Abstract: Singley, Blake Review(s) of: Just relations: the story of Mary Bennett's crusade for Aboriginal rights, by Alison Holland 2015, UWA Publishing, Perth, WA, 480pp, ISBN 9781742586878 (pbk).
Abstract: Burbidge, Belinda Review(s) of: Traditional healers of Central Australia: Ngangkari, by Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Women's Council Aboriginal Corporation 2013, Magabala Books, Broome, WA, 272pp, ISBN 9781921248825 (pbk).
Abstract: Tran, Tran; Barcham, Clare Review(s) of: Engaging Indigenous economy: Debating diverse approaches, by Will Sanders (ed.) 2016, ANU Press, The Australian National University, Acton, 328 pp, ill., map, 23cm, ISBN 9781760460037 (pbk).
Abstract: Coram, Stella; Hallinan, Chris This study draws on critical race theory to examine common sense assumptions of race and racism so as to identify the distortions in logic in the justification that the booing of Indigenous athlete Adam Goodes was not 'racist'. It is claimed that the central assumption of race neutrality relies on the assertion that non-Indigenous athletes are booed and that the booing of an individual such as Adam Goodes does not constitute racism since, for this to be the case, it must apply to all Indigenous athletes. Moreover, race is not targeted, only the athlete, nor is booing explicit of race. This study highlights the historical context within which Indigenous athletes are racially discriminated against. We contend that booing represents a covert reworking of the racial vilification of Indigenous athletes and that their vilification is but one form of racism. A theoretical piece, this paper follows in-depth examination of the content of booing (Coram 2016).
Abstract: Little, Stacey Review(s) of: Pictures from my memory: My story as a Ngaatjatjarra woman, by Lizzie Marrkilyi Ellis 2016, Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra, 153pp, ill., 23cm, ISBN 9780855750350 (pbk).
Abstract: Aitken, Wendy; Wareham, Christopher Albert Namatjira gained public acclaim for his art at a time when Aboriginal people were excluded from full citizenship in Australia. His narrative provides a context to analyse the human impact of the assimilation policy and the official control exercised over Aboriginal lives, and how these were rationalised within the institutional bureaucracy. This paper examines the reasons for his popular success and analyses the discourse to reveal the racist assumptions that underpinned much of the artistic criticism Namatjira's work received. This paper demonstrates that the legacy of control and exploitation over Aboriginal artists from the Hermannsburg School is not confined to the past, and concludes that Namatjira's own legacy is profoundly important for the identity of modern Australia.
Abstract: Dune, Tinashe; Firdaus, Rubab; Mapedzahama, Virginia; Lee, Vanessa; Stewart, Jo; Tronc, Wendy; Mekonnen, Tensae Little is known about the restorative outcomes of Indigenous resilience borne through personal and community agency among Indigenous Australian women. This is particularly true of the agency of Indigenous women who often overcome the trap of colonial and postcolonial gender roles that ensnare women in limiting constructions of femininity - a situation that often becomes more restrictive as women age. This paper addresses this gap in the literature by presenting findings on how ageing Indigenous Australian women talk about their own agency and gender role performance. The main themes relating to the women's gender roles included their roles as mothers, wives, cultural custodians, grandmothers, carers of self, community workers and income earners. Agency included a number of themes: for oneself, changes over time, for others, barriers, facilitators and catalysts. The data generated from the focus groups give an insight of indigeneity and indicate a deep sense of community engagement, resilience and agency in the lives of Indigenous women and how these roles adapted over time to contemporary circumstances.
Abstract: Thorburn, Kathryn In 1991 a large bush meeting was held at Rugan in the East Kimberley, organised by the Kimberley Land Council and attended by more than 500 Aboriginal people from across the Kimberley. This meeting is looked upon as one of the most significant expressions of pan-Kimberley identity in the post-settlement era and generated considerable discussion at a regional level. This event, which has since become known as 'Crocodile Hole', occurred in the shadow of the failure of land rights to be passed in Western Australia in the mid-1980s, and the impending Mabo decision. This paper attempts to track the idea of a regional governance structure in the Kimberley since the time of Crocodile Hole and how this idea has articulated with wider political and policy trends in the region and beyond. It notes that principles identified by the Crocodile Hole meeting remain as core ideals for Aboriginal leadership within the Kimberley, yet the form and structure by which regional governance is being attempted has altered significantly over time. In a contemporary context, it concludes that such a structure would require particular characteristics to be deemed acceptable by Aboriginal groups across the Kimberley and to be engaged with by government.
Abstract: Koch, Grace Review(s) of: Collaborative ethnomusicology: New approaches to music research between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, by Katelyn Barney (ed.) 2014, Lyrebird Press, Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, Faculty of VCA and MCM, The University of Melbourne, 202pp., ill., portraits, ISSN 1325 5266, ISBN 9780734037770 (pbk).
Abstract: Rogers, Jessa Few studies have primarily addressed Indigenous girls' experiences in contemporary boarding schools in Australia or Aotearoa New Zealand. In response, this research was developed in conjunction with Indigenous students attending boarding schools to look at their school experiences. Fifteen Aboriginal girls attending two non-Indigenous Australian boarding schools and ten girls from one Maori boarding school were involved in this research. An Indigenous research method termed 'photoyarn' was developed as a method students could use to drive and control their own research, on their own experiences, using student photo-graphy, yarning and yarning circles. Underpinned and viewed through the lens of Martin's (2008) relatedness theory, this research also drew on Indigenous methodologies centred on connectedness and relatedness, such as storywork. Photoyarn allowed participants to lead their own research in ways that many other methods could not, through participant-led data collection, analysis and dissemination.
Abstract: Taylor, Luke Interest in the drawings made by Aboriginal1 people and collected by anthropologists as a feature of their research of graphic representation is increasing. Of particular concern is the status of these collections as intercultural artefacts commissioned by the anthropologist and produced by the Aboriginal artists in order to teach about their cultural life. At issue is the appropriate manner of characterising the relation of this new activity in respect to older, and more local, cultural tropes. This study addresses a set of drawings made by Jimmy Bireyula, a Kuninjku language speaker, for the author in 1983. The works are intercultural in terms of the context of their production and the new uses of the materials supplied by the anthropologist and yet also develop established aesthetic and representational forms that are distinct to Kuninjku understanding of the powers of the Ancestral2 realm.
Abstract: Attard, Kelly; Clarkson, Larissa; Blunden, Sarah Sleep has a substantial impact on a number of health facets for individu als; however, there is a paucity of literature reporting the state of sleep health and frequency of sleep problems in Australian Indigenous children. This paper aims to describe the sleep patterns in 1671 Australian Indigenous children who are part of the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children. Waves 1-5, where the majority of sleep health data came from, had 1257 participants.
Abstract: Forrest, Simon; Johnston, Michelle In Nyungar Country, in the south-west corner of Western Australia, reconciliation has taken a significant step forward as the whole community experiences the healing effect of the Carrolup artworks - a collection of 122 drawings and paintings created in the late 1940s by Aboriginal children who had been forcibly removed from their families and housed in harsh conditions at the Carrolup Native Settlement in the south-west of Western Australia. The artworks were lost for many years and then discovered and returned to Western Australia in 2013. With a Nyungar language title, koolark koort koorliny, which means 'heart coming home', the collection has commenced a series of tours and exhibitions throughout Nyungar Country. It has become evident that people are eager to engage with the exhibitions and that they provide the means by which the stories of the children, known as the Stolen Generations, can be shared with the wider community. They demonstrate the healing effect of that storytelling and are a source of pride for the Aboriginal community. The paintings celebrate traditional Nyungar culture and a unique Nyungar style of art. This paper discusses the artworks' healing impact on the individuals who have experienced the trauma of removal from their families, and their power to bring black and white communities together in the spirit of reconciliation.
Abstract: Heiss, Anita I am a Wiradjuri woman. I'm from central New South Wales. I'm a Williams from Cowra, Brungle Mission, Griffith and Tumut. I was born and bred in Gadigal Country - most of you will know that as the City of Sydney - but I spent most of my life until two weeks ago, when I moved to Jaggera Country, living on the land of the Dharawal, near La Perouse. My heart - and my urban homeland - is strategically placed between the Long Bay jail, Malabar sewerage and Orica industrial estate. It is the perfect setting for creative inspiration and I've written some books there.
Abstract: Sculthorpe, Gaye The history and exhibition of ethnographic collections in museums are rich topics for debate and research. Yet despite an explosion of theorising and publications over the past 20 years, it remains the case that museum collections in Australia and over seas contain thousands of individual Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander objects that are surprisingly little researched or published on. Some decades ago, Australian researchers such as Plomley (1961), with his work on Tasmanian collections, and McBryde (1977, 1978), with her work on collections from Port Phillip and the Richmond River regions, highlighted the significance of United Kingdom (UK) and European collections. Later surveys such as Cooper's (1989) report on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander collections in overseas museums and Coates' (1995) unpublished report on archival sources in the British Museum highlighted strengths of other collections in Britain. Philip Jones (2001:18) suggested that there are perhaps up to 40,000 Australian Aboriginal objects in museums in Europe and flagged the potential for integrated databases to digitally reconnect such collections. More recently, as a follow up to Ian Coates' work, the British Museum, the Australian National University and the National Museum of Australia jointly undertook more detailed work on the significant Australian collections in the British Museum.1 Research from this project was included in exhibitions and associated publications of both museums in 2015 (NMA 2015; Sculthorpe et al. 2015).
Abstract: Craw, Charlotte Review(s) of: Performing indigeneity: Global histories and contemporary experiences, by Laura R Graham and H Glenn Penny (eds), 2014, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln and London, 444 pp, ISBN 9780803271951.
Abstract: Hogan, Eleanor Young Aboriginal women account for the largest and most enthusiastic group of users in the Home Internet Project, which trialled household internet and computer technology access for the first time in three very remote Central Australian communities. Over a twoandahalf year period researchers regularly employed a life events survey to examine the impacts that internet access might have on community members' everyday lives. Women, especially younger ones, emerged as the main users, managing access to the computers within individual households and performing activities online for other family members. These findings counter trends that gender digital divide researchers originally observed of men and boys as 'early adopters' and greater users of digital technology. They are also the reverse of those from a study of Papunya's shared computing facility that found young men predominated as users. This paper explores the implications of gender identification with particular social spaces - the household in the small communities and the shared facility at Papunya - for digital inclusion in remote Aboriginal contexts. A further dimension of this research is how the association not only of space but of human resources, roles and activities, with different social groups, may impact the equity of internet and computer access and usage within remote Aboriginal communities.
Abstract: Harvey, Mark An extensive research literature focuses on stone as an instrument in, and output of, manufacturing processes, including substantial literature in ethnoarchaeology which reports and analyses manufacturing processes from the perspective of people with knowledge of these processes. By contrast, there is a dearth of literature on either stone as an input to manufacturing or on stone in other contexts. There has been no examination to determine if there are systematic subclass oppositions within stone terminologies and, if so, which parameters these oppositions reflect. Developing an overall understanding of stone terminology - ethnogeology - will advance analysis of the conceptualisation of both raw materials and manufacturing in hunter-gatherer economies. Wagiman stone terminology is presented as a detailed example.
Abstract: Judd, Barry; Butcher, Tim This paper provides an overview of Aboriginal interventions in the sport of Australian (Rules) Football in the period since the formation of the Australian Football League (AFL) in 1990. Recalling several pivotal events that have defined and redefined the relationship between Aboriginal people and the Australian game of football, this paper finds that the struggle to end on-field racial vilification in the 1990s attracted widespread support from the overwhelmingly non-Aboriginal public because these actions were consistent with the political principle of equality. The key actions of Nicky Winmar and Michael Long gained general appeal because they demanded that Aboriginal people be treated as though they were Anglo-Australians. In this regard, the 1990s fight against on-field racism in the AFL was a continuation of the Aboriginal struggle for rights associated with Australian citizenship. As the 1967 Commonwealth referenda on Aborigines demonstrated, most Anglo-Australians understood and supported the political principle of equality even though the promise of citizenship in substantive improvements to social and economic outcomes almost 50 years later remains largely unfulfilled.
Nevertheless, in the recently concluded 2015 AFL season, Adam Goodes, the most highly decorated Aboriginal man to play the sport at the highest level, was effectively booed into retirement. Goodes became a controversial and largely disliked figure in the sport when he used the public honour of being 2014 Australian of the Year to highlight the disadvantage and historical wrongs that continue to adversely impact Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their communities. This paper argues that Goodes effectively sought to shift the paradigm of Aboriginal struggle beyond the sympathetic notions of racism and equal treatment to issues of historical fact that imply First Nations rights associated with cultural practice. Goodes' career initiates a new discussion about the place that Aboriginal cultures, traditions and understandings might have in the sport today. His decision to perform an Aboriginal war dance demonstrates that the new paradigm we propose is primarily about the political principle of difference, not equality.
Abstract: Cavanagh, Jillian; Shaw, Amie; Bartram, Timothy This study builds on understandings of how learning occurs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men in Men's Groups and Sheds across Australia. Wenger's (1998) model of mutual engagement, joint enterprise and shared repertoire provides the theoretical framework to underpin this study. Qualitative methods are presented and analysed; methods comprise yarning circles (focus groups) and semistructured interviews with 15 groups and 45 men. Findings reveal that Men's Groups and Sheds provide a safe and conducive environment for men to yarn and learn new skills about educational, employment and economic matters and enhance their social learning and ability to reconnect with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander traditions and culture. Men's Groups and Sheds are a unique and culturally sensitive way to provide Indigenous men with the skills that may lead to employment. The improvement of the social determinants of Indigenous men's lives is critical to enhancing their employability.
Abstract: Robertson, Francesca; Stasiuk, Glen; Nannup, Noel; Hopper, Stephen D The Synergies of Meaning Research Project, based at Kurongkurl Katitjin, Edith Cowan University, constructs a working relationship between traditional Aboriginal knowledge and Western natural and social scientific knowledge. The aim is to find ways of going forward together. One recently completed focus, Nyoongar Boodja, required the development of a collaborated timeline of the formation of Nyoongar land. Cooperative inquiry and research of narrative methods were used. Eleven eras are identified, with the focus of the first eight being land from (1) The Nyetting (The cold, dark time = Permian ice ages 350 million years ago) to (8) Wardanaak boodja (The Holocene flood, 7000 years ago). Astonishing resonances between the knowledge sets were discovered. This coincidence of Nyoongarinherited lore with Western scientific discoveries about the evolution of Nyoongar boodja highlights the value of walking together, cross-culturally, seeking synergies of meaning.
Abstract: Singley, Blake Review(s) of: Warrior: A legendary leader's dramatic life and violent death on the colonial frontier, by Libby Connors 2015, email: Allen and Unwin, Crows Nest, NSW, 280pp, ISBN 9781760110482 (pbk).
Abstract: Troy, Shirley Review(s) of: Bakir and bi, by Jillian Boyd and Tori Jay Mordey 2012, Magabala Books, Broome, WA, 64pp, ISBN 9781921248863 (hbk).
Abstract: Goldenberg, Howard The lone protester: AM Fernando in Australia and Europe Fiona Paisley 2012, Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra, 248pp, ISBN 9781922059055 (pb).
Abstract: Faulkner, Samantha Review(s) of: Steady steady: The life and music of Seaman Dan, by Henry 'Seaman' Dan and Karl Neuenfeldt 2013, Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra, 224pp, ISBN 9781922059208 (pbk).
Abstract: Leane, Jeanine Review(s) of: Entangled subjects: Indigenous/Australian cross-cultures of talk, text and modernity, by Michele Grossman 2013, Rodopi BV, Amsterdam, 390pp, ISBN 9789042036444 (hbk).
Abstract: Reece, Bob Review(s) of: Art in the time of colony, by Khadija von Zinnenburg Carroll 2014, Ashgate Publishing, Farnham, 336pp, ISBN 9781409455967 (hbk).
Abstract: Reece, Bob Review(s) of: Macassan history and heritage: Journeys, encounters and influences, by Marshall Clark and Sally K May (eds) 2013, ANU E Press, Canberra, ISBN 9781922144966 (pbk), 9781922144773 (ebook).
Abstract: Tongs, Julie; Poroch, Nerelle This paper describes the growth of Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service (Winnunga), located in the Australian Capital Territory, from modest beginnings at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in 1988 to delivery of a comprehensive holistic model of health care to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community of Canberra and the surrounding region. Winnunga's growth and service delivery are connected to the prominence it gives to research. We argue that research commissioned by an Aboriginal Health Service or in partnership with an Aboriginal Health Service is unlike other research in its retention of ownership within the community. The use of Indigenous Standpoint Theory is also possible (see Rigney 1997; Foley 2003; Nakata 2002; Bessarab and Ng'andu 2010). In addition, the findings and recommendations of such research can emancipate communities through enhanced service delivery resulting from evidence-based research. This paper also describes Winnunga's focus on community research studies carried out in partnership with universities and Aboriginal research organisations, as well as Winnunga-initiated studies. Their findings and recommendations have been translated into Winnunga primary health care and social and emotional wellbeing programs. The future emphasis of one such study is its potential to contribute to a national prison health care focus on reducing recidivism.
Abstract: Adone, Marie Carla D; Maypilama, ELawurrpa This paper briefly presents the research conducted on bilingualism in several communities of North East Arnhem Land. What makes this study special is its focus on bimodal bilingualism, which is prevalent in Arnhem Land. While most studies on bilingualism concentrate on the use of two or more spoken languages (speech-speech), also known as unimodal bilingualism, studies on bimodal bilingualism (speech-sign) are rare. The term 'bimodal bilingualism' is fairly recent in the field of bilingualism and is used to cover the use of two or more languages in the two modalities (spoken and signed). This report also aims to raise awareness. Bimodal bilingualism is the norm rather than an exceptional state in Arnhem Land. We illustrate this bilingualism across modalities with some examples of pointing gestures.
Abstract: Stastny, Angelique; Orr, Raymond The means by which ideologies are spread is of growing interest to scholars. In comparative indigenous studies, much attention has been given to the political links that developed throughout the mid to late-twentieth century between activist organisations that sought greater freedom and rights for indigenous or racially marginalised populations. This paper looks at the early contact between American Black Panthers and indigenous activist organisations in Oceania in the 1960s and '70s. It illustrates how various ideological frameworks, such as colour consciousness, and confrontational strategies, such as takeovers, were exchanged during this period. This interaction suggests that Australian and New Zealand indigenous organisations, borrowing from American activists, adapted ideologies and strategies that worked within their local political contexts.
Abstract: Gunstone, Andrew In the history of the reconciliation movement in Australia over the past 20 years, the involvement of local communities has been a substantial component of the movement. In this paper, I demonstrate the significance of this involvement through exploring a case study in Gippsland, Victoria. I analyse the racist and ignorant attitudes held by many in the wider community in Gippsland concerning Indigenous people. I then explore several examples of the Gippsland community working for reconciliation. I have selected examples to illustrate each of the key components of reconciliation. These key components are outlined in this paper: recognising Indigenous rights; educating the wider community; addressing history; community involvement; and addressing Indigenous socio-economic disadvantage.
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