Where ancient wisdom meets future worlds, Kindred People is a powerful new Indigenous-led festival and kummargi yulendj gadhaba (knowledge rising up together), weaving together global First Nations arts, culture, and wisdom. From 1 to 5 September 2026, Monash University’s campuses on Kulin Country will be transformed into spaces of ceremony, creativity, and connection.
Curated by Gunditjmara man Tom Molyneux, and supported by an Indigenous Steering Committee, the gathering will invite artists, Elders, Knowledge Holders, and communities to share traditions, champion creative expression, and imagine new futures.
Kindred People is more than a festival; it is a gathering of kin. It is where ancient knowledges meets contemporary ideas, where stories are shared and futures are imagined. It is a place of listening and learning, of creativity and exchange, of deep respect for cultures that have endured existential challenges and collected wisdom worth hearing.
The visual identity for Kindred People has been created in collaboration with acclaimed Gumbaynggirr artist and activist Aretha Brown, whose work captures the heartbeat of contemporary Blak expression.
Aretha’s design draws together a constellation of symbols, from the eel and eel trap, honouring the peoples and sustainable technologies of south eastern Country, to mangroves revealing their proud root systems, a metaphor for truth and belonging. Her artwork features the speared kangaroo, a cheeky magpie, young mob, and the city, evoking strength, guidance, and the living energy of campus life. Modern icons like a turntable and trumpet connect ancient knowledge to the pulse of protest, music, and change.
Together, these elements reflect the spirit of Kindred People, a weaving of cultures, histories, and futures in conversation.
Guiding the festival with cultural authority and deep care is Professor N’arwee’t Carolyn Briggs AM, Senior Boon Wurrung Elder and member of the Kindred People Steering Committee. Aunty Carolyn is the Founder and Chairperson of the Boon Wurrung Foundation and has dedicated her life to preserving and sharing Boon Wurrung language, knowledge and heritage. Through decades of teaching, advocacy and cultural leadership, she has ensured that her people, the Yaluk-ut Weelam clan of the Boon Wurrung, are recognised and celebrated as original custodians of this land.
Working in close collaboration with design studio Clear and Aretha Brown, Aunty Carolyn has guided the festival’s creative identity to reflect the living murrup (spirit) of Country. The visual language draws inspiration from the Six Boon Wurrung Seasons, Pareip, Bullarto nye-wiiny, Weegabil nye-wiiny, Gareeral, Manameet and Beerreen, each represented through distinct colours and symbols that mirror the rhythms of land, sky and water. Together, these elements honour the cycles of renewal and relationship that sustain us, embedding Boon Wurrung knowledge and philosophy at the heart of Kindred People’s design and story. The seasonal colours will evolve with the campaign.
Awaken Murrup: awaken the spirit within. Join us at Kindred People, a gathering where culture, creativity, and connection guide us toward shared healing and change.
Register your interest to learn more at kindredpeople.monash.edu
September 1 – 5, 2026
