Daphne de Jersey

My star is a representation of who I am, where I come from, and the many cultural pathways that connect me to Country, family, ancestors and the generations that came before me. It brings together my Australian Indigenous heritage and my Solomon Islands, Samoan and Tongan heritage, recognising that no part of my identity stands alone. Each is intertwined, connected and carried within me. 

The five points of the star hold different patterns and cultural influences. Although each section has its own character, they all travel inward and meet at the centre. This represents the different cultural pathways of my heritage. They are distinct, but they do not exist separately. Like family lines, songlines, ocean pathways and ancestral knowledge, they cross, meet, influence and strengthen one another. 

The circular design at the heart of the star represents my central connection to family, ancestors, Country and Culture. It is the meeting place—the place where the different parts of my heritage become one identity. The circles, pathways, waves, lines and repeated patterns surrounding it speak of movement, generations, gathering places, waterways, islands and journeys across land and sea. 

My star responds to the theme Superhighway: Country Sings to Stars Dancing through the understanding that our cultures have always existed within vast networks of knowledge and connection. Long before modern highways, maps, satellites and digital technology, our ancestors had their own superhighways Country, songlines, kinship, stars, winds, tides, currents, oceans, ceremony, stories and knowledge passed from one generation to the next. 

The star is especially significant because the stars themselves were pathways and guides. For countless generations, Indigenous peoples have observed the night sky and carried detailed knowledge of the stars. The sky could assist with understanding direction, seasons, time, Country and when to travel or undertake particular activities. Across the Pacific, generations of skilled navigators also looked to the stars, together with the sun, winds, ocean swells, currents and other signs of the natural world, to navigate across vast stretches of ocean between islands. 

For my Solomon Islands, Samoan and Tongan heritage, this knowledge of the ocean and sky reminds me that the sea was never simply a space separating people. The ocean was a highway. The stars were part of the map. They helped people find their way across enormous distances, carrying with them family, language, knowledge, traditions, relationships and stories. 

For my Australian Indigenous heritage, Country carries memory and knowledge through the land, waterways and sky. The stars above are connected to what happens below.