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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives

This guide provides information and resources for supporting Indigenous knowledge in teaching and research practices.

RMIT research engagement initiatives

RMIT University has committed to several initiatives to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research and researchers.  These include:

Meet our Fellows (1:57 mins) by RMIT University (YouTube)

Research with Indigenous Peoples & Knowledges

Photo of possum tree at RMIT Bundoora

Research with Indigenous Peoples & Knowledges

Created by Vice Chancellor's Indigenous Postdoctoral Research Fellow Eugenia Flynn this course provides an introduction to theory, background and approaches to research with Indigenous Peoples and knowledges. It is aimed specifically at Higher Degrees by Research (HDR) candidates and supervisors intending to, or already engaging in, research and collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities and/or Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property, such as Indigenous knowledges, languages, cultural heritage material, stories and perspectives.


Image: Copyright © 2024 RMIT University. Possum tree at Bundoora. Is provided under CC-BY-NC-4.0.

Indigenous knowledge, methodologies and methods

Methodologies and methods

Let’s celebrate and share the sophistication, richness, and leadership of Australia’s First Peoples within the scientific domain.
Janke, T. (2021). True Tracks: Respecting Indigenous Knowledge and Culture. University of New South Wales Press

While academic research in the past has drawn heavily on Western research methodologies and methods, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture brings unique perspectives to knowledge production and the process of conducting research. The National Indigenous Research and Knowledges Network (NIRAKN) outline the essential characteristics of several Indigenous methodologies which include research frameworks such as - Indigenous Standpoint Theory, Kaupapa Maori, Indigenous Heuristic Action Research and Indigenous Women's Standpoint Theory, just to name a few (NIRAKN, 2023). 

Alongside these methodologies, there are Indigenous methods of conducting research, such as Sharing circles, Ganma, Dadirri, Pathway and others (NIRAKN, 2023; Drawson, A.S., Toombs, E., & Mushquash, C. J. 2017).

The video Indigenous research methodologies and Country/Place - Community of Practice, a presentation hosted by Sydney Policy Lab, discusses several concepts relating to Indigenous research methodologies.

References

Drawson, A.S., Toombs, E., & Mushquash, C. J. (2017). Indigenous research methods: A systematic review. International Indigenous Policy Journal, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.18584/iipj.2017.8.2.5 
NIRAKN (National Indigenous Research and Knowledge Network). (2023) Research methodologies and methods. https://www.nirakn.edu.au/dashboard/research-methodologies-and-methods/

Library resources

Book cover attribution

"Community-Led Research: Walking New Pathways Together" by Rawlings, V., Flexner, J. L., & Riley, L. (Eds.)Sydney University Press is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Smith, L. T. (2021). Decolonizing methodologies: research and Indigenous peoples (3rd ed.). Zed.
Janke, T. (2022). True tracks: Respecting Indigenous knowledge and culture. NewSouth Publishing. Cover design Debra Billson. All rights reserved. Cover artwork Terri – Butterfly Flowers Dreaming, 2020, by Bibi Barba. © Bibi Barba/Copyright Agency, 2021.

from NIRAKN

Ethics in indigenous research

Getting started

Do you know what country you live and work on?  Visit AIATSIS to explore a Map of Indigenous Australia representing language groups across the continent. An understanding of your local context is critical to good engagement with Indigenous knowledge.

Researchers from other diverse cultures need to stop conducting research ‘on’ First Nations communities and instead work ‘with’ them to gain knowledge. The following article published in The Conversation explains how researchers from other diverse cultures can best establish relationships with First Nations people when conducting research in their communities.

Guidelines

AIATSIS

The AIATSIS Act (1989) mandates the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) to provide leadership in the field of ethics and protocols for research related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and collections.

NHMRC

Australia Council for the Arts

Indigenous Evaluation Strategy

Lowitja Institute

Research data

CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance

The CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance guide appropriate use and reuse of Indigenous data. This set of principles indicates the significant and crucial role of data in advancing Indigenous innovation and self-determination.

Collective benefit

Data ecosystems should be designed and function in ways that enable Indigenous Peoples to derive benefit from the data.

Authority to control

Indigenous Peoples' rights and interests in Indigenous data must be recognised and their authority to control such data should be empowered. Indigenous data governance enables Indigenous Peoples to determine how they are represented within data.

Responsibility

Those working with Indigenous data have a responsibility to share how this data is used to support Indigenous Peoples' self-determination and collective benefit.

Ethics

Indigenous Peoples' rights and wellbeing should be the primary concern at all stages of the data life cycle.

Indigenous data sovereignty