Preserving Aboriginal language through song archives. This project aims to explore how song can preserve vanishing Indigenous languages. Song and language are integral to the wellbeing and knowledge of Indigenous peoples, and the loss of Indigenous languages is a national and global crisis. Focusing on the endangered Nyungar language of the south-west of Western Australia, this project will develop a model to recirculate and perform archival songs in online and physical spaces, engaging the comm ....Preserving Aboriginal language through song archives. This project aims to explore how song can preserve vanishing Indigenous languages. Song and language are integral to the wellbeing and knowledge of Indigenous peoples, and the loss of Indigenous languages is a national and global crisis. Focusing on the endangered Nyungar language of the south-west of Western Australia, this project will develop a model to recirculate and perform archival songs in online and physical spaces, engaging the community while developing resources for future use. The outcomes of this project are expected to inform global efforts to sustain intangible cultural heritage and contribute to the Australian reconciliation agenda.Read moreRead less
Discovery Indigenous Researchers Development - Grant ID: DI110100010
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$399,982.00
Summary
Nyungar Boodjera Wangkiny: the people's land is speaking: Nyungar place nomenclature of the southwest of Western Australia. This project identifies geographical names of places in the southwest of Western Australia. Multiple media will be used to tell the unique story of the meanings of the Nyungar place names and a collection of 14 maps covering the southwest of Western Australia, based on their regional areas as defined by their linguistic practices, will be created.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100337
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$438,677.00
Summary
Revitalising Wunda shields: Safeguarding endangered cultural practices. This project investigates endangered shield-making practices of northwest Western Australia and explores the potential of cultural revitalisation. By researching existing museum holdings of Wunda Shields in Australia and overseas, this project expects to generate new forms of knowledge that have been ignored or misunderstood by the archive. Developing a Digital Keeping Place that can re-house the Wunda Shields and re-priorit ....Revitalising Wunda shields: Safeguarding endangered cultural practices. This project investigates endangered shield-making practices of northwest Western Australia and explores the potential of cultural revitalisation. By researching existing museum holdings of Wunda Shields in Australia and overseas, this project expects to generate new forms of knowledge that have been ignored or misunderstood by the archive. Developing a Digital Keeping Place that can re-house the Wunda Shields and re-prioritise Indigenous curatorial methodologies, these shields will be re-circulated through descendant communities to encourage shield revitalisation. Renewing the knowledge of Wunda shields, the outcomes of this project are expected to inform intangible cultural heritage projects and contribute to Indigenous wellbeing.
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The role of First Nations’ music as a determinant of health . This project aims to track how First Nations' music and musicians are shaped by, and in turn may shape, powerful social determinants of health in Australia. That knowledge will be used to generate new models and frameworks for health promotion and arts-health policy and practice internationally. The project is significant because it responds to calls for health approaches that are strength based, First Nations-led, and culturally secu ....The role of First Nations’ music as a determinant of health . This project aims to track how First Nations' music and musicians are shaped by, and in turn may shape, powerful social determinants of health in Australia. That knowledge will be used to generate new models and frameworks for health promotion and arts-health policy and practice internationally. The project is significant because it responds to calls for health approaches that are strength based, First Nations-led, and culturally secure. Expected outcomes include: new models of First Nations' social and cultural health determinants; new tools to promote health; international research partnerships; and researcher and higher degree opportunities. Benefits include new tools for promoting First Nations' health and music development.Read moreRead less
Collecting at the Crossroads: Anthropology, Art & Cultural Change (1939-85). This project will apply current scholarship on museum collecting practices, art and anthropology to produce a better understanding of one of Australia’s most significant, yet little known, collections of Aboriginal art and culture —the Berndt Museum collection. The project will explore the legacy of this collection and generate new ways of appreciating its depth in partnership with the descendants of the Aboriginal peop ....Collecting at the Crossroads: Anthropology, Art & Cultural Change (1939-85). This project will apply current scholarship on museum collecting practices, art and anthropology to produce a better understanding of one of Australia’s most significant, yet little known, collections of Aboriginal art and culture —the Berndt Museum collection. The project will explore the legacy of this collection and generate new ways of appreciating its depth in partnership with the descendants of the Aboriginal people who made it. Focusing on materials collected in inland Australia, we will develop a collaborative means of interrogating the collection. The project will benefit Aboriginal communities and the wider Australian public via the production of on-line resources and public exhibitions celebrating this unique cultural collection.Read moreRead less
Deficit Discourse and Indigenous Education. This project investigates the prevalence of ‘deficit discourse’ and its influence on Indigenous education. Deficit discourse frames Indigenous identity in a narrative of negativity and deficiency. Recent work indicates that deficit discourse is active in policy, public debate, pedagogy and practice, and its prevalence in Indigenous education influences student performance. By mapping the discursive environment and analysing education programs that reje ....Deficit Discourse and Indigenous Education. This project investigates the prevalence of ‘deficit discourse’ and its influence on Indigenous education. Deficit discourse frames Indigenous identity in a narrative of negativity and deficiency. Recent work indicates that deficit discourse is active in policy, public debate, pedagogy and practice, and its prevalence in Indigenous education influences student performance. By mapping the discursive environment and analysing education programs that reject the deficit model, this project assesses whether its removal improves outcomes for Indigenous students. This project provides an original approach to challenge entrenched perceptions, resulting in tangible benefits for the Australian education system and the communities that it serves.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
Globalisation, photography, and race: the circulation and return of Aboriginal photographs in Europe. In the digital age, it has become an urgent matter to understand and balance the role of photographs of Aboriginal people within Indigenous and Western knowledge systems. This project explores their important global historical role, current meanings for descendants, and returns this significant Indigenous heritage from European collections.
From the Desert to the Sea: Managing Rock Art, Country and Culture. This Project will expand our understanding of Aboriginal settlement and land-use in north-west Australia by investigating how the mythological narratives of Australia’s deserts enable the transmission of knowledge in water-limited environments. Combining traditional ecological knowledge and novel scientific approaches (e.g. anthracology, remote sensing, oxygen-isotopes) will provide new insights into human behaviours at rock art ....From the Desert to the Sea: Managing Rock Art, Country and Culture. This Project will expand our understanding of Aboriginal settlement and land-use in north-west Australia by investigating how the mythological narratives of Australia’s deserts enable the transmission of knowledge in water-limited environments. Combining traditional ecological knowledge and novel scientific approaches (e.g. anthracology, remote sensing, oxygen-isotopes) will provide new insights into human behaviours at rock art site complexes. It will develop management regimes and formal certification for Indigenous rangers while building heritage capacity in these partner communities: enabling intergenerational, culturally appropriate knowledge transfer protocols are in place to ensure sustainable economic heritage futures.Read moreRead less
Recognising Aborigines: from objects of science to First Australians. Photographs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have played a powerful but unexamined role in shaping global views of race and identity. Reversing the flow of this significant heritage resource from European collections to descendants will enhance international research collaborations and our understanding of current Indigenous issues.