N'Arweet Carolyn Briggs

N’arweet Carolyn Briggs AM is a descendant of the First Peoples of Melbourne, the Yaluk-ut Weelam clan of the Boon Wurrung. She is the great granddaughter of Louisa Briggs, a Boon Wurrung activist who was born near Melbourne in the 1830s. Recognised as the keeper of history and genealogy of her people, Carolyn has been involved in developing and supporting opportunities for Indigenous youth and Boon Wurrung culture for over 40 years. In 2020, she completed her PhD on Indigenous knowledge transmission (Yulendj Boon Wurrung) and is Elder in Residence at RMIT University, Ngarara Willim Centre.

Articles by N'Arweet Carolyn Briggs:

Published in Overland Issue 240 Spring 2020 · History

Identity and connection

N'Arweet Carolyn Briggs

The 1992 Mabo decision recognised Native Title on the Murray Islands in the Torres Strait. This decision led to the Native Title Act (1993) and subsequently had a direct impact on the identity of First Australians. There was greater acceptance among First Peoples to publicly define our identity according to our pre-colonial status. We define ourselves by clan or nation, rather than the generic colonial term ‘Aboriginal’ or geographic terms such as Koori.