The Narrm Oration is the University’s key address that profiles leading Indigenous peoples worldwide to enrich our ideas about possible futures for Indigenous Australia. Narrm is the Woi Wurrung word for the Melbourne region.

For 2023, Narrm Orator Akawyan Pakawyan delivers her speech. Born in 1938, Akawyan is a senior leader of the Indigenous Pinuyumayan people in the Puyuma village of Taitung in Taiwan. Akawyan is a witness to the historical transitions and colonial influences that have shaped Taiwan. Akawyan’s early years were immersed in the juxtaposition of Japanese and Chinese influences.