# Event Details - **Event Name**: Holders of Our Knowledge and Keepers of Our Stories Symposium - **Event Start and End Date**: Tue, 07 Jul, 2026 at 09:00 am – Wed, 08 Jul, 2026 at 04:30 pm - **Event Description**: Join us in person to celebrate Indigenous Knowledges as a living culture with Australian and international Indigenous speakers.About this EventHolders of Our Knowledge and Keepers of Our Stories SymposiumJoin us in person for an inspiring two days where we celebrate the wisdom and stories that shape our communities. This symposium is all about the sharing and transmission of ancient wisdom, spirit, law, culture and language founded in our cosmology and philosophy. Don’t miss out on deep conversations and meaningful connections! https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events8/banners/9a0c90b0-79f1-11f1-9c5f-b15bd5656509-rimg-w1200-h532-dc000000-gmir.png Agenda?: 08:00 AM - 08:30 AMSymposium Registration Info: Registration commences at 8:00am to 8:30am in the Pilgrim Office at the rear of the Church. ?: 09:00 AM - 09:30 AMWelcome to CountryHost: John LochowiakInfo: The Welcome to Country will be delivered by John Lochowiak, a local Wadi – initiated Man – who has strong ties to many language groups throughout Australia including but not limited to Pitjantjatjara, Kaurna, Ramindjeri, Narungga Yankuntjatjara and Arrernte. His strong cultural grounding is complemented by his deep Catholic faith. ?: 09:30 AM - 10:00 AMAboriginal Matriarchs: Holders of Knowledge and Keepers of Stories Host: Professor Dr Anne Pattel-GrayInfo: Over the generations, we have had the privilege of learning from our tribal matriarchs-our great grandmothers, grandmothers, and mothers, elders, and senior law women. These Aboriginal Matriarchs taught us our culture, stories, laws, songs, dances, and kinship systems, and instilled in each and every one of us our cultural values and morals, which are the core of our integrity. We shall hear of her story and what she endured. ?: 10:40 AM - 11:10 AMMoana Keepers, Story Carriers: Indigenous Pacific Ways of Holding KnowledgeHost: Rev Prof Dr Nasili Vaka’utaInfo: Moana Keepers, Story Carriers: Indigenous Pacific Ways of Holding Knowledge and Life: Reflection on Indigenous Pacific/Oceanic understandings of knowledge as relational, embodied, ancestral, and spiritually grounded. Within Pacific worlds, knowledge is not treated as an abstract possession or individual achievement, but as a sacred trust held in genealogy, land, sea, language, ritual, memory, and community. Stories are among the primary means by which this knowledge is carried. They transmit identity, preserve ancestral wisdom, shape moral imagination, and sustain right relationships between people, creation, and the divine. In this sense, stories are not merely cultural artefacts but living theological texts through which communities discern meaning, responsibility, and hope. From an Indigenous Pacific theological perspective, to be keepers of knowledge and holders of stories is to participate in the ongoing work of remembering, interpreting, and renewing life. ?: 11:15 AM - 11:45 AMOn God’s Name: Historical Analysis on How Taiwan Indigenous People Naming GodHost: Dr Chang-Hua LinInfo: How tribal people naming God is a significant theological issue. During 400 years of Taiwan church history showed two paradigms of naming God. The first one is used western term to denote God, for example Deus or Alid, the second paradigm is used tribal highest deity’s name to denote Christian God, both endeavours implies crucial theological implications. My keynote will focus on this historical phenomena to analysis these two paradigms’ advantage or challenge and its hint on tribal theology.?: 11:45 AM - 12:20 PMKüthsükime - An Indigenous Methodological Starting PointHost: Rev. Prof. Dr. Hukato N. ShoheInfo: One characteristic of the Sumi life is the notion of relationship between God, creation & humanity on one hand and the idea that our understanding of things is based on the relationship we share with the world around us. This presentation explores the idea of Kuthsukime, a Sumi dialect, similar to the English concept of Relationality. Firstly, Relationality as a philosophical & theological term carries the abstract idea of the relationality of the universe with the concept being the starting point. Whilst the notion of Kuthsukime always is grounded on the concrete living context out of which our understanding of the world emerges. Secondly, Kuthsukime is a compound word Küthsü (related) and Kime (joined). A relationship that implies joinedness & relatedness. Hence, we are not only related by our beliefs and history but are somehow joined to the world's fate. This work intentionally explores the Sumi understanding & idea as a theological tool for understanding, expounding & engaging.?: 01:30 PM - 04:30 PMGroup DiscussionsDay 2 Agenda?: 08:30 AM - 08:45 AMDay 1 SummaryHost: Professor Dr Anne Pattel-GrayInfo: Prof. Dr Anne Pattel-Gray will provide a summary of the keynote presentations from the first day of the symposium along with her insights.?: 08:50 AM - 09:20 AMTheological Conversation on CountryHost: Rev Canon Dr Garry DeverellInfo: There are few more life-affirming practises than theological conversation, which this brief presentation will define as a careful listening, speaking and responsibility towards communion in God on Aboriginal country. Carefulness means that the partners to the conversation, Indigenous people and settlers, whilst deeply respectful of each other’s particularity and alterity nevertheless strive towards finding common ground. Listening requires that we still our internal scripts and filters to make room for those who suffer the most, for the cry of the earth and of Indigenous people, who, in Australia are analogous to the suffering Christ. Speaking means speaking the truth in love. For Aboriginal people, this calls us to find courage to speak our truth even when it is dangerous to do so. Settlers, for their part, are called to consider whether their words are always already embedded in supremacist narratives which place themselves and their power at the centre. ?: 10:05 AM - 10:40 AMBecause Country is Method: Reframing Christology, Axiology and Hermeneutics Host: Naomi WolfeInfo: This paper outlines a decolonising framework for theological education that recentres Indigenous Knowledges, reconfiguring the grounds of theological method. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander epistemologies are not extra to Christian theology but constitute rigorous, generative knowledge systems that both complement and critically interrogate & deconstruct dominant Eurocentric paradigms. Moving beyond deficit-based constructions, Country is foreground as a primary locus of theological meaning articulated as Christological, axiological, and hermeneutical. As Christology, Country discloses a relational and embodied understanding of divine presence, disrupting abstracted and dislocated accounts of Christ which EuroChristianity claims as orthodoxy. As axiology, it reorders value through kinship, reciprocity and responsibility, challenging extractive forms and individualised ethical frameworks. As hermeneutic, Country offers interpretive practices grounded in story, place & continuity. ?: 10:40 AM - 11:20 AMCreation Stories in Dialogue: Engaging Biblical and Local Ancestral NarrativesHost: Assoc Prof Fanang Lum LahpaiInfo: This paper brings biblical and Indigenous creation narratives into conversation as they are lived and understood among Myanmar’s ethnic Christians. Focusing on the Kachin people, it engages creation narratives from Genesis, Wisdom, Psalms and Isaiah alongside ancestral accounts, recognising that interpretation is never neutral. By reappropriating and reinterpreting these accounts, this study invites ethnic Christians to reconsider how foundational narratives shape understandings of gender, suffering and justice in their communities. Comparative and close reading methods are employed to highlight both common ground and difference, aiming to foster dialogue attentive to context and complexity. Delegates theological understanding will be broadened and encouraged to see a more liberative and inclusive vision of Christian identity, one that is responsive to the realities of suffering, the call for gender equality, and the wisdom embedded in both biblical and ancestral traditions.?: 12:30 PM - 04:10 PMGroup Discussions?: 04:00 PM - 04:30 PMSymposium Conclusion and Closing CeremonyHost: Professor Dr Anne Pattel-Gray - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/adelaide/holders-of-our-knowledge-and-keepers-of-our-stories-symposium/100001988891634418 - **Event Categories**: contests - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 0 - **Event Highlights**: - Age Limit: under_18_with_guardian - door_time: 2026-07-06T22:30:00Z - Duration: 7 hours 30 minutes - Location: Pilgrim Uniting Church - Languages: English ## Ticket Details - **Ticket Price Range**: min: 159.22, max: 317.24, currency: AUD ## Event venue details - **city**: Adelaide - **state**: SA - **country**: Australia - **location**: Pilgrim Uniting Church - **lat**: -34.9267085 - **long**: 138.6009231 - **full address**: Pilgrim Uniting Church, 12 Flinders Street, Adelaide, Australia ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: Holders of Our Knowledge and Keepers of Our Stories Symposium - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events6/banners/5a240be0bf13acd95c58fdaa91367ff8868e9c0a2686936a7de91000799aa099-rimg-w427-h391-dc020102-gmir.jpg?v=1778681363 ## FAQs - **Q**: When and where is Holders of Our Knowledge and Keepers of Our Stories Symposium being held? - **A:** Holders of Our Knowledge and Keepers of Our Stories Symposium takes place on Tue, 07 Jul, 2026 at 09:00 am to Wed, 08 Jul, 2026 at 04:30 pm at Pilgrim Uniting Church, 12 Flinders Street, Adelaide, Australia. - **Q**: Who is organizing Holders of Our Knowledge and Keepers of Our Stories Symposium? - **A:** Holders of Our Knowledge and Keepers of Our Stories Symposium is organized by NIECA. ## Structured Data (JSON-LD) ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Event", "name": "Holders of Our Knowledge and Keepers of Our Stories Symposium", "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events6/banners/5a240be0bf13acd95c58fdaa91367ff8868e9c0a2686936a7de91000799aa099-rimg-w427-h391-dc020102-gmir.jpg?v=1778681363", "startDate": "2026-07-07", "endDate": "2026-07-08", "url": "https://allevents.in/adelaide/holders-of-our-knowledge-and-keepers-of-our-stories-symposium/100001988891634418", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "Pilgrim Uniting Church", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "12 Flinders Street", "postalCode": "5000", "addressLocality": "Adelaide", "addressRegion": "SA", "addressCountry": "AU" }, "geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": "-34.9267085", "longitude": "138.6009231" } }, "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "Join us in person to celebrate Indigenous Knowledges as a living culture with Australian and international Indigenous speakers.", "offers": [ { "@type": "AggregateOffer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "AUD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-09-07", "availabilityEnds": "2026-07-08", "validFrom": "2026-09-07", "lowPrice": "159.22", "highPrice": "317.24", "price": "159.22", "url": "https://allevents.in/adelaide/holders-of-our-knowledge-and-keepers-of-our-stories-symposium/100001988891634418" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/SoldOut", "priceCurrency": "AUD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-09-07", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-09-07", "url": "https://allevents.in/adelaide/holders-of-our-knowledge-and-keepers-of-our-stories-symposium/100001988891634418", "price": "317.24", "name": "General Admission: 2 Days" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/SoldOut", "priceCurrency": "AUD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-09-07", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-09-07", "url": "https://allevents.in/adelaide/holders-of-our-knowledge-and-keepers-of-our-stories-symposium/100001988891634418", "price": "264.57", "name": "Concession Admission: 2 Days" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/SoldOut", "priceCurrency": "AUD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-09-07", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-09-07", "url": "https://allevents.in/adelaide/holders-of-our-knowledge-and-keepers-of-our-stories-symposium/100001988891634418", "price": "211.89", "name": "General Admission: 1 Day - Tuesday 7 July 2026" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/SoldOut", "priceCurrency": "AUD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-09-07", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-09-07", "url": "https://allevents.in/adelaide/holders-of-our-knowledge-and-keepers-of-our-stories-symposium/100001988891634418", "price": "211.89", "name": "General Admission:1 Day - Wednesday 8 July 2026" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/SoldOut", "priceCurrency": "AUD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-09-07", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-09-07", "url": "https://allevents.in/adelaide/holders-of-our-knowledge-and-keepers-of-our-stories-symposium/100001988891634418", "price": "159.22", "name": "Concession Admission: 1 Day - Tuesday 7 July 2026" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/SoldOut", "priceCurrency": "AUD", "availabilityStarts": "2026-09-07", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2026-09-07", "url": "https://allevents.in/adelaide/holders-of-our-knowledge-and-keepers-of-our-stories-symposium/100001988891634418", "price": "159.22", "name": "Concession Admission: 1 Day -Wednesday 8 July 2026" } ], "organizer": [ { "@type": "Organization", "name": "NIECA", "url": "https://allevents.in/org/nieca/27775326", "description": "The National Indigenous Ecumenical Council in Australia (NIECA) is an entirely First Nations owned and led not for profit organisation focused on facilitating a unified voice for Indigenous Australians within the church, society and political arenas. Nurturing First Nations representation, NIECA reclaims Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander positions in society and church, seeking autonomy, and activating sovereign spaces.Our VisionTo provide a platform for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander institution leaders and representatives, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander scholars and Indigenous knowledge holders to develop, define and lead our destiny with a unified voice across church, society and politics. Defined by a future founded on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander traditional knowledge to create stronger, healthier communities that are self-determining.Our MissionThrough presenting a united voice, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander institution leaders and representatives, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander scholars and Indigenous knowledge holders will call for action to address historical and continuing injustices and shape ministry, leadership and pathways to higher education. By amplifying our ancient wisdom, stories and ways of knowing, being and doing via connection to our law, language and ceremony, this will ensure self-determination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, now and into the future.Our PurposeTo equip and empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander institution leaders and representatives, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander scholars and Indigenous knowledge holders to pursue truth, justice, reparations, reconciliation and ecological well-being through deep listening and higher education." } ] } ] ```