People enjoy the afternoon sunshine at Avalon Beach on January 10 in Sydney, Australia. Photo: VCG

Local Australian news station Channel 10 presented its weather forecasts using traditional names for Australian cities to welcome in NAIDOC (National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee) Week on Sunday.

NAIDOC Week 2021 celebrates the history and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

"To acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, we acknowledge the traditional names of our capital cities for the national weather," said Channel 10 weather presenter Amanda Jason at the beginning of the segment.

In an interview with the Xinhua News Agency, Jaky Troy, a Ngarigu woman and professor at the University of Sydney specializing in documenting, talked about the importance of using Aboriginal languages in the media.

"The use of Aboriginal languages to name places after nearly 200 years of these languages being ignored, is a statement about the new understanding by Australians of the importance of Aboriginal people," Troy said.

The theme of the year 2021's NAIDOC week is "Heal Country!"

"Healing Country means embracing First Nation's cultural knowledge and understanding of Country as part of Australia's national heritage," read a statement issued by NAIDOC.

"NAIDOC is a time to reflect on how we integrate into this wider Australian society," said Troy.  

Usually held during the first full week of July, NAIDOC Week 2020 was held from November 8 to November 15, 2020 due to COVID-19. 

Xinhua