Koorie Heritage Trust
400,000 years ago, Aboriginal people became the first resident in Australia migrated from somewhere in Asia, far earlier than any other racial group. Their irreplaceable daily objects, artefacts and culture are treasures protected by Australia and even the world, they are paths to review the past as well.'Koorie' means ‘people’, which originated from the indigenous languages used by the coastal groups of central and northern New South Wales. It nowadays refers to the self-description of many aboriginal people who live in Victoria and south-central New South Wales. Koorie is most widely used in Melbourne. The Encyclopedia of Melbourne states the usage of the word ‘Koorie’ ‘reflects the resurgence of indigenous identities and cultures among those previously and erroneously claimed to have lost their culture’ (Broome 2008).As the oldest community possessed and managed Aboriginal cultural centre in Australia, the Koorie Heritage Trust was established in 1985. Furthermore, the Koorie Heritage Trust is the only cultural centre dedicated to the safeguarding and continuity of Koorie culture of Victoria solely. Over 95,000 items related to South Eastern Australian Aboriginal communities held by the trust, including historic and contemporary artworks and artefacts, oral histories, photographic archives and a reference library, are helpful to raise the public’s awareness about Koorie culture and to connect members of the Stolen Generations to their families. Moved from the Museum of Victoria, the Koorie Heritage Trust located at 295 King Street in 2003 and then relocated into the Yarra Building at Federation Square in 2015.
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