of culture with our First Nations programme of events and activities.
Warami Festival (pronounced Wuh-rah-mee) is our programme of First Nations events and activities taking place between 26 May and 13 July.
Calling Parramatta home for over 60,000 years, Warami celebrates the Burramattagal people’s connection to the land and community. It also provides an opportunity for people from diverse backgrounds to immerse themselves in the culture and traditions of local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Warami is a Dharug word meaning ‘good to see you’.
Our 2024 programme will kick off with National Sorry Day on Friday 26 May and features our Burramatta NAIDOC Day festival on Saturday 13 July.
Aboriginal people were Australia’s first explorers, first navigators, first engineers, first farmers, first botanists, first scientists, first diplomats, first astronomers and first artists.
For over 60,000 years, the area comprising present day Parramatta has been occupied by the Burramattagal people, a clan of the Darug, who first settled along the upper reaches of the Parramatta River. The Darug people still populate the areas of Parramatta, Greater Western Sydney, La Perouse and the Blue Mountains.
Burramattagal is thought to be derived from the Aboriginal word for ‘place of eels’. The Burramattagal have a close connection with the Parramatta River, from which they caught fish, eels, and other food.
NAIDOC Week: 7-14 July 2024
NAIDOC Week is a celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and a chance to acknowledge our history, culture and achievements.
The NAIDOC 2024 theme is - Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud. This year's theme celebrates the unyielding spirit of our communities and invites all to stand in solidarity, amplifying the voices that have long been silenced.
Through our collective efforts, we can forge a future where the stories, traditions, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are cherished and celebrated, enriching the fabric of the nation with the oldest living culture in the world.
On our pathway towards reconciliation, Sorry Day on 26 May is an important moment to remember the past policies of forced child removal. We reflect on the sad and painful history of the Stolen Generations and recognise moments of resilience, healing and the power of saying 'sorry'.
On the 13 February 2008 the newly appointed Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made an historic speech in Federal Parliament. This speech was made to formally apologise on behalf of the government to the Stolen Generations, and he did this through a motion to the Parliament.
"We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians."
‘Members of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are advised that the these articles contains images, names and stories of deceased peoples.’
