The Kaurna cultural program inspiring students in Adelaide's south

There's barely a peep of sound beyond the gushes of wind and the song of birds, as high school students take turns trying to spark an ember by rubbing a long wooden spindle into a traditional fireboard.

Quietly guided by elder Karl Winda Telfer, the First Nations group of Seaford Secondary College students are learning how to make fire.

"They learn about fire and making fire the old way … do that ceremony with that fire, with that smoke too, honouring the ancestors," Karl said.

Learning the fire ceremony is part of a unique program being held in collaboration with the school at Kanyanyapilla, a 3.5 hectare pocket of land nestled in South Australia's McLaren Vale wine region.

Started two years ago, the Tikkandi Program immerses students in Kaurna language, culture and stories alongside caring for country.

"Tikkandi in language means to sit down on country," Karl explained.

"So what we're doing here it's real bi-cultural education, especially for the children and young fellas, because they don't have an opportunity to actually connect and sit on country and learn about country.

"Through cultural identity, cultural connection, cultural community connection, the responsibilities of that and the obligations for these young fellas, it's about their life trajectory then, and carrying themselves strong as they move through life."

The grandmother tree

After the fire ceremony, the students move to a gigantic gum that towers over the site and nearby vineyards. Karl calls it the grandmother tree, and he asks the students to connect to the tree and country by placing their hands on the broad width of its trunk.

It's a moment of quiet reflection.

"Just helps you find yourself at peace and you connect with your own emotions and other peoples," adds friend Mia Zito.

Kanyanyapilla means "place of many eagles", and it holds cultural significance to Karl and his family as it's an ancient campground of his ancestors.

"This is the place where people would come and sit, sleep, move along while they're travelling over country through time and through the seasons," he said.

"This is about deeper connection to country and our bloodline to country … me being first generation born off of the mission, a lot of that was severed, but the return of it's coming back strong."

When Karl was given a licence to occupy the site more than four years ago, he already knew what he wanted to do.

"Cultural, spiritual renewal, ecological renewal, restoration, and regeneration for the coming generations," Karl said.

He and his partner Claire Lock have set about regenerating the site with native plants. 

The students are helping with the work and learning along the way.

"So they're learning all the cultural education, and then we're bringing in some of the ecological, and science as well," Claire said.

"They've been caring for this area, so there's plants that they've planted, they've been part of making the paths, mulching so they're learning by doing."

Program leads to cultural garden at school

The school's teachers say the program has been paying dividends. 

Alema Pilot is the Aboriginal secondary education and transition officer at Seaford Secondary College.

"And that's important for them to have confidence and to be able to understand a different way of learning. We want to empower their culture and their connection to country."

Seaford Secondary College Aboriginal education teacher Emma Sewer said the students had used what they had learnt and helped to plan and build a cultural garden back at the school.

"Everyone was so excited and everyone put in the effort … so it was started by this group, but it's now a whole school [project] and the whole school treasure it," Emma explained.

"They've been able to transfer all of that back to the school and bring that culture back to our school and then share it with everyone else, as well as the staff. So it's been pretty amazing."

But she said what the students think about the program is the true measure of its success.

"I love it, coming here, staying here. It's an amazing opportunity to come here. Just learning about our culture and doing everything. It's a big opportunity," student Jamahrian Lee-Satour explained enthusiastically.

The program will begin again when school resumes next year.