Educator Resource

Cultural safety: respectfully covering First Nations content

We acknowledge and pay respect to the Traditional Custodians of this nation and pay our respects to elders past and present. We acknowledge the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and that connection to Country never ends.

This lesson has been developed and created in collaboration with First Nations consultants. While every effort has been made to ensure this content's accuracy, we acknowledge hundreds of distinct Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups across Australia. Therefore, we recognise that this content will not be the sole representation, voice or view of First Nations peoples and their diverse communities.

Useful resources:

https://www.narragunnawali.org.au/about/terminology-guide
https://www.narragunnawali.org.au/professional-learning/90/cultural-safety-and-respect-in-the-classroom
For exploring language, social or nation groups of Aboriginal Australia, visit the AIATSIS Map of Indigenous Australia.

Talk with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, staff, families or community members when planning to use Bright Beginnings on Country learning resources in the classroom. Local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members could be invited to share stories about their culture and experiences. This will enrich the students’ learning experiences and is especially meaningful when local perspectives are shared from the place where students live and learn.

Before approaching First Nations people, teachers should be mindful and respectful that there may already be many demands on their time for some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Instead, an effective approach might be to look up the local First Nations organisation first – do some research online or ask your local council if you need a starting point. Local First Nations organisations often have information about a region's history and culture, as well as contacts. Once you have researched, use the information you find to engage with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Understanding Country

As educators, it’s important to understand the Country you are teaching, living and learning on. For First Nations people, Country refers to the ‘lands, waters, and skies to which they are connected through ancestral ties and family origins’ (Source). This term holds various meanings for First Nations peoples, representing the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across the continent.

Country is considered a proper noun and should always be capitalised when referring to First Nations perspectives. For First Nations peoples, Country is often referred to in the same way a person is.

For non-Indigenous peoples, it is a sign of respect to Traditional Owners and First Nations peoples across the continent to know and acknowledge the Country you reside on. An authentic First Nations education for every child in Australia will ensure a better understanding of the local Country, First Nations peoples, cultures, languages, histories and perspectives, further enabling a more progressive, inclusive and accepting wider community (Source).

Research shows that younger Australians are more likely to know the Country they are on than older Australians, and as educators, we can work towards improving the knowledge of our students and their families through inclusive language in our classroom. For example, ‘This newsletter comes to you from Taungurung Country…’ or ‘Students have been learning about the Traditional Owners of Gundjitmara Country.’

The ability to identify the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Country, language group or community you are on pays respect to your First Nations community. Recognising Country and language is also a key part of the decolonising journey and work that Australians are doing to understand First Australians (Source).

Safe removal of natural materials from the environment

The use of natural materials contributes to a rich, creative and sensory learning experience, and children often want to collect items they find in nature, such as sticks, flowers, seed pods, or shells. However, it is important to model and teach children how to develop a respectful relationship with the natural environment.

When collecting from a natural environment, the general rule of thumb is to remove no more than 10% – whether it is seeds, grasses, flowers, etc. This creates a sustainable harvest, making sure enough is left behind for the ecosystem to continue. That being said, National Parks, Crown Land and other nature reserves often have protective legislation prohibiting the removal of any natural material, so check your local laws.

This unit requires you to collect natural items, which means when implementing relevant activities, teachers need to be mindful of the following:

When possible, return the natural materials to the environment they came from when you are finished.
Make sure to leave animal homes undisturbed! Turning over rocks or logs, removing nests or moving cocoons can all have negative impacts on animals.
It is possible to be allergic to certain plants, so teachers need to ensure they are aware of children’s medical conditions before beginning this lesson.
Feathers, bones, tufts of fur and other animal parts can be great prompts for student learning. However, be mindful that a permit is needed to collect and hold any native wildlife specimens, including feathers.

Content

For further reading, check out this article by Shannon Foster, a D'harawal Saltwater Knowledge Keeper, educator and artist from the Botany Bay and Georges River regions: How does the Aboriginal numeric system work?

Counting Stories on Country

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