In Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, stories or songlines are told in many forms. This can be through language, song, dance and, during more recent times, contemporary artwork.
Ancestral stories are passed down through the generations through song circles.
Stories often related to a particular area and neighbouring groups continued to carry them along.
Songlines travelled across the nation, connecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups that could be hundreds or thousands of kilometres apart.
Today, songlines are used to visually represent stories and narratives.
They provide a strong and recognisable marker for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and can be created to represent a series of connected stories or just a specific part of a story.
The songline can be used to promote conversations about the journey a family will experience throughout the kindy year.
Early childhood services can engage with families using the songline and parents can use the songline to engage with their children.
Songline elements
Child
The child, represented by a bright, shining star, sits at the centre of the kindy story. They are an individual with their own thoughts and dreams, ready to begin the kindy journey.
Family
The child, again represented by the star, is at the heart of the family. Family is gathered around in love and support for the child, prepared to embark on the kindy journey together.
Community
The family is represented at the centre of this element, with the community surrounding them. It takes a community to raise a child and they are there to support the family.
Educator
The educator sits in the centre of this element with the children around them. The yellow arrows radiating outward represent the positive effect a teacher has on the child’s development.
Play
Play-based learning is an essential and central part of kindy. Using the star again to represent a child, this element shows that the child is exploring and playing. Play is positioned next to the educator in the songline, showing that the educator facilitates play, which leads to the next element: learning.
Learning
The arrows pointing inwards and outwards represent the child forming an understanding of themselves (internal arrows) and adding to their understanding of the world around them (external arrows).
Growth
The arrows radiating out in all directions represent that the child will be always growing in all directions. This element captures a sense of boundless opportunity for our children as they grow and learn at kindy.
Trust
The structure represents the strength of the solid foundation that is built on trust at kindy. This trust can be formed between the family and educator, or the child and educator, and underpins all the relationships developed during the songline journey.
Culture
Represented through Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art symbols, culture does not enter the songline at a defined point but is an integral part of the songline itself.
The tracks between each element
The motifs that form the kindy songline are linked by sections of tracks. These show the movement of children and those around them through the kindy journey. They also represent the diversity of people living throughout Queensland by incorporating traditional symbols that are recognisable to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Postcard
Download the postcard to share the kindy songline and its elements with families.