where to start

It is time to stop making excuses that you can’t teach Aboriginal perspectives because you don’t understand anything about Aboriginal culture or you are scared you will say or do the wrong thing. Why don't you know anything? It's probably becuase you were never taught in highschool. Don't justify this cycle because it has become the norm according to your own constructs. We are teachers and citizens of a country in which Aboriginal people have lived for over 80,000 years. It is no longer acceptable to ignore the perspectives of indigenous people, their history and culture in your class rooms. We as teachers have a responsibility to conduct reseach and educate ourselves and others so that we can truly have inclusive classrooms. Anything short of this is perhaps more of a reflection on your motivation and ignorance.

Case senario: If you went to live and work in Spain, would you sit at home all weekend because you were scared that you didn’t know any Spanish

people, their history or culture? Or would you take a deep breath and go out into the community and get to know people, thereby gradually learning the culture?

Yes, it can be confronting, but it also gets easier the more immersed you become. True reconciliation will never happen until we break down that invisible barrier between ‘black’ and ‘white’ Australians.

Go out there and ask the question as to why indigenous perspectives aren't given the same attention in all learning areas of education. Learn about your country, its history and its peoples. Engage with Aboriginal people, organisations and websites. Go to performances, poetry readings, band performances and art exhibitions. Read the Koori Mail or the National Indigenous Times.

Engage with your local indigenous community,

parents of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, local Aboriginal Land Council, the local university’s Aboriginal student support centre and attend cultural events. That’s where you’ll meet Aboriginal people who can come in to the school and help, talk to teachers, run workshops with students, or be an artist-in-residence or writer-in-residence.

When devising lesson and units of work make sure you state where you got information from.

Remember: Aboriginal cultures have had systems in place to keep certain content secret for over 60,000 years; it’s highly unlikely you’ll get anywhere near such information.

Considerations When Developing Teaching Programs

Teachers must ensure the programs they are developing are culturally sensitive. The following suggestions might help with developing inclusive and appropriate teaching and learning activities.

Discourage students from copying or using Aboriginal signs or symbols in their own artmaking. This not only causes great offence to Aboriginal people, but also infringes copyright. Students should be encouraged to develop their own symbolic visual language when learning about the systems of symbolic meaning in Aboriginal artworks. Be aware that non-Aboriginal people will never fully know or understand Aboriginal signs or symbols because they are not meant to.

Ensure that any resources used are culturally sensitive and appropriate. If in doubt, consult with Aboriginal people.

Integrate other aspects of Aboriginal art and culture, such as the oral tradition, the performing arts, song, and dance wherever possible.

Avoid aspects of Aboriginal art containing sacred or secret or ‘inside’ information. It is inappropriate to address this area in classroom situations; most Aboriginal people would find it offensive. However, it is important that students are informed about this issue and learn to respect it. Aboriginal artists or advisors may provide some background to this issue.

Encourage an understanding of Aboriginal culture as a dynamic living culture which, like all cultures, adjusts to change and has a history.

Avoid reference to traditional Aboriginal culture as ‘primitive’, ‘Stone Age’, or ‘simple’, as these terms are highly offensive.

Follow correct protocols when using works by an Aboriginal artist who has died. Students should be aware that in some communities the mentioning of names and display of photographs of people who have died are signs of disrespect to them and their families. Permission must be sought from families to show images of the deceased.

Discourage generalised or stereotypical characterisations of Aboriginal art, artists, culture or communities. Make specific reference to place, time, people and events, and draw attention to the rich diversity that exists within Aboriginal societies and the art produced.

Recognise how contemporary Aboriginal art can adapt Western art forms and new technologies and media, and still communicate cultural knowledge and express Aboriginality.

Keep informed of significant developments and innovations in the ways Aboriginal art practice, forms and media change over time. There are numerous magazines, catalogues and newspapers that have current information.

Strategies for Teaching Aboriginal Students

As the biographical information in the Gallery and Artists webpages shows, visual arts is an area where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students can have opportunities to enrich and affirm their cultural identities. The following are suggestions that teachers should consider.

Wherever possible employ an Aboriginal artist, dancer or storyteller to work with the students in the classroom.

< Return to homepage

Acknowledge that Aboriginal students will not necessarily be well informed about all aspects of their cultural heritage. Some will know a great deal while others might know little.

Enrich the classroom environment by displaying positive affirmations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and art.

Provide Aboriginal students with opportunities to enrich and affirm their cultural identity if they choose to do so. Do not assume that all students will have the desire to do this. Teachers need to recognise that Aboriginal students, like other students, learn in a variety of ways, have special needs and come from cultures with very rich and diverse creative arts traditions. Teachers need to be flexible in their delivery of programs and in the way they respond to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students’ learning styles.

Avoid stereotyping Aboriginal students by their physical attributes or the way they learn, as this will have negative effects on them. It is best teaching and learning practice to meet the needs of all students as learners from a variety of cultural backgrounds.

Acknowledge and recognise Aboriginal English as the home language of many Aboriginal students; use it as a building block within the classroom.

Develop an awareness of otitis media and other health problems affecting learning outcomes for Aboriginal students.

Acknowledge that some Aboriginal students will need time for family commitments, cultural traditions and events that affect their daily lives.

Encourage the Aboriginal Education Assistant to participate in classroom activities; they are able to offer support for the students and teachers.

Terminology

Terminology changes over time within Aboriginal culture and communities. The following is a selection of terms to help teachers with the sensitive implementation of the units of work.

Aboriginal people is the preferred term. Aborigine is an outdated term and can often offend some Aboriginal people.

In any writing activity, the word Aboriginal should always be written using a capital ‘A’.

It is unacceptable to use the terms half-caste or full blood when referring to Aboriginal people. This is highly offensive.

Use terms such as group, nation, language group or cultural group rather than the word tribe, as it is now outdated terminology. Some Aboriginal people refer to themselves as traditional, not tribal.

Avoid using words such as legends and myths when referring to the Dreaming or Dreaming stories. Dreaming is preferred to Dreamtime as the latter refers to the past, and is not inclusive of the present and the future.

Torres Strait Islanders do not consider themselves Aboriginal people. There are similarities and differences between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Torres Strait Islanders refer to their traditional stories as legends rather than Dreaming stories.

Aboriginal people will often refer to themselves as Koori, Murri, Noonga etc. These names refer to a particular group or area to which they belong (see glossary). They are not general terms and should not be used as such.

- Information taken directly from 'Affirmations of Identity Kit', 2007