Teaching Indigenous perspectives in VCE Art and Studio Arts
identity
Who is aboriginal?
People who identify themselves as ‘Aboriginal’ range from dark-skinned, broad-nosed to blonde-haired, blue-eyed people. Aboriginal people define Aboriginality not by skin colour but by relationships. Light-skinned Aboriginal people often face challenges on their Aboriginal identity because of stereotyping.
Bindi Cole Youtube, 2011
Three-part definition of Aboriginal identity
It took a ‘Report on a Review of the Administration of the Working Definition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders’ in 1981 to propose a new definition (my emphasis):
“An Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander is a person
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of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent
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who identifies as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and
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is accepted as such by the community in which he (she) lives.”
Ask your students to examine why each of these definitions might be problematic for Indigenous people?
Talk about race as a social construct, genocide, loss of language, stolen generation etc
Ask your students if they have ever had to prove their whiteness?
Ask your students what impact having to prove your identity might have on your way of life.
Discuss white priveledge.
Art unit 1&2 outcome 1
Listen
The textiles feature a pastiche of Aboriginal imagery from desert artistic communities, a subtle nod to Christian’s traditional lands. In clothing the body of an aboriginal man they suggest layers of identity. The skin with which members of Aboriginal communities identify themselves and the outer ‘face value’ which outsiders apply to determine Aboriginality. In a play on the fable of the ‘Emperor’s new clothes’, Christian warns us against the foolishness and hollowness in believing what others tell you you should ‘look’ like. He asks, ‘Are our youth black or white in a position to start writing their own cultural vision or are we in a state of arrested development?’
Studio Art Unit 1 outcome 1
Physical appearance does not define aboriginality. Being Aboriginal is much deeper than that. It's what you feel in your heart. It's feelingconnected to your country and your people. Knowing in your spirit that you belong to something.
Nikita Rotumah
(Aboriginal Art + Activism, 2012)
Art and Studio Art activities
Studio Art Unit 1 outcome 3
Art Unit 1 outcome 2
