HELLO

KAYA!

Hello is a fairly new word for greeting someone in this part of Australia, Whadjuk Noongar country.

For many tens of thousands of years, Noongar people have been saying KAYA as their greeting.

When you go to someone else’s country, one of the first things you learn is their word for hello.

This shows you are interested in talking to them and learning about their country, language and culture.

In Australia, most or all First Nations’ peoples can say hello in our English language.

However, two hundred years after colonisation, most Australians can’t say hello in the original languages of this country.  

The Hello project will enable anyone to learn how to say hello in those many ancient languages.

Hello uses the ANTaR Sea of Hands , a Reconciliation initiative going back 20 years in Australia.

They are the same colours as the Aboriginal (red, black and yellow) and Torres Straits Islander flags  (green, blue, black and white).

The hands are mounted on wires which can be pushed into the ground so the hands stand up.

A lot of them together can make images like flags, words and phrases.

When its windy they look like they are waving at you!

Come along and help spell KAYA and teach people how to say hello in the local original language.

The Hello project is also a digital art initiative of ANTaR WA.

First, we scanned one hand of each colour.

Then we used those images to make each letter of the alphabet.

Finally we used the letters to make different words for Hello.

KAYA