Indigenous Perspectives in Education
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)
In 2007, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) was released, and in 2009 Australia became a signatory of the declaration. This declaration was the first official acknowledgement of human rights to Indigenous Peoples in the world and was agreed upon after 20 years of work. However, the story of reconciliation in Australia is much longer than the now 30 years since the UN commenced work on UNDRIP.PDF: United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
Sovereignty of Indigenous Peoples in Australia
This sovereignty is a spiritual notion: the ancestral tie between the land, or ‘mother nature’, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who were born therefrom, remain attached thereto, and must one day return thither to be united with our ancestors. This link is the basis of the ownership of the soil, or better, of sovereignty. It has never been ceded or extinguished, and co-exists with the sovereignty of the Crown.
While Australia has made steps towards acknowledging sovereignty for Indigenous Communities, a recent UN report has flagged that more progress is needed.
What we want: A first nations voice enshrined in the constitution.
Govt changed the wording to: A voice to government. Advising leaders on indigenous policy, a modest advisory body to the parliament. The voice would not be enshrined in the constitution.
"Scott Morrison has an opportunity to embrace the voice in the constitution and leave a legacy for this nation". Says Linda Burney - Sharon Minister for Indigenous Australians.
3. Rights-based Indigenous education in Australia: Evidence-based policy to pedagogy.
While Australia has made steps towards acknowledging sovereignty for Indigenous Communities, a recent UN report has flagged that more progress is needed.
What we want: A first nations voice enshrined in the constitution.
Govt changed the wording to: A voice to government. Advising leaders on indigenous policy, a modest advisory body to the parliament. The voice would not be enshrined in the constitution.
"Scott Morrison has an opportunity to embrace the voice in the constitution and leave a legacy for this nation". Says Linda Burney - Sharon Minister for Indigenous Australians.
How do we bring indigenous perspectives into the classroom? 1
Local indigenous culture should be tapped into where appropriate (it’s important for all of us to understand the local knowledge about the place we live in), but we must acknowledge that it may not be representative of the Aboriginal students in the school, whose families may have moved from other places.You can also include material in your lessons about Aboriginal people from other parts of the country. Always identify where your material is coming from. Having the tindale map of Aboriginal languages is a great resource for the classroom, as you can show the area you are referring to.
Ask: Was the learning experience a rich one that advanced the students’ intercultural knowledge/understanding in some way? More importantly, did the experience allow the students and teachers an opportunity to meet and talk with aboriginal people.
Valuing all by encouraging expression of own culture (Indigenous, Anglo, other …)
Consider how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can be included in your work, for example:
• engage with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait organisations in the area you are working, provide opportunities for them to meaningfully participate and acknowledge their contribution;
• employ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consultants;
• disseminate information and research to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, provide copies of images or published works to the people involved;
• properly reimburse Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for the contributions they have made.
You can help keep these protocols alive by:
• raising awareness within your team by suggesting and supporting cultural awareness training opportunities;
• attending lunch time talks focusing on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues;
• supporting Oxfam Australia’s Reconciliation Action Plan;
• taking responsibility for building awareness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and issues, acknowledging the impact of past policy and practice, and using appropriate language to promote good communication;
• consulting with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander colleagues to ensure your material is culturally appropriate and whenever you are uncertain of how to accord cultural respect;
• thinking of ways you can engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people outside of the workplace — for example: through your local reconciliation action group, by disseminating information from your workplace to other organisations in your networks.
Indigenous communities, peoples and nations are those which, having a historical continuity with pre-invasion and pre-colonial societies that developed on their territories, consider themselves distinct from other sectors of the societies now prevailing in those territories, or parts of them. They form at present non-dominant sectors of society and are determined to preserve, develop and transmit to future generations their ancestral territories, and their ethnic identity; as the basis of their continued existence as peoples, in accordance with their own cultural patterns, social institutions and legal systems.
We recommend the following to teachers in Australian schools:
• Find out who the Traditional Owners are in the area where your school is located. If you cannot find this out from your mentor teacher, school or other teachers then approach your local Council and research the Recognised Aboriginal Parties (RAPs) in your local area. To start conversations with other local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander education experts you might contact the state-level Indigenous Education Consultative Body (IECB) and Local Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (LAECG) for information.
• Find out about and keep up to date with events hosted by local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community organisations.
• Include dates of significance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in your yearly planning processes.
• Work towards developing trusted collaborations with Indigenous people in your planning, teaching and assessing processes. In doing so, over time, teachers will be able to develop their professional practice in a culturally appropriate manner and be able to create a powerful teaching and learning environment for all of their students.
2. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Protocols https://www.oxfam.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/2015-74-ATSI-Cultural-Protocols-update_WEB.pdf- Showing that Indigenous cultures belong in the classroom
- Bringing in examples of storytelling from different cultures
- Researching and finding aboriginal resources to use
- Engage with aboriginal people
- Attend indigenous cultural events
- Read koori mail or national indigenous times.
Publishing and Attribution 2
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be given proper credit or appropriate acknowledgement for their achievements, contributions and roles in the development of media stories and/or use of cultural material. When story-gathering and interviewing, it is important to select Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for comment on Indigenous issues rather than relying solely on self-appointed non-Indigenous spokespeople, as worldviews can differ. When preparing acknowledgements and attributions, ask informants how they want to be described or identified — some may wish to be known by their clan group or by their place of origin and/or occupation — as this will ensure accuracy for the purposes of establishing an interviewee’s authority to speak and avoid stereotyping.Consider how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can be included in your work, for example:
• engage with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait organisations in the area you are working, provide opportunities for them to meaningfully participate and acknowledge their contribution;
• employ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consultants;
• disseminate information and research to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, provide copies of images or published works to the people involved;
• properly reimburse Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for the contributions they have made.
You can help keep these protocols alive by:
• raising awareness within your team by suggesting and supporting cultural awareness training opportunities;
• attending lunch time talks focusing on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues;
• supporting Oxfam Australia’s Reconciliation Action Plan;
• taking responsibility for building awareness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and issues, acknowledging the impact of past policy and practice, and using appropriate language to promote good communication;
• consulting with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander colleagues to ensure your material is culturally appropriate and whenever you are uncertain of how to accord cultural respect;
• thinking of ways you can engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people outside of the workplace — for example: through your local reconciliation action group, by disseminating information from your workplace to other organisations in your networks.
Internationally agreed definitions of the word “Indigenous”
Develop education partnerships with knowledgeable Traditional Owners and other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education experts 3
The voices and viewpoints of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people must be presented in Australian classrooms.We recommend the following to teachers in Australian schools:
• Find out who the Traditional Owners are in the area where your school is located. If you cannot find this out from your mentor teacher, school or other teachers then approach your local Council and research the Recognised Aboriginal Parties (RAPs) in your local area. To start conversations with other local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander education experts you might contact the state-level Indigenous Education Consultative Body (IECB) and Local Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (LAECG) for information.
• Find out about and keep up to date with events hosted by local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community organisations.
• Include dates of significance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in your yearly planning processes.
• Work towards developing trusted collaborations with Indigenous people in your planning, teaching and assessing processes. In doing so, over time, teachers will be able to develop their professional practice in a culturally appropriate manner and be able to create a powerful teaching and learning environment for all of their students.
Important Links
Map of Indigenous Australia https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/articles/aiatsis-map-indigenous-australia
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Protocols https://www.oxfam.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/2015-74-ATSI-Cultural-Protocols-update_WEB.pdfAustralian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies https://aiatsis.gov.au/
Red Yellow Black Site https://lryb.aiatsis.gov.au/
Reconciliation timeline https://www.reconciliation.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/reconciliation-timeline_2017.pdf
Uluru statement from the heart https://ulurustatement.org/the-statement
Recognition timeline https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-06/indigenous-recognition-timeline-of-australian-history/6586176?nw=0United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2018/11/UNDRIP_E_web.pdf
Uluru statement from the heart https://ulurustatement.org/the-statement
Recognition timeline https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-06/indigenous-recognition-timeline-of-australian-history/6586176?nw=0United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2018/11/UNDRIP_E_web.pdf
References
1. Bringing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives into the classroom : why and how in Literacy Learning : the Middle Years by Shipp, Cara3. Rights-based Indigenous education in Australia: Evidence-based policy to pedagogy.
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