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With Christmas just weeks away, the Watarrka team would this year like to encourage our followers and community to purchase gifts from organisations which support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities. Through the power of technology and social media, never has there been an easier time to support these businesses who now operate in all areas from hospitality to arts, trades, education, fashion and tourism. Through purchases and donations made, not only will you invest in the future of First Nations Communities, you wil also help to drive the demand for authentic Indigenous goods and designs in Australia. 

Not sure where to start with gifts this year? Keep scrolling to uncover five unique gift ideas that will support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities.

1. Purchase an Indigenous artwork from Alpitye Art Studio

Situated in Alice Springs, Alpitye Art Studio specialises in contemporary and traditional Aboriginal artworks from across the central, eastern and western desert regions of Central Australia. Through successful collaboration with local artists, the studio has established a creative work centre that now caters to a remarkable and diverse selection of independent artists seeking to pursue their artistic careers. With more than twenty years’ experience in the Indigenous Art industry, the staff at Alpitye Art Studio represents more than thirty Aboriginal Artists at varying stages of their careers.

To learn more about Alpitye Art Studio or enquire about an artwork, visit https://www.alpityestudio.com/

2. Book a Tour with Remote Tours NT

Remote Education Tours provide visitors with the opportunity to immerse themselves in the culture of Central Australia. They aim to close the gap between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians through interactive cultural experiences and educational activities. Tours of Alice Springs and the Western MacDonnell ranges are available, in addition to customisable tours with the company.

Learn more about their tours here http://remotetours.com.au/

3. Choose a gift from the ‘Welcome to Country’ online store

‘Welcome to Country’ is a not-for-profit marketplace for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander experiences and products. Their mission is to address employment and economic development outcomes in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities through the sale of these items. Working as a social enterprise, every purchase made with this organisation directly benefits Indigenous artists and communities. The team behind the are majority Aboriginal, with their main office located in Sydney.

Browse their online store here https://shop.welcometocountry.com/collections/shop-all

4. Purchase a book from Australia’s leading Indigenous publisher

Based in Broome, Western Australia, Magabala publish Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors, artists and illustrators from all over Australia. They are an independent, not-for-profit Indigenous Corporation governed by a dedicated Board of Kimberley Aboriginal educators, business professionals and creative practitioners. Magabala publishes up to 15 new titles annually across a range of genres: children’s picture books, memoir, fiction (junior, YA and adult), non-fiction, graphic novels, social history and poetry. As stated on their website “Every Magabala Book purchased is an investment in Indigenous creative, cultural and economic futures.”

Browse their catalogue of books here https://www.magabala.com/

5. Donate to the Watarrka Foundation

We believe that there is no better way to gift this year than through a donation! Donations made to the Watarrka Foundation will assist us in our mission to continue transforming the lives of many aboriginal children and their communities in outback central Australia. Being a registered charity with a Deductible Gift Recipient status (DGR), donations made to the Foundation may be used to claim a tax deduction on your Australian tax return.

If you wish to gift through donation this year, visit https://watarrkafoundation.org.au/donate