The Sea of Hands
“ANTaR and
the Sea of Hands are fundamental to the achievement of justice
and Reconciliation in this country” - Patrick Dodson
The Sea of Hands is central to ANTaR’s activities. The Sea
of Hands is Australia's largest public art installation and colourfully
represents the names of over 300,000 Australians who have shown
their support for native title and reconciliation.
The Sea of Hands is
recognised by hundreds of thousands of Australians as a symbol
of the people's movement for rights-based reconciliation. It was
ANTaR’s first public event, staged to protest against the
Federal Government's proposed changes to the Native Title Act.
70,000 plastic hands in six colours, each one carrying one signature
from a petition in support of native title and reconciliation,
were installed in front of Parliament House in Canberra in October
1997.
Since then, over 250,000 Australians have signed their names on
one of 120,000 plastic hands that make up the Sea of Hands, to
show their support for Native Title and Reconciliation.
The six colours of the Sea of Hands represent the colours of the
Aboriginal flag (red, black and yellow), the Torres Strait Islander
flag (blue, green and white), and the Australian flag. Each Sea
of Hands installation is a unique event, and wherever possible,
is designed by a local Indigenous artist, using symbols and themes
appropriate to the Indigenous traditions of that region.
Visit the ANTaR
National site to see further information on the Sea of Hands
including:
- History of the Sea of Hands
- Photos of Installations
- Adding your
name the Sea of Hands
Sea
of Hands in Victoria
 There
have been a number of Sea of Hands installations across metropolitan
and regional Victoria.
The Sea of Hands is commonly used during Sorry
Day, Reconciliation week and NAIDOC
celebrations as a colourful reminder
of the commitment of the Australian people to genuine reconciliation
and as a gesture of respect for Aboriginal culture and tradition.
Locations include (photos from John Browning)
Recent Installations:
On Wednesday 26th May, the Our Lady Star
of the Sea Catholic Primary School recognised National Sorry Day
during Reconciliation Week.
Classes participated in a variety of activities where children learned
more about Aboriginal people and culture, including the formation
of a map of Australia using 1000 red, yellow and black hands.
Our Lady Star of the Sea is a Catholic Primary School in Ocean
Grove, Victoria.
Christ
the King School is a Catholic Primary School in Newcomb, Victoria.
[Photo: Peter Casamento ]
Hold your
own Sea of Hands event
The Sea of Hands is a locally focused reconciliation activity.
Many local reconciliation groups and other community groups, such
as churches, schools, universities, local events committees, etc,
have staged small Sea of Hands events (which we call "puddles")
of various sizes. This may involve anything from a few hundred to
many thousands of hands.
We can assist you in staging your own event by:
- Preparing the right quantity and colours of hands for pickup
from our office in Fitzroy
- Giving you directions about planting and managing the hands
- There will probably be a local reconciliation group that could
assist or be involved in the event. Click here to find the local
reconciliation group in your area.
Be creative
– involve other people, especially children, to get imaginative
about a planting and think about what reconciliation means and
how it can be achieved.
If you are interested in staging your
own Sea of Hands event, please contact us.
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