Eileen Cummings (born 1943)[1] is a teacher,policy and liaison officer and Indigenous leader in the Northern Territory of Australia.[2] She is a member of the RembarrngaNgalakan ethnic groups.[3] She is also a member of the 'Stolen Generation' and is an activist advocating for the well-being of living members of that group.
Eileen Cummings was born in Arnhem Land in the Barunga-Wugularr region where she lived along with her mother,Florrie Lindsay,and her stepfather,Chuckerduck.[4] She is a member of the 'Stolen Generation' having been separated from her family when she was four and a half. This event took place at Mainoru Station in central Arnhem Land in 1949.[5][6] Her departure initially met with excitement to be going for a ride. However,her joy gave way to longing for her mother when a red truck came to pick her up without her mother's knowledge..[4] Subsequently,she was taken to the Maranboy Police Station before finding her new home on Croker Island.[7] Her name was changed and she was taught to be ashamed of her aboriginal identity while growing up in the institution.[8] Cummings remained at this institution until she was fifteen,after which she resided in a foster home in Darwin until she was eighteen.[9] It was in her adulthood when she returned to see her mother,Lindsay.[10]
Career
Cummings was the first Indigenous person in the Northern Territory to qualify as a pre-school teacher.[2] She also worked as a policy adviser to the Northern Territory Chief Minister in the Office of Women's Policies where she gave advice on women's issues.[11][9] She coordinated the consultation in the development of the Aboriginal Family Violence Strategy and was a co-author.[2][12]
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