Awaken murrup — awaken the spirit
Kindred People is an Indigenous‑led gathering of global First Nations artists, Elders, Knowledge Holders, students and community, coming to Monash University on Boonwurrung Country in September 2026.
Guided by culture, the festival centres Indigenous knowledges, creativity and connection through ceremony, performance, dialogue and time spent together on Country. It is a space to listen deeply, to learn, and to experience Indigenous creativity as living, relational and grounded in place.
Taking place across Monash campuses from 1–5 September 2026, Kindred People will bring together communities from Australia and across the world in a shared invitation: to gather with care, and to engage with Indigenous voices, stories and ways of knowing.
Language and cultural guidance
The language and concepts that shape Kindred People have been developed in close collaboration with senior Boonwurrung Elder Professor N’arwee’t Carolyn Briggs AM, whose cultural guidance grounds the festival in Country, language and protocol.
Boonwurrung language is woven throughout the festival as an expression of place, respect and continuity — reflecting the living cultural knowledge that sits at the heart of Kindred People.
Indigenous leadership and governance
Kindred People is guided by an Indigenous Steering Committee, ensuring the festival is led with cultural integrity, care and accountability.
The Steering Committee brings together First Nations leaders, artists and Knowledge Holders from a range of backgrounds, including:
- Professor N’arwee’t Carolyn Briggs AM (Elder in Residence) Boonwurrung
- Professor Tristan Kennedy (Chair) Noongar
- Aaron Wyatt Noongar
- Kylie Belling Yorta Yorta/Wiradjuri/South Sea Islander
- Josef Tye Yorta Yorta/Boonwurrung
- Jamil Tye Yorta Yorta/Boonwurrung
- Dr Neil Morris Yorta Yorta/Dja Dja Wurrung
- Amanda Haskard Gunai/Kurnai
- Dr Blayne Welsh Wailwan
Creative direction is led by Tom Molyneux (Gunditjmara), an award-winning actor and playwright and Head of First Nations Programming and Engagement of Monash University Performing Arts Centres.
The development of Kindred People has been informed by the cultural and strategic guidance of the William Cooper Institute at Monash University.
Seasonal Identity and Living Design
The visual identity of Kindred People draws on the six Boonwurrung seasons, offering a way of seeing and understanding time that is grounded in Country. Rather than a fixed campaign look, the identity is living and responsive, shifting in colour, tone and energy. Themes within the program have been thoughtfully named in Boonwurrung and English, and a Boonwurrung seasonal colour palette applied to highlight the different streams of activity.
Developed in collaboration with Gumbaynggirr artist and activist Aretha Brown and under the guidance of Professor N’arwee’t Carolyn Briggs AM, the identity brings together cultural symbolism, contemporary design practice and deep connection to Country. Aretha’s striking work shapes how the festival is experienced visually and spatially, while N’arwee’t’s language, seasonal knowledge and cultural wisdom has guided every stage of the consultation and design process. Through this approach, the campaign becomes more than a visual system – it becomes part of the storytelling, moving with the festival and evolving over time.
Monash University
Monash University is proud to support Kindred People as part of its commitment to advancing Indigenous leadership, knowledge and creative practice.
As a global university, Monash recognises the importance of creating platforms for Indigenous voices, and of fostering meaningful engagement with the communities on whose lands it operates.