K’gari (pronounced Gurri) is the largest sand island in the world. Located in Queensland, Australia, the island comprises long, sandy beaches, coastal heaths, woodland and freshwater lakes. K’gari is part of the traditional lands of the Butchulla people. You can read the K’gari creation story, as told by the Butchulla people, here. Essentially, Princess K’gari… Read More Haiku of Place: K’gari
Japanese haiku writers often reference locations by name, thereby inviting the reader to bring their knowledge of place into the poem. Take, for example, this haiku by Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902): biting into a persimmona bell resoundsHōryū-ji While Shiki did not write this haiku at the Hōryū-ji Temple, it’s thought he referenced the temple because it… Read More Aboriginal Place Names in Haiku
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that the following material contains the name of a person who has died. Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu (1971-2017) was a highly acclaimed Aboriginal singer/songwriter. He was blind since birth. Gurrumul Yunupingu’s songs, usually sung in the Yolŋu languages of his land, have a calming, contemplative quality that is… Read More Aboriginal Culture in Haiku
Gregory Piko 