On my first day of teaching classes at Newman Senior High School, I came across an educators’ handbook for working with Aboriginal and indigenous communities. These were some of the questions asked in the assignment:
- What is the name of the traditional Indigenous custodians of the land where you are?
- What languages did they speak?
- Where did their lands extend?
- Who are the neighbouring peoples?
- Are any Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander words used to name local features – electorates, municipalities, areas, streets, geographical features? What do they mean or refer to?
- In your area, what are the main historical events associated with the arrival of non-indigenous peoples?
- What are the names of the main local families today?
- What are the local Aborignal or Torres Strait Islander organizations? What have they been set up for? What are their main issues and concerns currently?
- Can you think of the names of six nationally historically important Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people? Who lived before 1850? Between 1900 and 1950?
- Forget sportsmen and women. Name ten well-known contemporary Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people and what they are known for.
- Who designed the Aboriginal flag and when? What is the significance of its features?
- What does the Torres strait Islander flag look like? What are its features intended to capture? Who designed it?
I think I’ve got some homework this week while I’m in Newman..