First Nations

“Here in Australia, we’re fortunate enough to have one of the richest and oldest continuing cultures in the world.

This is something we should all be proud of and celebrate.”

(Reconciliation Australia 2013)

Necessity of Protocols

In order to create balance and fair representation through society and across the internet on an international scale, it is essential to include Indigenous communities’ culture in a respectful way. Cultural appropriation and offensive references shared within information and communication platforms or advertising, often only have a negative impact on the Indigenous communities’ image and not on the developers behind the content creation. This is a misrepresentation issue that affects Indigenous communities around the world. Therefore the creation of these protocols here following is intended to help any person or organisation that wants to work with Indigenous people, especially Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, in a way that is inclusive and respectful both for the ethics of the community and the research.

Australian society has a long history of inconsistent and inappropriate communication towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders People. Australian Indigenous people have their own culture, customs, languages and ways of making sense of the world. It is important that Australian society learns to engage with these communities in an inclusive manner that respects their long standing approach to life.

Within Australian society there are plenty of areas available to increase representation and communication of Indigenous communities. However, it is firstly important to understand and respect the wide diversity within Aboriginal communities. Indigenous culture was often shaped by the area in which they lived meaning no two communities are the same. Nonetheless, it is possible and acceptable to refer to them by general universal protocols that employ respect and appropriate representation of their common and shared heritage.

Guidelines

Artwork

Many Indigenous cultures around the world use art to communicate and document their heritage. There are guidelines researchers can follow when working with Aborignal art. In first place is fundamental researchers gain consent and ethical approval before photographing or using artworks. Finally, all information of the intended use of the image and negotiate terms must be communicated to the artists. (Jones et al. 2006, p.66)

Website & Internet

Although many Torres Strait Island Councils and schools have access to the internet, often the majority of Torres Strait Islanders have minimal access to computers and the internet. For this reason, the internet is not a common or preferred means of communication for Torres Strait Islanders. Websites still play a valuable role in displaying culturally appropriate information for other stakeholders to read and see. (Jones et al. 2006, p.71)

Permission & Consent

This principle acknowledges that Indigenous people must be empowered and informed in the decision making process for any use, access and information of their land and heritage. Consent to access Indigenous heritage must be free of pressure and all participants must receive sufficient information and plenty of time to consider any projects, face to face meetings are preferred.

Indigenous laws enable communities to authorise or refuse the use of their cultural property. The consultation with Traditional Custodians and community members regarding the content that contains communal, sacred, hidden, rite of passage, gender based knowledge, imagery or cultural heritage may be required before use or action can be taken on projects

(Jones et al. 2006, p.12)

Paying respect to the Elders and to the Traditional Owners of the Land

As with any community around the world, Indigenous people have every right to own their history and their heritage. This includes both physical and non-physical aspects such as stories, art, imagery, dance, designs, knowledge and land based techniques for living.

Understanding that Indigenous cultures are living cultures, and respecting the fact that Indigenous people are the original inhabitants of this continent is the foundation for respecting Aboriginal people. This enables society to begin recognising the overlooked diversity within Indigenous communities that lived throughout Australia with various beliefs, lifestyles, customs, family lines, Laws and protocols for living on the land.

When researchers work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders they must respect the difference of viewpoints held by the different communities and recognise the respected knowledge of particular community members, involving them just where is appropriate (Jones et al. 2006, p.13)

Traditional knowledge refers to cultural and natural resource information passed from generation to generation by Indigenous people (information can involve animal behaviour, fishing, hunting, climate and medicine use) (Jones et al. 1967, p.15).

It is essential that researchers acknowledge the sources of information and those who have contributed to the research, both at individual and group level. Material must be shown or distributed just if the community is aware and previously agreed on such diffusion.

Finally, researchers obviously must respect Indigenous people’s rights in relation to their knowledge, including their right to maintain secrecy of certain Indigenous knowledge and practices.

Cultural and Intellectual Property

Language

Even though Aboriginal communities share the same ethnicity, it is important to keep in mind that they speak different languages. This means that even with the wider community there are still parties who do not understand one another. Below are some tips for research about the use of language to communicate with the wider Aborignal community.

Present research and findings in readily understandable and accessible formats.
Speak slowly and clearly.
Keep graphs simple and use one information set at a time.
Ensure proper spelling and pronunciation when using traditional words, acknowledge where words originate from when speaking to a diverse audience, and only use traditional words when it’s relevant.

Balsamo, A. 2011, Designing culture: The technological imagination at work. Durham, UK: Duke University Press.

Jones, A., Barnett, B. 2006, Guidelines for ethical and effective communication for researchers working in Torres Strait, CRC Torres Strait, Townsville, 106pp