Indigenous Communities In Australia Research Articles

Designing archival information systems through partnerships with Indigenous communities

I
 Indigenous peoples in Australia have been heavily documented in colonial archives and collections. The past two decades have seen significant materials from Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (GLAM) institutions being returned to Indigenous communities in Australia through physical or digital repatriation of materials. The digital return of materials requires both appropriate systems for returning both the digital collections, metadata and contextual information that relates to them, and agreements, policies, and procedures for meaningfully engaging with Indigenous communities throughout the process. Importantly, the information returned needs to be accessible, readable, and usable in local community contexts based on understanding local community needs. This paper discusses priorities around engaging with Indigenous peoples to reshape and build archival information systems and access points that support community requirements for digital return and management of cultural heritage materials in local settings. The paper discusses future priorities for designing archival information systems to support Indigenous sovereignty, including data stewardship and preservation approaches. These concerns are discussed and raised as part of the research and development of the global Mukurtu Content Management System (CMS) project, including within the New South Wales (NSW) Australian Mukurtu Hub.

Five enablers to deliver safe water and effective sewage treatment to remote Indigenous communities in Australia.

Safe drinking water and effective sanitation in remotely located Indigenous communities are essential services and their provision is a human right. Yet sustainable provision of these services can be challenging. Risks to human health from inadequate provision include transmission of hygiene-related infections from microbial contamination, and toxic chemicals that may cause kidney damage or dysfunction. This narrative review is conducted in the current context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6, the 'refresh' of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap in Indigenous inequity, and the 2020 Inquiry of the Australian Productivity Commission into the National Water Reform. Challenges to providing drinking water supplies in remote communities include biological contamination and chemical contamination from naturally occurring elements in groundwater. Monitoring regimes can be challenged by remote location, minimal and/or high turnover of staff and a lack of ongoing maintenance. Unpalatable water can shift consumption to purchased drinks such as sugar-sweetened beverages, with flow-on health impacts of diet-related chronic conditions such as overweight and obesity, and type 2 diabetes. By analysing two effective programs from remote areas of New South Wales and the Torres Strait Islands in Queensland, Australia, five enablers were identified: people factors (support, training, cultural competence); cross-agency collaboration (regulators, funders, state and local government); technology that is fit for place, purpose and local people; funding that is sufficient and sustainable; and taking a systems view of water and sanitation.

Sampling Ceremony: Hip-hop Workshops and Intergenerational Cultural Production in the Central Australian Desert

Hip-hop workshops have become a key feature of youth-focused community arts programmes in regional and remote Indigenous communities in Australia over the past twenty years with music videos being a primary output. While literature on Indigenous hip-hop in Australia has demonstrated that rap music provides a powerful medium of expression for representing identity, there has been little research on hip-hop workshops. In the early 2000s Indigenous hip-hop artists, many of whom co-facilitated the first hip-hop workshops, demonstrated an understanding of hip-hop as a new form of ceremony. This paper makes a case for hip-hop-as-ceremony as a framework for understanding what Indigenous communities might be utilising hip-hop workshops for, moving beyond lyrics and images to the collective public performance events that music videos depict. This article analyses two music videos produced through hip-hop workshops in the central Australian desert to point to the possibilities hip-hop culture provides for maintaining ceremonial practice.

Tecticornia sp. (Samphire)-A Promising Underutilized Australian Indigenous Edible Halophyte.

Salinization is gradually increasing over cropping soils and is challenging Governments in many countries, including Australia. There has been a high demand for utilizing arid and semi-arid land for sustainable food production. Currently, the main crops and forage plants are salt sensitive, while halophytes can tolerate a wide range of salinities. Samphire is an Australian indigenous edible halophyte and belongs to the genus Tecticornia. It is an underutilized, succulent plant growing on arid or semi-arid land. Most samphire species have a long history of use as food, but also as non-food (fodder and medicine), among indigenous communities in Australia, while scientific information is limited on their nutritional composition and potential bioactivity. The present study reports, for the first time, the nutritional composition, bioactive compounds (phytochemicals) and antioxidant capacity of six Australian grown samphire from different locations. The results showed that celosianin II and isocelosianin II could be identified as the predominant betalains (phytochemicals) in pigmented samphire species. Proximates and fiber varied significantly (p < 0.05) between the samphire species with a highest value of fiber of 46.8 g/100 g dry weight (DW). Furthermore, samphire could be identified as a valuable source of essential minerals and trace elements, such as iron (41.5 mg/100 g DW), magnesium (1.2 g/100 g DW) and sodium (16.7 g/100 g DW). The fatty acid profile, mainly palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and α-linolenic acid, was similar among the studied species. Total phenolic content and DPPH-radical scavenging capacity were different (p < 0.05) between the six samphire samples. These initial results are very promising and indicate that Australian grown samphire may have the potential to be utilized as a functional food ingredient.

Synergy of systems theory and symbolic interactionism: a passageway for non-Indigenous researchers that facilitates better understanding Indigenous worldviews and knowledges

ABSTRACT Historically, non-Indigenous researchers have contributed to colonisation by research based on Western positivistic philosophical frameworks. This approach led to disembodying knowledge from Indigenous people’s histories, worldviews, and cultural and social practices, thus perpetuating a deficit-based discourse which situates the responsibility of problems within Indigenous peoples and ignores the larger socio-economic and historical contexts in which problems are rooted. Rectifying this position requires decolonising Western positivistic research by shifting to basing research on social constructionist paradigms that lead to strength-based approaches. Based on our experiences gained exploring disaster risk reduction perspectives with two remote Indigenous communities in Australia and Pakistan, we suggest in this conceptual paper that a synergy of systems theory and symbolic interactionism offers an appropriate philosophical lens to non-Indigenous researchers for gaining a more comprehensive and deeper understanding of Indigenous holistic and relational perspectives, experiences, interpretations and actions/interaction. Research based on these philosophical worldviews promotes a strength-based approach that aligns with and empowers Indigenous ways of facilitating health and wellbeing. We offer our experiences of utilising these two frameworks and of how they could assist other non-Indigenous researchers to discover valuable insights into Indigenous perspectives and interpretations that might otherwise be ignored or neglected.

Roadmap to recovery: Reporting on a research taskforce supporting Indigenous responses to COVID-19 in Australia.

In April 2020 a Group of Eight Taskforce was convened, consisting of over 100 researchers, to provide independent, research‐based recommendations to the Commonwealth Government on a “Roadmap to Recovery” from COVID‐19. The report covered issues ranging from pandemic control and relaxation of social distancing measures, to well‐being and special considerations for vulnerable populations. Our work focused on the critical needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities; this paper presents an overview of our recommendations to the Roadmap report. In addressing the global challenges posed by pandemics for citizens around the world, Indigenous people are recognised as highly vulnerable. At the time of writing Australia's First Nations Peoples have been largely spared from COVID‐19 in comparison to other Indigenous populations globally. Our recommendations emphasise self‐determination and equitable needs‐based funding to support Indigenous communities to recover from COVID‐19, addressing persistent overcrowded housing, and a focus on workforce, especially for regional and remote communities. These latter two issues have been highlighted as major issues of risk for Indigenous communities in Australia It remains to be seen how governments across Australia take up these recommendations to support Indigenous peoples' health and healing journey through yet another, potentially catastrophic, health crisis.

Climate Change Impacts on Health in Remote Indigenous Communities in Australia

ABSTRACT Human-induced climate change in Australia is affecting the frequency and intensity of extreme events, including bushfires, cyclones and drought. Human health is affected by these climate impacts through direct impacts which include injuries and death from extreme events; indirect impacts through natural system changes such as impacts on water, food and air; and indirect impacts on human systems including mental health, productivity, and damage to housing and health-care facilities. Remote settlements are vulnerable to these climate impacts and associated health impacts due to isolated location, quality of the infrastructure, economic resources, limited transport, and existing health vulnerabilities that enable resilience or vulnerability. Remote Indigenous communities are particularly vulnerable. This research sought to identify vulnerabilities of human health of residents in remote Indigenous communities to human-induced climate change to contribute to adequate responses of prevention and preparation.

Two Roads, One Destination: Community and Organizational Mechanisms for Contextualizing Child Abuse Prevention in Australia and the UK

Calls for a contextual approach to abuse prevention highlight a need to better understand how contextual frameworks may be operationalized. Using a dual-case study design, this research compares two contrasting pilot projects underpinned by contextual theories of abuse prevention. One was implemented in a small remote Indigenous community in Australia and aimed to reduce the extent of youth-perpetrated sexual abuse. The other occurred in a densely populated urban area in London (UK) and involved the co-creation and testing of a contextual child protection response to peer-to-peer abuse. Despite their divergent approaches to developing contextual practice, a comparison of the two projects identified shared features of implementation. Both involved context-specific community buy-in and ownership of a response to peer-to-peer abuse; solutions that were co-created between professionals and communities; and the enhancement of community guardianship, pro-social use of space, and changes to the physical design of areas to increase safety. Consequentially, both projects demanded a radical transformation in the way health and social care professionals viewed the target of their interventions—the what—and the approach to achieving change—the how. Comparing these two case studies provides a unique opportunity to extend knowledge on the practical application of contextual theoretical approaches to abuse prevention.

Factors influencing the perceived importance of oral health within a rural Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in Australia

BackgroundIndigenous Australians suffer from higher rates of oral disease and have more untreated dental problems and tooth extractions than the general population. Indigenous Australians also have lower rates of accessing oral health services and are more likely to visit for a problem rather than a check-up. Multiple issues effect health service and prevention programs including: characteristics of health services such as distances to health services; existence of social and cultural barriers; available wealth and social support; and, characteristics of the individual and community including the importance given to the disease. This paper seeks to explore the perceived importance of oral health within a rural Indigenous community in Australia and the factors influencing this perception.MethodsThe study used a phenomenology research design incorporating focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. It was undertaken in partnership with communities’ Health Action Group who guided the focus, implementation and reporting of the research. A convenience sample was recruited from established community groups. Thematic analysis on the transcripts was completed.ResultsTwenty-seven community members participated in three focus groups and twelve in-depth interviews. The study found that the community gives high priority to oral health. Factors influencing the importance include: the perceived severity of symptoms of oral disease such as pain experienced due to tooth ache; lack of enabling resources such as access to finance and transport; the social impact of oral disease on individuals including impact on their personal appearance and self-esteem; and health beliefs including oral health awareness. Participants also noted that the importance given to oral health within the community competed with the occurrence of multiple health concerns and family responsibilities.ConclusionThis paper highlights the high importance this rural Indigenous community gives to oral health. Its findings suggest that under-utilisation of oral health services is influenced by both major barriers faced in accessing oral health services; and the number and severity of competing health and social concerns within the community. The study results confirm the importance of establishing affordable, culturally appropriate, community-based oral health care services to improve the oral health of rural Indigenous communities.

Global Strategies for Population Management of Domestic Cats (Felis catus): A Systematic Review to Inform Best Practice Management for Remote Indigenous Communities in Australia.

Simple SummaryA systematic review process was used to identify the current global cat population management practices for owned, free-roaming cat populations, particularly those suited to remote Indigenous communities in Australia. Based on this review, a combination of three methods is recommended. The first method, Surgical Sterilisation (SS), requires owners to take their socialised cats to a facility for surgical sterilisation and then take them home. The second method, Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) traps, neuters (sterilises) and returns healthy owned cats, which are unsocialised to the point where trapping is necessary, to their homes, and the third method, Trap-Remove (TR), traps and removes unwanted social cats via adoption and unhealthy cats via euthanasia. Conducting these three methods together over a long-term period appears to be consistent with current global best practice for humane and ethical management of cat populations in these communities.Pet domestic cat (Felis catus) populations are increasing all around the world, resulting in an increase in contact with humans and wildlife, potentially spreading zoonotic diseases and predating on wildlife. With the recently identified rise in cat populations in remote Indigenous communities in Australia, culturally appropriate cat population management strategies are required. A systematic review process was conducted to review the current global cat population management practices that are suitable for owned, free-roaming cat populations in these communities. Eight articles on in-situ field cat populations and five studies simulating computer modelled cat populations reported results of 66 population management interventions. Surgical Sterilisation (SS) was used in all socialised owned cat articles. The trap–neuter–release (TNR) method was used most frequently on unsocialised cats and gained the best results when the trap–remove (TR) method was used concurrently to adopt out unwanted social cats and euthanise ill or injured cats. The results of this review suggest that long-term TNR/SS programs supplemented with TR provide the current most ethically sound best practice, humane method of managing cat populations in remote Australian Indigenous communities. It is also recognised that no one plan will fit all, and that further research on the micro-level techniques used to deploy both TNR and TR needs to occur, and that culturally appropriate community consultation during all processes is vital in achieving a sustainable management program.

Exploring the barriers preventing Indigenous Australians from accessing cancer genetic counseling.

In Australia, individuals of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent (Indigenous Australians) have poorer health outcomes than the general population, including higher incidence of cancer and reduced life expectancy up to 14years compared to non-Indigenous Australians. Although differences in engagement with healthcare and beliefs about disease/cancer exist between Indigenous communities, a number of common barriers have been identified hindering attendance at mainstream health services. To inform exploration of barriers that may impact access to a cancer genetic counseling service, consultations with Aboriginal stakeholders were undertaken. Ethical principles for studies that engage Indigenous communities were followed throughout the research endeavor. Using a stakeholder-endorsed focus group approach, the views of an Aboriginal Elders group (n=9) were sought with additional semi-structured interviews with social science and genetics researchers working with Indigenous communities in Australia (n=7). Thematic analysis of the results identified three themes: explanatory models of illness, barriers to keeping well and attending services, and recommendations for improvements to access/attendance. Barriers common to accessing both mainstream health services and clinical genetic services were identified, including attributions of illness and cancer. Specific genetic counseling barriers included the cultural inclusivity and accessibility of services, and a lack of awareness of genetic counseling both in the community and by clinicians unfamiliar with genetics. Recommendations included developing flexible service delivery models and culturally appropriate resources for Indigenous patients. These findings may inform future studies to improve Indigenous health outcomes and promote a more accessible, culturally appropriate approach to provision of cancer genetics services for Australia's First Peoples.

Surface-Specific Caries Preventive Effect of an Intervention Comprising Fissure Sealant, Povidone-Iodine and Fluoride Varnish in a Remote Indigenous Community in Australia.

This study evaluates the effect of a topical intervention comprising of fissure sealant, povidone-iodine, and fluoride varnish in preventing caries on occlusal, approximal, and smooth surfaces. This three-year clinical trial was conducted in a remote Indigenous community of Australia. All schoolchildren (age range: 4–17) were invited to participate; those with parental consents to receive three-annual epidemiological examinations and interventions constituted the experimental group, while those with consents for only the epidemiological examination formed a comparison group. The intervention group received an annual application of fissure sealant, povidone–iodine and fluoride varnish for two consecutive years along with the restoration of any cavitated lesions, while the comparison group did not receive any intervention except for the usual care that included emergency treatment and restorations. Incipient and advanced caries were recorded in the permanent dentition while data on confounding variables were collected through questionnaires. Caries increment and progression were the outcome variables. A total of 408 children participated in the baseline examination, 208 finished the study. After adjusting for confounders, the prevented fraction (PF) on occlusal surfaces for advanced caries in the experimental group was 76.1% (mean difference- −0.35, 95% CI: −0.67–0.04), while the PF for progression from incipient to advanced caries was 100%(mean difference- −0.30, 95% CI: −0.52–0.09). The mean number of smooth surfaces that progressed from incipient to advanced caries in the comparison group was more than twice that of the experimental group, the mean difference was −0.25 (95% CI: −0.46–−0.03) with a PF of 61%. The intervention was only effective in preventing advanced caries on occlusal surfaces and in halting the progression of caries on occlusal and smooth surfaces but not on approximal caries.

Demonstration of high value care to improve oral health of a remote Indigenous community in Australia

BackgroundThe oral health of Indigenous children in remote communities is much worse than other population groups in Australia. Providing and maintaining an oral health service is challenging due to the remoteness of communities, the associated high cost, and the low retention of clinical staff. An annual preventive intervention delivered by fly-in clinicians may be a more cost-effective way to manage this problem. In this analysis we estimate the cost-effectiveness of an annual professional intervention for the prevention of dental caries in children of a remote Indigenous community in Far North Queensland.MethodsA cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted based on an annual preventive intervention protocol. This included treating all dental decay in those with disease, applying fissure sealants, a disinfectant swab, fluoride varnish and providing oral hygiene instructions and dietary advice to all participating school children. This study included an intervention group and a natural comparison group and both groups were followed-up for 2 years after the initial preventive intervention. A Markov model was built to assess the cost-effectiveness of the intervention compared with the usual care. Costs of treatment from the Queensland Department of Health were used and effectiveness was measured as quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) with the CHU-9D. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted to identify key drivers and quantify uncertainty.ResultsThe preventive intervention was found to be highly cost-effective. The incremental cost per QALY gained was AU$3747. Probability of new caries and seeking treatment were identified as the main drivers of the model. In probabilistic sensitivity analysis intervention was cost effective in 100% of simulations.ConclusionAn annual preventive intervention for remote Indigenous communities in Australia is a highly cost-effective strategy to prevent dental caries and improve the quality of life of children.

Facing Empire: Indigenous Experiences in a Revolutionary Age

In the opening piece in this extraordinary collection of essays, Bill Gammage discusses fire management in Indigenous communities in Australia. Almost as an aside, he comments that “of course you need to appreciate fire as a management tool before the use of no fire can be detected” (43). This profound but simple remark might be taken as a guiding statement for the collection and the worlds of interpretative possibilities that it opens up: which tools and techniques do we recognise in our approach to colonial histories? How can we learn to recognise what is missing when we don’t even really appreciate what is already visible and tangible? To what extent does our scholarship recognise the “fire” of Indigenous work, let alone comprehend what we’re looking at when we see no fire?

Sentencing, Domestic Violence, and the Overrepresentation of Indigenous Australians: Does Court Location Matter?

The significant overrepresentation of Indigenous people in Australian prisons has been the subject of numerous studies. In this article, we build on recent research suggesting that sentencing in domestic violence cases might be an important contributor to this overrepresentation of Indigenous people. We broaden the existing research by examining differences for Indigenous and non-Indigenous defendants in domestic violence cases across a range of sentencing outcomes including imprisonment, probation, fines, and good behavior orders. We also consider whether the degree of geographic remoteness of the court influences these sentencing outcomes. To accomplish this, we use administrative court data from Queensland, Australia, and employ a multinomial hierarchical modeling strategy appropriate for nested court-level multilevel data. The findings further support recent Australian research suggesting that there are sentencing disparities for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in relation to domestic violence, and in particular, that harsher sentences such as imprisonment are disproportionately reserved for Indigenous defendants. Our research demonstrates that these disparities in the likelihood of imprisonment occur irrespective of defendants' domestic violence protection order (DVO) breach histories and the location of the sentencing court. Based on the findings, we conclude with a discussion of possible ways forward. Although there is no question that Indigenous women should be safe and free from violence, supporting a harsher sentencing regime for those who breach DVOs is not effective. Instead, we argue that flexible strategies that work within and for Indigenous communities in Australia are required.

Overall Nutritional and Sensory Profile of Different Species of Australian Wattle Seeds (Acacia spp.): Potential Food Sources in the Arid Semi-Arid Regions.

Wattle seed (Acacia spp.) is a well-known staple food within indigenous communities in Australia. A detailed investigation of the overall nutritional and sensory profile of four abundant and underutilized Acacia species—A. coriacea, A. cowleana, A. retinodes and A. sophorae—were performed. Additionally, molecular weight of protein extracts from the wattle seeds (WS) was determined. The seeds are rich in protein (23–27%) and dietary fibre (33–41%). Relatively high fat content was found in A. cowleana (19.3%), A. sophorae (14.8%) and A. retinodes (16.4%) with oleic acid being the predominant fatty acid. The seeds contained high amounts of essential amino acids (histidine, lysine, valine, isoleucine and leucine). A. coriacea is rich in iron (43 mg/kg), potassium (10 g/kg) and magnesium (1.7 g/kg). Pentose (xylose/arabinose), glucose, galactose and galacturonic acids were the major sugars found in the four species. Raw seeds from A. sophorae, A. retinodes and A. coriacea have the highest protein molecular weight, between 50–90 kDa, 80 kDa and 50–55 kDa, respectively. There was variation in the sensory profile of the WS species. This study showed that the four WS species have good nutritional value and could be included in human diet or used in food formulations.

Introduction—Data, Knowledge, Politics and Localizing the SDGs

This special issue explores the workings of global goals as an instrument of global governance by numbers. These goals can alter power relations, affect the distribution of resources, reorganize national and local priorities, create perverse incentives for performance, and produce narratives that shape thinking and communication. As the articles in the 2014 JHDC special issue showed, the MDGs had complex, often distorting, consequences which were often in tension with the (intangible and difficult to quantify) principles of equity, human agency and participation as the cornerstone of development. This issue focuses on SDGs and includes five case studies of this localization process in aid programming in the Valencia, national reporting by Sweden, farming collectives in South Africa, indigenous communities in Australia and New Zealand, and infrastructure development in Ecuador and Pakistan. A sixth paper examines the role of metrics in including Neglected Tropical Diseases in the SDGs. These papers are diverse in the research questions they ask but engage with the common themes of global goals as a tool of global governance and their disruptive effects on power structures. Using the framework of data infrastructure—means of collection and analysis, social structures amongst actors, knowledge systems—this introduction highlights the insights that emerge.

Dispositions towards diversity: two pre-service teachers’ experiences of living and teaching in a remote indigenous community

ABSTRACT Teacher education programmes are often tasked with preparing predominantly White, middle class, pre-service teachers to be effective in diverse contexts. Many teacher educators consider practicum experiences critical to forming values and dispositions necessary for the teaching profession. This article focuses on the work of two White, middle-class, pre-service teachers, Charlotte and Seraphina, who volunteered to do their practicum in a remote indigenous community in Australia on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands. At the beginning of the practicum, both pre-service teachers’ attitudes about the experience were similar; yet, over time they began to develop divergant dispositions or ‘positionality towards diversity’ relative to their unique backgrounds and APY Lands experiences, highlighting certain sensitivities and biases regarding racial, cultural and linguistic diversity. We focus on how Charlotte and Seraphina interpret their experiences, what this can tell us about their professional development, and the possible implications for teacher educators teaching in post-colonial contexts.

Deficit discourses and teachers’ work: the case of an early career teacher in a remote Indigenous school

ABSTRACT Research within communities that have historically been failed by formalised schooling often describes teachers who have found it difficult to engage with the social and cultural differences of their students. In this article, I present the case of Richard, a teacher whose work entailed a particular set of demands generated by a complex range of intersecting factors – amount and nature of experience in teaching, and the context in which he worked, a school located within a remote Indigenous community in Australia. Richard’s descriptions of his experiences reflect a range of conflicting deficit discourses directed variously at his students, their families and community, as well as the school, its teachers, and himself. In this article, I use Bourdieu to explore Richard’s case, and suggest that the analysis of deficit discourses in teaching needs to move beyond their identification, and towards unravelling the complex structural and personal inter-relations at play. Understanding how and why such discourses can arise and persist in teaching may afford new directions for research and practice, enabling more productive support of teachers and their work with diverse groups of students.

Observing and Respecting Diverse Knowledge Traditions in a Digital Archive of Indigenous Language Materials

Australian copyright law and Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) have always sat uncomfortably together, each with their own internal logic and legitimacy, but forcing certain arrangements and compromises when applied to specific contexts. The collection of Indigenous language materials into a digital archive has required finding means to observe and respect these two incongruent knowledge traditions. The Living Archive of Aboriginal Languages, an open online repository containing thousands of books in dozens of languages from Indigenous communities of Australia’s Northern Territory, offers opportunity to explore how the need to attend to both knowledge traditions led to specific decisions and practices. In particular, where the Australian copyright law was satisfied, additional steps were needed to respectfully incorporate Indigenous perspectives. This paper outlines the negotiations and compromises inherent in seeking a solution which observes and respects both Indigenous and western knowledge practices in a unique collection of cultural heritage materials.