A response to Dr Nikki Moodies 'A potted History Lecture'

Reflecting on the lecture in week 2, Dr Nikki Moodier made it glaringly obvious how little exposure to aboriginal culture and perspectives our education system has provided us with, by giving us ‘a potted history’ of Aboriginal Australia. She covered topics such as loss of language, place, identity, the imposed three part test indigenous people have to undertake to prove their indigeneity, racism and the list goes on. This made me question the whole social construct of race again. The thing that struck me the most in Nikki’s talk was the extent of complications and challenges aboriginal people still face at the hands of those who have supported and continue to support the idea of different biological races for the purpose of power and land ownership. The thought that the construct of race has made mass genocide, assimilation and the measurement and classification of aboriginality as somehow acceptable in any one’s eyes, has greatly sadden me. It absolutely appals me that there are thousands of aboriginal people out there that have lost their sense of identity, language and place. It is something myself as a ‘white’ person will never have to experience and I am ashamed that more hasn’t been done to educate others on this matter. A big question for me that came out of Nikki’s lecture is how I might go about changing negative perceptions of indigenous people in classroom settings when the media continues to use imagery as propaganda for this very reason? As an art teacher I feel like I have a unique advantage in terms of interesting ways to implement these changes in my classroom. I know how incredibly powerful visual language can be. Art can be used to tell stories and as and therapy. It’s through art that students can have discussions about all sorts of hard topics in safe spaces. It teaches people how to think critically about the world they live in and become the type of citizens that respect each other. It is through the critiquing of artworks and imagery that I can see the beginnings of social change happening in my classroom. My experience out in the dessert made it clear just how much of an impact these constructs are effecting the aspirations of young indigenous people in remote communities. Fulfilling attendance requirements, learning and progressing to required standards whilst negotiating cultural commitments, health issues and a list of wellbeing complications is no easy feat. The thing that stood out for me the most was that amazingly talented and beautiful indigenous children were being forcibly educated using a curriculum that had no mention of anything remotely recognisable to their culture or their language. In fact that when I was teaching a class on self-portraiture every one of the children in the classroom drew themselves with light skin? The Americanised direct instruction that was being taught seemingly flies in the face of Australian standards that encourage knowing your students and how they learn. Teaching this way couldn’t possibly allow for differentiation of needs and ability, nor the opportunity to build strong relationships in the classrooms that encourage trust, development and aspiration. The question I ask is why is this model deemed acceptable by our governments for our indigenous students in remote areas when it’s not for any government school or private school in Melbourne? I believe the biggest opportunity in terms of a positive cultural transformation throughout Australia is to review and adapt our education systems to embrace our indigenous heritage. On a final note I just wanted to say how many positive things I gained from my experiences and participation in the indigenous education subject. I made a lot of beautiful friends and received a lot of love. I listened to the joy and laughter of the Hermannsburg potters as they told stories through making pots. I walked paths that people had walked thousands of years before me. I met a lot of indigenous kids who just like any kids wanted to be the best at what they were doing. Most of all in the face of it all I saw so much pride and positivity. My life is better for it. It is for all of the reasons I have discusses today that we must as a nation change our thinking. Going forward I hope to deepen my understanding of what I know about indigenous history and perspectives so I that I can better understand the needs and challenges my indigenous students are facing. It is also my job now as a teacher to create engaging relevant, inclusive lessons to ensure all students indigenous and non indigenous can achieve and aspire to what ever their hearts desire.