Sky Country stories to be shared this Indigenous Literacy Day

We’ve all read stories in books, but what about reading stories in the stars?

ILF Ambassador, author and Gomeroi astrophysicist* Krystal De Napoli has done just that. Both she and Wiradjuri astrophysicist Dr Kirsten Banks are set to tell some of those stories to a national livestreamed audience of more than 350,000 students across the country at next week’s Indigenous Literacy Day.

Children, Elders, musicians, authors and artists will join Dr Banks and Ms De Napoli at the Sydney Opera House on Wednesday 2 September, in a livestreamed celebration of First Nations peoples’ stories, cultures and languages.

A film will introduce audiences to Niningka and Chris, two young Aboriginal people from Mparntwe (Alice Springs) and Nyirripi in the Northern Territory, following them as they explore Warlpiri and Arrernte language, plants, animals, culture and caring for Country.

There will also be a book launch of My Walk Through the Seasons on Ngaanyatjarra Country, a bilingual* English and Ngaanyatjarra picture book written by respected Warakurna Elder Daisy Tjuparntarri Ward, as well as a performance of this year’s Busking For Change* song, MINYAN NGABANGKA (What’s in the Water?) by ILF Ambassadors DOBBY and Josh Pyke.

Dr Banks and Ms De Napoli will present an exploration of Sky Country*, looking at the connections between the stars, science and culture and storytelling of First Nations people.

“Krystal and I are going to take curious minds on a journey of the night sky to reveal constellations* they may not have seen before, and if they have seen them, they won’t look at them the same way again,” Dr Banks said.

Ms De Napoli explained the significance of Sky Country to First Nations peoples.

“Sky Country refers to our skies, which are home to many stars, constellations, and galaxies that show the story of our ancestors and the ancient history of the land,” she said. “Sky Country can help us understand everything we need to know about the universe.

“Each star is like a book waiting to be read, which can tell us how our seasons change, including how our plants and animals behave across a year.

“The changing colour and twinkling of stars can help us forecast weather like rainfall, and some constellations themselves are used as star maps, which help us to navigate right across Australia.”

She said with each star and constellation holding so much knowledge, Sky Country had great significance.

“If each of our stars are like books, Sky Country in general becomes a really important library of knowledge that we need to be able to see, in order to read it,” she said.

In fact, with Indigenous Australians having the oldest continuous living culture in the world, First Nations stories have served as some of the best records of what has happened in the skies, she said.

“We have stories that describe fire falling from the sky and massively changing the land, leaving behind a scar on the ground that we recognise as a meteorite crater and can then use the science of geology to figure out that it is a 4500 year old story,” she said.

“We have descriptions of great southern stars that no longer exist, that help us track the 12,000 year old wobble of our entire planet – something that is hard to notice over just a couple of hundred of years but with 65,000 years of continued culture, it becomes hard to miss.

“We have stories describing the incredibly bright and beautiful death of large stars in our skies, otherwise known as ‘supernova*’, where a single star turns as bright as the full moon and casts shadows on the ground at night time. We can learn from other ancient astronomers to see that this is a 2000-year-old event.”

She said the stars and constellations were connected to stories for most First Nations peoples.

“Story is such a powerful tool – not only can it unlock worlds and help us creatively explore the incredible potential of the universe, but it also helps us absorb and remember information really well,” she said. “Stories are everywhere in Sky Country and there are many examples of how we can layer the knowledge in stories to be able to teach many things at once, like the Emu in the Sky, which tells us about emu behaviour, but also how the land and weather changes across a year, our access to our own water and food sources, and even ceremony as well.”

She said Indigenous Literacy Day was an opportunity to celebrate the work the Indigenous Literacy Foundation was doing helping remote First Nations Communities tell their own stories.

“It feels very fitting to celebrate and explore this area of knowledge for Indigenous Literacy Day with the theme of Country is Our Teacher,” she said. “Sky Country is an incredibly important library that teaches us about every area of Country.”

Indigenous Literacy Day 2026 is presented by the Indigenous Literacy Foundation* (ILF) in collaboration with the Sydney Opera House and hosted by award-winning children’s performer and ILF Ambassador Lucas Proudfoot.

The free Indigenous Literacy Day Film and Livestream will begin at 10.30am AEST on Wednesday 2 September 2026 and will be available to watch on demand.

Schools, workplaces, libraries, families and audiences of all ages across Australia are invited to join from wherever they are.

Viewers can still register to watch the Free ILD Film and Livestream at ilf.org.au/ILD at 10.30am AEST and then on demand next Wednesday 2 September.

FOR TEACHERS

A range of Indigenous Literacy Day resources, including puzzles, colouring, teacher guides and a film, are available at ilf.org.au/ild-teacher-resources

POLL

GLOSSARY

• astrophysicist: a scientist who studies the chemistry and physics of stars, planets and space
• bilingual: told in two languages
• Busking For Change: an Indigenous Literacy Foundation fundraiser that teaches kids across the country a song in an Indigenous Australian language in order to help kids in remote communities access books in language
• Sky Country: this definition from Krystal De Napoli – “Country is a term so much larger than its English equivalent – referring to everything in the Universe and all that it contains, including people. Country has many layers, from below-Country where many of our burrowing animals like echidna and platypus call home, to water-Country in our rivers and seas, tree-Country where many of our marvellous marsupials and birds find their home, and then the highest layer – Sky Country above”
• constellations: recognised patterns or clusters of stars
• supernova: the powerful and extremely bright explosion of a star as it dies
• Indigenous Literacy Foundation: a national charity working with remote Indigenous Australian communities to improve access to literacy resources and books

EXTRA READING
What’s in the water at Brewarrina?
Great Book Swap takes fresh flight
Aussie teen a literacy superhero
Need cool ideas for Book Week?

QUICK QUIZ
1. What are some of things that stars can tell us?
2. What are some examples of First Nations stories that have been used to trace astronomical activity of the past?
3. Why are stories important?
4. What is the theme of this year’s Indigenous Literacy Day?
5. In what way are stars like books?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Watch it!
Create a poster. The purpose of your poster is to let people in your school or community know about the livestream and also to encourage them to watch it. Use information from the story to help you.

Time: Spend at least 45 minutes on this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science

2. Extension
Think about the theme ‘Country is Our Teacher’. What scientific or geographical knowledge can you see reflected in the stories mentioned by Ms De Napoli? Write them down.

Time: Spend at least 20 minutes on this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science, Geography

VCOP ACTIVITY
Imaginative dialogue
Imagine you were there during the event being discussed in the article, or for the interview.

Create a conversation between two characters from the article – you may need or want to include yourself as one of the characters. Don’t forget to try to use facts and details from the article to help make your dialogue as realistic as possible.

Go through your writing and highlight any punctuation you have used in green. Make sure you carefully check the punctuation used for the dialogue and ensure you have opened and closed the speaking in the correct places.