CIRCFest MEANJIN would like to pay respects to the ancestral spirits, waterways and lands of Meanjin, where we live, work and play. CIRCFest Meanjin acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which the Festival takes place – the Turrbul & Jagera people.

We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and recognise the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities.

We acknowledge that it always was and always will be, Aboriginal land.

The word Meanjin is a Turrbal place name for the land where the city of Brisbane has been built. It means land shaped like a spike, which is the shape you would see if you were to view Kangaroo Point from above. It is also used to refer to lands around Brisbane in a more general sense, by the Turrbal and Jagera people who are the custodians of this country, and the Quandamooka saltwater people to the east, and the Waka waka people to the north-west.

The placename has been incorporated into our festival name for several reasons. To recognise the primacy of First Nations people, their unceded sovereignty, their ongoing connection to country and great history of more than 80,000 years of storytelling, performance, communication and celebration on this hallowed ground. And our very great privilege in playing, creating and continuing this great tradition with new contemporary communities including the circus fam.

Meanjin is Australia’s biggest First nations city, with more than 60,000 First Nations people making their home here. CIRCFest works deeply and creatively to include and centre First Nations voices in all our work, from our programming choices to our hiring practices to our special guest invitations.

CIRCFest Meanjin accepts the invitation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and supports a First Nations Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Australian Constitution.

The Uluru Statement from the Heart outlines the path forward for recognising Indigenous Australians in the nation's constitution.

It was endorsed with a standing ovation by a gathering of 250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders on May 26, 2017, following a four-day First Nations National Constitutional Convention held at Uluru.  The consultation process that led to the statement was unprecedented in Australian history for its scale. Over a six month period, it engaged more than 1200 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives in a dozen regional dialogues across the country.

Read the full statement below, and head to their website to learn more, accept the invitation, and download the Supporter’s Kit.