Mapping the diversity of Aboriginal song: social and ecological significances for Australia. Indigenous ceremonies are a fundamental aspect of Indigenous identity and they play a role in Indigenous health and wellbeing. This project aims to develop a typology of Australian Aboriginal ceremonies by classifying them according to their structural features. By mapping their distribution and comparing these with linguistic and anthropological evidence it seeks to provide insights into Indigenous preh ....Mapping the diversity of Aboriginal song: social and ecological significances for Australia. Indigenous ceremonies are a fundamental aspect of Indigenous identity and they play a role in Indigenous health and wellbeing. This project aims to develop a typology of Australian Aboriginal ceremonies by classifying them according to their structural features. By mapping their distribution and comparing these with linguistic and anthropological evidence it seeks to provide insights into Indigenous prehistory and cultural diffusion across arid Australia. This project aims to lead to a greater understanding of the ecological knowledge contained in songs and increased Indigenous knowledge of, and engagement in, ceremonial life.Read moreRead less
The Visual Mediation of a Complex Narrative: TGH Strehlow's Journey to Horseshoe Bend. TGH Strehlow's biographical memoir, Journey to Horseshoe Bend, is a vivid ethno-historiographic account of Aboriginal, settler and Lutheran communities of Central Australia in the 1920's. This project intends to construct an extensive digital hub elaborating key textual thematics of Aboriginal identity and sense of ?place?, supplemented with oral histories. Consistent with the Strehlow Research Centre's missio ....The Visual Mediation of a Complex Narrative: TGH Strehlow's Journey to Horseshoe Bend. TGH Strehlow's biographical memoir, Journey to Horseshoe Bend, is a vivid ethno-historiographic account of Aboriginal, settler and Lutheran communities of Central Australia in the 1920's. This project intends to construct an extensive digital hub elaborating key textual thematics of Aboriginal identity and sense of ?place?, supplemented with oral histories. Consistent with the Strehlow Research Centre's mission in the management and preservation of the Strehlow Collection's vast archival materials, the project will provide access to and foster engagement with Strehlow's works. The project will employ innovative visual methodologies in the production and mediation of Indigenous knowledge related to the text. Read moreRead less
Re-integrating Central Australian community cultural collections. This project aims to apply current research on archiving and community access to find practical solutions to managing the large amounts of recorded cultural material of interest to the Central Land Council, the peak Indigenous representative body covering the southern half of the Northern Territory. The project aims to identify and integrate information in a common database, work with community members to create a prioritised list ....Re-integrating Central Australian community cultural collections. This project aims to apply current research on archiving and community access to find practical solutions to managing the large amounts of recorded cultural material of interest to the Central Land Council, the peak Indigenous representative body covering the southern half of the Northern Territory. The project aims to identify and integrate information in a common database, work with community members to create a prioritised list of any at-risk materials and apply locally meaningful categories for managing the archival materials relevant to their community, and deliver appropriate documentation of process, permissions and reports to support ongoing sustainability of the collections.Read moreRead less
The role of song in Kaytetye and Warlpiri biocultural knowledge. This project aims to integrate Indigenous Ecological Knowledge with Indigenous ceremonial knowledge in two central Australian Aboriginal languages: Kaytetye and Warlpiri. With a multidisciplinary team and by building on existing lexical and musical corpora, the project expects to produce the first biocultural monographs. Identification of biota and human uses of them will be expanded with their song, site of origin and kinship affi ....The role of song in Kaytetye and Warlpiri biocultural knowledge. This project aims to integrate Indigenous Ecological Knowledge with Indigenous ceremonial knowledge in two central Australian Aboriginal languages: Kaytetye and Warlpiri. With a multidisciplinary team and by building on existing lexical and musical corpora, the project expects to produce the first biocultural monographs. Identification of biota and human uses of them will be expanded with their song, site of origin and kinship affiliation; thus advancing knowledge of how societies interact with the natural world and the role of music in retaining knowledge. Expected benefits of this project are greater intergenerational transfer of Indigenous biocultural knowledge through working on country and enhanced Indigenous capacity. Read moreRead less
The invisible parents project - exploring the barriers to effective parental and community involvement in three Northern Territory Schools. Education outcomes in the Northern Territory, particularly for Indigenous students, lag far behind those of other Australians, to the point that the situation can be considered a national emergency. This research program will explore ways to improve parental involvement. This will inform the Smith Family's efforts to undertake early intervention for children ....The invisible parents project - exploring the barriers to effective parental and community involvement in three Northern Territory Schools. Education outcomes in the Northern Territory, particularly for Indigenous students, lag far behind those of other Australians, to the point that the situation can be considered a national emergency. This research program will explore ways to improve parental involvement. This will inform the Smith Family's efforts to undertake early intervention for children who are at risk of education failure. It will provide benefits to the rural and regional communities who feed schools in Darwin and Katherine and provide national benefits through making a significant contribution of anthropologically-informed knowledge on the determinants of successful school outcomes.Read moreRead less
Achieving true representation of Indigenous people in nursing and midwifery. This project aims to address an absence of true representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and knowledges in nursing and midwifery. Significantly it intends to co-create an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurse and midwife theory and principles for practice. An anticipated goal of the research is to better understand how the theory and practice can be implemented in nurse and midwifery educati ....Achieving true representation of Indigenous people in nursing and midwifery. This project aims to address an absence of true representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and knowledges in nursing and midwifery. Significantly it intends to co-create an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurse and midwife theory and principles for practice. An anticipated goal of the research is to better understand how the theory and practice can be implemented in nurse and midwifery education (inclusive of clinical settings) in regional and urban areas. The intended outcome is to provide improved cultural safety in nursing and midwifery, greater cultural safety for health consumers and; stronger recruitment and retention of Indigenous nurses and midwives.
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A New Model For The Pathogenesis Of Rheumatic Fever: Superantigen Priming Of The Immune Response To Group A Streptococci
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$248,820.00
Summary
Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is now rare in developed countries. However, it remains a major problem in Aboriginal Australians in the NT where the rate of ARF is the highest in the world. This leads to high rates of rheumatic heart disease (up to 3% of individuals in some communities) and a premature mortality of over four times that for developing countries. Immunisation and improved living conditions offer a long-term solution but these remain a distant prospect. In the short and medium term, c ....Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is now rare in developed countries. However, it remains a major problem in Aboriginal Australians in the NT where the rate of ARF is the highest in the world. This leads to high rates of rheumatic heart disease (up to 3% of individuals in some communities) and a premature mortality of over four times that for developing countries. Immunisation and improved living conditions offer a long-term solution but these remain a distant prospect. In the short and medium term, control of this ARF will partly depend on new and better treatment and prevention strategies. To achieve these goals a deeper understanding of the immune mechanisms underlying this disease is urgently needed. It is known that ARF is caused by an abnormal immune response following streptococcal infection. This leads to the production of cells called T cells that attack the body s own tissues rather than the bacteria itself. This autoimmune disease is responsible for the heart damage that underlies ARF. It is believed that this proces only occurs when susceptible individuals are infected with specific rheumatogenic strains of streptococci. However there are a number of deficiencies in this model and it is proposed that there is an additional factor responsible for the abnormal immune response in ARF. This project will explore the possibility that bacterial toxins called superantigens are the critical missing factor , by studying the immune response in ARF. Superantigens are produced by certain streptococci and staphylococci, and are potent in minute quantities causing widespread activation of the immune system. They have been found to play an important role in a number of autoimmune diseases and the type of immune response found in ARF fits well with that expected if superantigens were involved. If superantigens play an important role in causing the abnormal immune response in ARF then a number of new avenues would open for the treatment and prevention of this disease.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR120100005
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,198,392.00
Summary
National Indigenous Research and Knowledges Network. The National Indigenous Research and Knowledges Network will capacity build and increase Indigenous higher degree, early and mid career researchers to develop new approaches to undertaking research and producing outcomes. NIRAKN's members include a number of universities, AIATSIS, and partner organisations.
ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous Futures. ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous Futures. The ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous Futures aims to transform and improve the life chances of Indigenous Australians by utilising Indigenous knowledges in unique trans-disciplinary cross-sector designed research to enhance our understanding about the complex nature of Indigenous intergenerational inequity. The Centre expects to generate new knowledge to enable evidence-based policy formulati ....ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous Futures. ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous Futures. The ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous Futures aims to transform and improve the life chances of Indigenous Australians by utilising Indigenous knowledges in unique trans-disciplinary cross-sector designed research to enhance our understanding about the complex nature of Indigenous intergenerational inequity. The Centre expects to generate new knowledge to enable evidence-based policy formulation and implementation including best practice models. The Centre will be entirely led by Indigenous researchers working with communities, government agencies and practitioners to strengthen the delivery of outcomes and linkages intentionally focused on all four of the National Agreement Close The Gap -2020’s Priority Reform areas.Read moreRead less
A Randomised Controlled Trial Of Alternative Treatments To Intramuscular Penicillin For Impetigo In Aboriginal Children
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,326,182.00
Summary
We will conduct clinical trials to find an effective, simple and cheap oral alternative to injected penicillin for skin sores which could become the universal standard of care whether the patient is in Melbourne or Milingimbi. It would also likely be adopted by the World Health Organization as a standard of care for developing countries. This would lead directly to a reduced burden of skin sores and their complications. It would also open the way for studies to explore even simpler regimens.