NAIDOC Week 2025

Djuker is dedicated to growing the presence of Indigenous culture in tourism in Tasmania and Australia more broadly, and empowering his community, inspiring pride in and through culture. He advocates for others through mentorship and employment opportunities and aims to provide a safe space for cultural learning and appreciation, fostering understanding and respect within and between communities.

He says he always enjoys performing traditional dance and challenging himself to come up with something new, and that it makes him feel connected to his history.

“Dancing is a big part of my life. My father was a performer so for me it’s a way of keeping connected with that side. I get a lot of pride out of it.”

“It also helps me teach the young fellas. I teach them dance, it’s another part of being able to put people in the right areas and help them find pride in different things.”

By championing culture with pride and purpose, Djuker is not only leading by example but also cultivating respect and understanding within and between communities across Tasmania and Australia.

Learn more about Djuker's work on the Hart Cultural Connections- Palawa Business Hub

Bron’s efforts extend beyond professional settings. As a mother to three boys (pliri), she is raising the next generation strong in culture, ensuring that pride, resilience, and tradition are lived every day. Her ability to integrate motherhood, leadership, and cultural responsibility makes her an influential figure in community-led initiatives and Indigenous cultural revitalisation.

Bron describes her most fulfilling work as being able to spend time on Country—teaching, healing, and educating through the lens of living culture.

Learn more about Bron's work on the Hart Cultural Connections- Palawa Business Hub

She is also a passionate and fierce activist, always standing strong to protect Country, culture, and community. Her voice in the fight for justice is bold, unwavering, and deeply respected.

Carleeta was awarded the 2024 NAIDOC Special Achievement Award from the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, she features as a main character in the children’s book Little Tasmanian . Her story has been featured in a range of publications over the years, including ABC, Tasmanian.com, Discover Aboriginal Experiences, Woman’s Weekly, just to name a few.

Learn more about Carleeta Thomas's stories on Carleeta Thomas|Tasmanian and Carleeta's book on the About the Book|Little Tasmanian

As an artist, Nunami has had work commissioned and exhibited at Contemporary Art Tasmania, MONA, Mona Foma Festival, Ten Days on the Island Festival among others.

In 2025 Nunami was announced as the recipient of the Contemporary Art Tasmania 'Shotgun' program, was the winner of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Writers Fellowship in the Tasmanian Literary awards and had work commissioned by the NGV for an exhibition under the mentorship of Aunty Lola Greeno.

Nunami holds a BA in History and Legal Studies from the University of Tasmania, graduating in 2019 and successfully completed the Associate Fire Practitioner Training Program through the National Firesticks Alliance in 2025. Her work history centres on public education and community development, having held positions at the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery and the University of Tasmania.

Owner and operator of Blak Led Tours Tasmania, Nunami offers Tasmanian Aboriginal history and cultural tours around Nipaluna/Hobart. Since launching, Blak Led Tours has successfully undertaken contracts for experience and interpretation development and consultation across the island. After launching Blak Led Tours in 2022, Nunami received a Special Achievement award for her work in Truth Telling at the Tasmanian NAIDOC awards and also was named the Tourism Ministers' Young Achiever in 2022.

As an active and involved member of the Tasmanian Aboriginal community since her birth, Nunami has been chosen to represent her community at the state, national and international level. She is the youngest Palawa person ever selected to repatriate ancestral remains and was selected as Young Tasmanian Aboriginal of the year in 2015 at the state NAIDOC Awards. In 2024 Nunami was selected as part of the Palawa community treaty delegation. Nunami is currently the Tourism and Cultural Development Officer at the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre.

Learn more about Nunami's business on the Blak Led Tours

My family, people of the Bass Strait Islands, Flinders and Cape Barren Island, are direct descendants to our Sealers and our Ancestor Mannalargenna, Chief Warrior of the Trulwulway people in North East of Tasmania. We are the Moon Bird people of the Bass Strait Islands.

I visualise as a Tasmanian Aboriginal artist to expose the lutruwita milaythina/Tasmanian landscape through my eyes, and the Community’s eyes, the connections we have with Country and the experiences that we continue together. The Country shares its story with us.

I am gathering with my Ancestors, by myself or with my family/community and gifted by mother earth through spirit.

I sense these objects as living spirits that are yearning to re-connect to their Community, Culture and Country; all on the cycles of journeys through different concepts and all our life pedagogy as First Nations People.

It is through strong Ancestral memories, and my journey of experiences as a stolen child, that I express a deep connection to Mathinna, her doll, and the pin cushion. My work endeavours to speak of the yearning and sorrow our people have for the return of Mathinna’s artefacts to her mother Country.

Dancing statewide, nationally and internationally for well over a decade, Sinsa has been working to reclaim cultural dance within the island state of Tasmania for the past 15 years. Through educational dance workshops, pakana kanaplila aims to create a safe and inviting space to broaden the awareness of the rich cultural heritage and the living ancient traditional practices through song and dance; keeping to traditional Tasmanian Aboriginal culture. Sinsa facilitates open opportunities for the broader community to engage with local First Nations peoples through educational dance workshops, ceremonial performance at a wide range of events, including fun and interactive workshops in schools. She is passionate about creating a greater awareness of Tasmania’s ancient traditions.

Sinsa works nationally and internationally to pioneer ways of reclaiming ancient cultural traditions. Her artforms generate critical awareness of the rich cultural heritage and continuing practices of her ancestors. She is passionate about building opportunities for her community and all first nations peoples to share cultural knowledge in an inviting yet provocative environment for the broader population to gain a deeper understanding.

Sinsa fulfils cultural advisory positions across industries and government bodies from local through to federal levels and sits on adjudication panels across a broad spectrum of the arts sectors.

• Senior Producer @ Performing Lines Tas
• Cultural Advisory Group @ Moonah Arts Centre
• Board Member @Ministerial Arts & Culture Advisory Council

In 2022 Sinsa was named Aborigine of the Year, here is an excerpt from the award presentation:

The Aborigine of the Year is presented to an outstanding leader who enriches our community and who is a strong representative and ambassador of our country, heritage, and culture.

This year's nomination goes to someone with a long record of cultural arts development and achievement. They are a leading aspiration for all members of our community and are an exceptional role model and mentor.

This year's Aborigine of the Year goes to..... SINSA MANSELL

Sinsa is a worthy winner of this award. She has a strong commitment to family and culture and stays true to her responsibilities as a pakana woman. Through performance, dance, and workshops, she raises greater awareness of our rich heritage and promotes respectful cultural protocols and practices. Her deeply emotive performances celebrate our history and stories, specifically the courage and culture of Tasmanian Aboriginal women following the brutal invasion of lutruwita.

Most importantly, Sinsa has volunteered her time, skills, and knowledge to our community.

She stands in front of thousands of people at rallies advocating for our causes.

She performs traditional ceremonies to farewell our ancestors as they return to their final resting places

She showcases our language and connections to our country.

Sinsa's devotion, creativity, achievements, and leadership make her a worthy winner of this award.

Learn more about Sinsa's work on the Palawa Business Hub

Kitana’s work has gained widespread recognition, with features on Play School’s “What’s Cooking? Bush Foods in Lutruwita,” Gardening Australia, Adventure.com, Left Off the Map, and even a mention in the New York Times in 2024. In 2023, she received the Spirit of Tasmania Tourism and Hospitality Award at the Tasmanian Young Achiever Awards.

Learn more about Palawa Kipli on the Palawa Kipli

Rulla was born under an Aboriginal birth certificate: the first and only of its kind and in the 1990’s he was the youngest community representative to travel from lutruwita, and live with the Ainu people, the Aboriginal people of Japan as part of a cultural exchange between the Aboriginal community of lutruwita and the Ainu people.

Career

Rulla is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist whose versatility and uniqueness are unmatched. As a founding member of the collective MARLON X RULLA, Rulla achieved rapid success in a short period. In 2023 the duo were New Talent of the Year finalists at the National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMAs) and in 2022 won best Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Artist at the South Australian Music Awards. MARLON X RULLA supported Xavier Rudd on a national tour in 2022, opened for Midnight Oil at WOMADelaide and performed alongside the late Archie Roach AC, Briggs and Yothu Yindi. MarlonxRulla were the music directors, producers and composers on the Netflix animation series, Eddies Little Homies’, written by Eddie Betts.

Rulla is currently working on his debut album with multi-award-winning Ngarrindjeri artist and producer, Dan Rankine aka Trials, one half of A.B Original and a member of the iconic Australian hip-hop group, Funkoars.

Personal Life

Rulla is a cancer survivor and founder of Make Runs Maxi, a not-for-profit charity that promotes positive mental health - he was awarded the 2020 Tasmanian Aboriginal of the Year and has also carved out a name in the Australian Rules Football world as a player and coach. The recipient of many individual and team accomplishments, Rulla played across three state league competitions (TSL, VFL, SANFL) and has mentored some of the top end Aboriginal & Torres-Strait Islander talent playing in the national competition (AFL).

Passion

"My passion is to set an example through actions and pass on the knowledge that our path moving forward for ourselves, our future generations and overall health and well-being is to learn and exist within our traditional lores and customs. They live within the connection to your country, your spirit and your dreaming. We are not a past tense, we are present today, as our old people were, then, and we will be the old people to our future generations - that comes with the responsibility of being caretakers of deep time and the stories, songs and lores which have been passed through it."

Reach out to Rulla on Instagram

Listen to Rulla's creation on unearthed

Nominated for an Australian Human Rights Award for her leadership during the 2023 referendum campaign, Maggie was also named Young Tasmanian of the Year but made the powerful choice to decline the award in recognition of January 26 as a day of mourning for many First Nations people.

Walking proudly in the footsteps of her great-grandmother, Maggie carries forward a strong family legacy of activism, bringing strength, vision, and cultural pride to the next generation of Palawa leadership.

If you wish to know more about Maggie Blandon and her incredible work check out the link Maggie Blandon

Her public artworks—ranging from immersive environmental installations to large-scale murals—celebrate First Nations voices and often invite community participation. Emma is committed to creating spaces, both in health and art, that honour culture, spark dialogue, and support long and healthy lives.

Learn more about Emma's work on the Palawa Business Hub

Caleb has an extensive portfolio in graphic design and digital art and has been commissioned by a number of leading institutes and organisations both within the state and nationally. Stepping outside of his comfort zone, he is beginning to experiment with large scale festival and public art installations as well as site responsive works which will be developed over the coming year.

Delving into and shining light on the politics of identity, land, and cultural heritage his artwork aims to generate conversation and evoke deep thinking whilst providing the broader community with an intimate look at what it means to be Tasmanian Aboriginal man in modern day Tasmania.

Caleb passion and drive was recently recognised at the Tasmanian Young Achiever Awards where he won both the category he was nominated for, the Dental South First Nations Achievement Award as well as the overall, Premiers Young Achiever of the Year Award.

Learn more about Caleb's work on the Caleb Nichols-Mansell