About the Warrior Spirit section of this website

This page and its sub-pages are dedicated to honouring Uncle Karno Walker's vision for "bringing back old warrior way" & the connection Karno and his ancestors had to this.

Wirritjin Peggera:lin committee members and relatives of Karno, Darren McElroy & Nick Liedig suggested to the rest of the committee that we add a “Warrior Spirit” page to this website to honour Karno and the committee’s ancestors.

Karno’s close friend and co-collaborator on many of the military ceremonies they were involved with, Uncle Colin Watego, helped project manage this part of the website. The committee has also added Aunty Meryl Mansfield and the late Uncle Peter Mansfield work with street artist’s Hego’s 2018 documentary “Black ANZAC” and the Meningie Memorial that arose from that.

This page gives the reader a brief introduction to each subpage of this section of the website starting from the earliest records we have of Karno and a link to those pages.

From the early 1980’s onwards – Bringing Back Old Warrior Way

We start at the beginning with this sub-page dedicated to a video Karno made with friends and family in 2006 where we first have an official record of what “Bringing Back Old Warrior Way” meant to Karno. This video is of him training his nephew followed by another clip of him addressing a group of tourists visiting his Kangaroo Island property. Both the clips in this video. This article also serves as the introduction to Honouring Warrior Spirits and how Uncle Karno’s Old Warrior Way and Ramindjeri Dreaming helped form the backbone of the Honouring Warrior Spirits ceremony.

The 10th of November 2013 – Torrens Parade Ground Statue Unveiling

This section is about the day Uncle Karno and Uncle Colin first met and the unique and strong friendship and collaboration with the military that arose from that meeting.

This was no ordinary day, it was a very special day for both of them because the Statue, or should I say Statues, because there was actually two of them. These statues were of  an Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Serviceman and Servicewoman. After nearly a century the Aboriginal & Torres Strait island people who were currently serving and who had in the past, served and fought for Australia in both the World Wars, the Boer War, Korean War, Vietnam War and the Iraq war.

While the subject of the Statue Unveiling  would have been enough in itself to pique Karno’s interest in this ceremony, there was another more important reason why he was there, and that reason was contained in the speech the Governor General of Australia would speak at that ceremony.

To find out what that was click on the button below.

The 1st of August 2014 – The Victor Harbor Military Ceremony

The strengthening of Official ties between Uncle Karno and the Australian Military.

In 2014 a special military ceremony was held at the last known camping grounds of the Ramindjeri Tribe.

This ceremony was an important milestone, for Uncle Karno, his friend Uncle Colin, who was serving at the time, and the Australian Military itself. This ceremony included an exchange of gifts between Uncle Karno and the Military and members of the Military being initiated into Ramindjeri Culture.

Click the button below to find out more.

2015 – The Honouring Warrior Spirits Ceremonies

Bringing Warrior Spirits back home

In early 2015 Sgt John Angel-Hands proposed an idea to the Australian Army for a healing ceremony to bring back the spirits of indigenous soldiers who fell at Gallipoli as part of the Centenary of the August Offensive Ceremonies to be held at Gallipoli on the 6th of August 2015.

These Ceremonies and the previously mentioned Victor Harbor Ceremony were the two most important military ceremonies Uncle Karno was involved with.

Click the button below to find out more.

3rd of November 2017 – ADF Presentation of Ramindjeri Dreaming Artwork

Defence Directorate of Indigenous Affairs, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory Australia.

Earlier in 2017 the Defence Directorate of Indigenous Affairs extended an invitation to Uncle Karno’s wife Christine Walker (and now Chairperson of the Wirritjin Peggera:lin Committee) and Karno’s biological Aunt, Aunty Unbulara (Who Karno, before he had passed, asked to succeed him as the Leader of the Ramindjeri) to come to Canberra. The Defence Directorate of Indigenous Affairs wished to officially present to them each a framed copy of the Artwork used by the Australian Defence Force for the Honouring Warrior Spirit Ceremonies.

This page contains pictures of the framed artwork that was presented to Aunty Unbulura and Aunty Christine Walker on that day. This framed artwork also contains the written version of the Ramindjeri Dreaming in that artwork and the English translation of the lore contained within it.

Please click on the link below to find out more.

2018 – Black Anzac Documentary

Featuring Uncle Karno & Uncle Peter’s Ancestor Private Alfred Cameron Junior

 

  • Link to Discourse Forum Warrior Spirit discussion
    https://wirritjin.discoursehosting.net/c/warriror-spirit/24