On Friday 3 May I was privileged, as a representative of the South Australian German Teachers' Association, to attend a smoking ceremony at Pirltawardli (Possum Park), north of the River Torrens, marking the return of four cultural heritage items from Germany after 180 years. The items – a kathawirri (sword), tantanuka (club or bark peeler), wirnta (spear) and wikatyi (net) had originally been gifted to German missionaries from Dresden in 1840. The ceremony was attended by many Aboriginal elders, as well as Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong, Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney, and Germany’s Federal Minister for Foreign affairs, Annalena Baerbock. Since the existence of the artefacts was discovered in the Grassi Museum in Leipzig, representatives from the Kaurna people and the Grassi Museum engaged in talks to enable their return to Kaurna land. In her address, Annalena Baerbock spoke about the importance of being “open and reflective of our own past and willing to listen to those who suffered the loss of their cultural heritage during European colonisation”. Linda Burney reflected that, “Repatriation helps us to tell the full story of this country’s history. It is a small insight into 65,000 years of connection to country”. As we reflect on the recent ‘National Reconciliation Week’, our commitment to the repatriation of Indigenous artefacts is an important step in acknowledging the deep cultural significance these items have for First Nations People.

Trish Prenzler
Acting Coordinator of Languages and German Teacher
SAGTA Vice-President