We Are Warriors is Shaping Indigenous Representation for a New Generation

Indigenous-led organization staged a “Blak Powerhouse” of pride and positivity

When Yuin artist, producer and radio host Nooky was growing up, his grandmother would tell him stories about when Indigenous people in Australia weren’t allowed to sit at the movie theater, instead forced to stand and crane their necks to watch the screen from a designated area in front of the first row. When We Are Warriors, the social enterprise Nooky founded, took over Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum on January 26, and staged a premiere viewing for Through the Fire – the group’s documentary– in the museum’s theater, not only did she have one of the best seats in the house: she watched her grandson light up the screen. 

“When we went to Powerhouse the other day, we went in this little movie room and that immediately took me back to my Nan’s story about the roped off section,” Nooky told FutureVision. “And I said, ‘Look, let’s acknowledge that. Let’s rope off a section and put a plaque down. Let’’s talk about that.’”

The screening was just part of a strategically timed “Blak Powerhouse” event staged at the museum by We Are Warriors and R/GA. The free, all-ages event also included live music and dance performances, panel discussions, a photography exhibition and more – introducing “Blak Powerhouse” – decolonizing both a space with historical ties to colonialism and the date of January 26. (The removal of “C” in the spelling of “Blak” is a response to a harmful history of a derogatory term beginning with that letter being used as a slur against Indigenous Australians.) 

Known to most Australians as “Australia Day,” January 26 has a much different connotation for the country’s Indigenous peoples, for whom “Invasion Day” serves as a reminder of the invasion of their lands, as well as the genocide and generations of oppression which followed, something Nooky described as a “constant battle over the years.”

“For the wider Australian population to celebrate the murder of my people,” he said, “is a bit of a slap in the face,” adding that many (himself included) begin to dread the upcoming day during December holidays. 

“For us, it was like an act of war. That’s when the genocide started,” Nooky explained. “So it has never been a good day for us Indigenous Australians. What we’ve done is celebrate our survival and call out the day for what it is.”

The “Blak Powerhouse” takeover by We Are Warriors was designed to reframe the focus of January 26 and transform it from a mournful reminder of the past to a day celebrating the survival of Indigenous peoples in Australia, pride and positivity in the present, and the possibilities of the future. 

We Are Warriors chose the day for its official launch a year ago for this reason, rolling out its brand platform, developed in collaboration with R/GA, on January 26, 2022. Since then, We Are Warriors has seen tremendous growth, which is all the more notable in light of the fact that it was years in the making, and hit a major setback that could have led less persistent founders to throw in the towel.

Uncomfortable conversations

Like a lot of influential movements, We Are Warriors began with a passionate discussion at a local pub. 

The social enterprise and We Are Warriors branding grew out of emotionally difficult conversations between Miles and Nooky about the historical and contemporary treatment of Indigenous people in Australia– including that initial pub chat.

“That first conversation … was uncomfortable for me, but probably way more for him,” Miles said. “He’d heard these stories all before. People want to do stuff. They want to be involved, but they actually don’t really do anything.”

“The first thing he said to me when I sat down [was], ‘Bro, make sure you’re here because you really want to create impact and you’re here for the long run. I’m not here to just, like, chat.’ And I was like, ‘Look, you know what? I don’t know what we can do, but we do work with the biggest brands in the world. So maybe we can [work with them] to be part of change.”

From there plans took off, and they seemed to have secured the backing to fund the endeavor. Then, millions of dollars in funding from a major investor to help get We Are Warriors off the ground fell through.

“We nearly gave up,” Miles explained, “but Nooky turned to me and said, ‘Ben, we wouldn’t call ourselves warriors if we gave up,’” assuring him all they needed was something to “get the fire started.” So Miles called up R/GA CEO Sean Lyons, who agreed to R/GA making an investment in the program. 

“Since then, the momentum has continued to build and [some of the] biggest brands in the world have come to the table, and they want to be part of this,” Miles said. Among those early brand partners have been Adobe, Google, JD Sports, and TikTok.

“Football or crime”

At that first meeting, Nooky said to Miles: “When I was a kid, I was always told I had two options: football or crime.” 

There is a near total lack of representation of Indigenous people in media and government in Australia. Fueled by the idea that you “can’t be what you can’t see,” We Are Warriors’ overall mission is to provide role models for Indigenous youth.

To deliver that message, We Are Warriors worked with R/GA to create a compelling brand that would reach young people across Australia and build cultural currency that translates into a positive perception of Indigenous cultures in Australia for a new generation. The graphics, designed in collaboration with Nooky, nod to Indigenous culture – including the yellow sun from the Indigenous flag. “We’ve used bold typography, [and] empathetic, but fierce, language and content photography that celebrates this warrior spirit,” Miles said, adding such touches are designed to “take people on a journey.”

The name behind the We Are Warriors (WAW) brand references the strength that Indigenous communities have had in order to survive and preserve their culture in spite of colonial brutality, as well as Nooky’s mother’s refrain whenever he told her about his experiences with racist bullying as a child:. “You’re a warrior.” 

WAW and R/GA promoted the brand with a national OOH campaign, and six videos celebrating six different “Warriors” who overcame the odds stacked against them to succeed.Since its launch, We Are Warriors has focused on creating a series of Indigenous-led content so the next generation of Indigenous Australians can see themselves represented in a positive light, or “see it to be it,” as Miles explained. 

“We’re proud of who we are, you know – the oldest [surviving culture] on earth,” Nooky explained. “We had everything chucked at us: genocide, chemical warfare, all sorts of shit… but [they] couldn’t get rid of us, and we’re still here. And that’s something to be immensely proud of. So we’ve always been proud of who we are. But the wider perception has never really been good.” 

That space is now a reality. The Mayor of Sydney reached out to We Are Warriors to provide the group with a five-year lease for a community center, now named the Warrior HQ. There, We Are Warriors will put on workshops for Indigenous youth, where participants can meet Nooky and other Warriors from the organization.

“This does change the narrative, because traditionally there’s an apologetic nature to talking about Indigenous history, whereas we’ve turned it on its head and gone, ‘We want to be as cool, as exciting, as a brand like Nike.’ What if Nike was talking about Indigenous culture? That’s what We Are Warriors is.’” 

The group aims to inspire not only the next generation of Indigenous youth, but their non-Indigenous peers as well, to combat long standing racism and further more positive societal portrayals of Indigenous people.