Indigenous reconciliation for teachers

“Reconciliation is for white people. (They) are the ones who need to reconcile,” tweeted Yorta Yorta rapper Adam Briggs recently.

When discussing National Reconciliation Week (NRW), it pays to listen to the experts.

NRW events are 'problematic', says Yorta Yorta writer Taneisha Atkinson, because 'attendance at such events gives white Australia a false impression that they have somehow contributed to a better society'.

'First Nations people are expected to perform, balance multiple gigs and share their insight, lived experiences and trauma, often unpaid – all in the name of reconciliation.'

She's seen non-Indigenous staff get entertained, then 'return to their day jobs' still believing that current injustices have nothing to do with them.

Taneisha demands non-indigenous Australians address accountability and ending structural racism, rather than indulging token feel-good events.

'Remember that the responsibility of reconciliation does not sit with First Nations people.'

Here are a few of Taneisha's ideas on practical involvement with NRW, 'and every other week':

• Support First Nations causes, like the Dhadjowa Foundation which aims to provide support to families who have lost loved ones in custody

• Learn about NRW, the country you are on and it's true history

• Pay The Rent on land stolen from indigenous peoples

• Support Indigenous-owned businesses

• Stream music by First Nations artists.

For teachers looking for specific resources, the IEU can help:

• Information, resources, and campaigns: First Nations Justice page

• Current issues facing First Nations people: Bridging The Gap Foundation

• Developing a Reconciliation Action Plan

• The IEU Victoria / Tasmania Reconciliation Action Plan

• Read about IEU member and Yorta Yorta / Wema Wemba Cameron Madden and the film In My Blood It Runs in the term 2, 2020 edition of The Point

• Find your local Victorian or Tasmanian community, and learn more about language and treaty

• Find First Nations educational resources for Victoria and Tasmania

• Use the extensive educational resources developed for the important documentary about champion footballer and activist Adam Goodes: The Final Quarter

• Read Dark Emu, which overturns preconceptions about Aboriginal farming; Welcome To Country, a travel guide to indigenous Australia; and the Uluru Statement From The Heart, the First Nations proposal for a Voice to Parliament

• Sign up for the highly recommended Voice Truth Treaty Advocacy course

• Support the First Nations Working Alliance and other national union measures at australianunions.org.au.

And, finally, consider Dadirri, the 'deep listening' practiced by Aboriginal people.

'Deep listening describes the processes of deep and respectful listening to build community – a way of encouraging people to explore and learn from the ancient heritage of Aboriginal culture, knowledge and understanding', writes creativespirits.info.

Aboriginal writer, senior elder and Senior Australian of the Year Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann says Dadirri is 'inner, deep listening and quiet, still awareness'.

'Dadirri recognises the deep spring that is inside us. We call on it and it calls to us. This is the gift that Australia is thirsting for. It is something like what you call 'contemplation'.

'In our Aboriginal way, we learnt to listen from our earliest days. We could not live good and useful lives unless we listened. This was the normal way for us to learn – not by asking questions. We learnt by watching and listening, waiting, and then acting.

'The contemplative way of Dadirri spreads over our whole life. It renews us and brings us peace. It makes us feel whole again…'

Dadirri is applied to counselling, and as a form of meditation, but it is also highly relevant to education.

Miriam was the first fully qualified Aboriginal teacher in the Northern Territory and is the founder of the Miriam Rose Foundation (MRF), a charity dedicated to 'improving lives and creating opportunities for a brighter future for Indigenous children and youth'.

The MRF supports and encourages education, creativity and self-expression through programs conducted inside and outside of local communities. Dadirri is central to its mission to help indigenous kids 'walk in two worlds' successfully.

You can hear Miriam in conversation with Meredith Lake on the outstanding Radio National program Soul Search.