AN international conference celebrating indigenous knowledge is to be held next week (October 1-2) at the University of Canberra.

Presented by the Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research Australasia and the Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership and Strategy, the conference will see cultural leaders, both indigenous and non-indigenous, identify the nature of that knowledge.

Joining them will be author and Bunurong man Bruce Pascoe, whose ground-breaking book “Dark Emu: Aboriginal Australia and the birth of agriculture”, strongly challenges the claim that pre-colonial Australian Aboriginal peoples were hunter-gatherers through research into early settler accounts.

Rob de Castella will talks about the Indigenous Marathon Project of which he is director. Canberra journalist Jack Waterford will discuss new reciprocal relationships with Aboriginal Australians and Senator Andrew Bragg will talk about indigenous peoples in Parliament and their contribution.

Ngambri elder Shane Mortimer will describe how he discovered a maternal line going back to Ngambri woman Ju Nin Mingo, the daughter of James Ainslie.

Other speakers at the conference will include Aboriginal storyteller Wayne Quilliam, indigenous singer-songwriter Krista Pav and Yuin Elder and author Uncle Max “Dulumunmun” Harrison, a teacher of Aboriginal culture at the University of Wollongong.

The conference will be held at the Ann Harding Conference Centre, Building 24, University Drive, South Bruce, University of Canberra, 8am-5pm, October 1-2. Fees apply. Bookings to eventbrite.com and full program at sietaraustralasia.org