Walking Back into Culture – Uncle Ken’s Story of Identity and Connection

In a feature for South Australia Tourism titled What Is It Like to Be Part of the Oldest Continuous Culture in the World? Boandik Elder Uncle Ken Jones shares a heartfelt and honest reflection on what it means to reconnect with identity, Country, and community.

Uncle Ken didn’t grow up surrounded by cultural ceremony. Like many Aboriginal families of his generation, his parents and grandparents made the painful decision to remain silent about their heritage, a response to the discrimination and institutional racism of the time. As a result, Ken’s early years were shaped more by outdoor adventure than by cultural instruction. But the knowledge was still there held in memory, in stories, and in Country itself.

The article follows Ken’s personal journey of “walking back into culture.” He speaks openly about the moment he began to reconnect with his Boandik identity. It didn’t happen overnight. It came in pieces through listening to Elders, observing the land, remembering things once said in passing, and paying attention to the subtle teachings that nature provides.

Today, Uncle Ken shares that knowledge proudly and publicly through his work with Bush Adventures. He guides groups across Boandik Country from coastal cliffs and dunes to forests and wetlands, helping people slow down, listen to the land, and absorb the stories it holds. Through sensory experiences, traditional plant use, bush food, and story, he opens a doorway into culture for those ready to walk through.

What makes Uncle Ken’s story especially powerful is its honesty. He doesn't claim to be a perfect authority on all things Boandik. Instead, he speaks as someone who had to reclaim his cultural identity piece by piece — and is now helping others find theirs, too.

Being part of the oldest continuous culture in the world, as Ken shares, is both a privilege and a responsibility. It means honouring the past, protecting the land, and ensuring stories continue to be told. It means passing on wisdom in ways that are engaging, truthful, and accessible whether through school visits, tours, books, or quiet conversations on Country.

His story is a reminder that culture is not static. It evolves, returns, and reawakens in every generation and that reconnection is not only possible, but deeply healing.

Read the original article at SouthAustralia.com