ABOUT
DINGO CULTURE
Our vision is to provide the First Nations’ voice specifically to the Dingo debate in Australia and create change in legislation to protect culturally significant native fauna and flora.
SONYA TAKAU - FOUNDER
DINGO CULTURE
PROTECTING GANIBARRA DINGO
Dingo Culture is in the process of campaigning for legislative changes to any Queensland government Acts that currently manage Dingoes in Queensland and that fail to include the Native Title rights of Aboriginal people and their cultural obligations to the dingo - A culturally significant totem animal.
Sonya Takau (founder of Dingo Culture) heard the call to arms from social media dingo advocate groups for Aboriginal people to join and provide the Aboriginal perspective to the dingo debate in Australia, which has been ignored for over 233 years in this country.
Aboriginal people across Australia hold the Dingo as sacred and culturally important, this perspective has never been considered in government and their policy making decisions. This has to change. We are the First People of this country and therefore a major stakeholder on environmental topics and should be consulted as such.
Dingo Culture is founded on guts, determination and never give up the fight and we invite all Aboriginal people and communities across this land to join us. Stand and unite with us here at Dingo Culture and change the status Quo of our Dingoes in Queensland.
Wild Dog Exhibition - Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute
15 July 2022
Guest Panelist
Was a wonderful opportunity to be invited as a Guest Panelist to discuss with Jacob Boehme (Creator/Producer) of Wild Dog and Dr Bradley Smith (Senior Lecturer in Psychology) CQU University the plight of the Dingo in Australia and my advocacy work at Dingo Culture.
SONYA TAKAU
FOUNDER OF DINGO CULTURE
My passion to protect our wildlife continues but my focus and advocacy has shifted to one animal that I hold dear to my heart and that is the Dingo.
Dingoes are our ngalbay, our totems. When you have a personal totem, it’s described as sharing the spiritual essence of that ngalbay, that totem, as prescribed to it in the dreaming.
I learnt the ugly truth of what is happening to our totem, our countrymen the Dingo in this country and I wanted to speak out and give our Dingoes a voice, to shed a light on a friendship that is thousands of years old with this first nations dog.
As a Jirrbal Rainforest Aboriginal woman, I’m using my Aboriginal identity and voice to advocate for the protection and care of our culturally significant totem the Dingo.
In early 2021, I founded Dingo Culture a digital media platform that shares the importance of the Dingo to Aboriginal people but also encourages Aboriginal people across the country to unite with me and lobby governments to change the legislation that currently controls Dingoes in a very discriminate way.
For well over 233 years Aboriginal people have been ignored by governments and the livestock industry as a major stakeholder in the Dingo Debate but through my culture and lore I’m making it my personal business to change the status quo.
Not only is it a moral conscience obligation, it’s also a cultural obligation to respect and care for our animals and plants.
Wild Dog was an immersive installation and exhibition exploring the importance of one of Australia’s most misunderstood but significant cultural symbols – the dingo.
As part of the public program, Artistic Director Jacob Boehme is joined by Sonya Takau and Dr. Bradley Smith for the opening conversation of the Wild Dog Public Programs
DINGOES ARE OUR NGALBAY TOTEMS.
PARTNERS
If you want to go far, go together.” Effective partnerships leverage the strengths of each partner and apply it strategically to the issue at hand. It might take more work, and it might take longer, but strong partnerships build the relationships, shared understanding, and collective focus to make lasting progress.
