AustLit

'This research begins with the premise that non- Aboriginal students are challenged by much Aboriginal writing and also challenge its representations as they struggle to re-position themselves in relation to possible meanings within Aboriginal writing. Many non-Aboriginal students come to read an Aboriginal narrative against their understanding of what it means to be an Aboriginal Australian, accumulated via their prior reading of Australian history, literature and more contemporary social analysis and popular commentary. Aboriginal writing is confronting when it disturbs the more familiar representations of Aboriginal experience and characterisation previously encountered. The aim of this paper is to provide a more informed basis from which to consider higher education pedagogy for this area of literary studies. A further aim is to contribute to the literary studies discourse on Aboriginal representation in Australian literature.' Source; The author.

'Storytelling is an integral part of life for Indigenous Australians. Before the arrival of Europeans and continuing after; gathered around the campfire in the evening stories were and are still shared; passed from one generation to the next. In modern times, in addition to continuing oral traditions, another method of storytelling has risen from the ashes of the fire: filmmaking and multi-media production. In the past stories were verbally passed from one family member to the next. Sometimes these 'yarns' were presented on a 'message stick' and the modern form of the traditional message stick is the DVD or the internet. This paper will examine the importance and crucial element of re-representation of images, archives or productions that have in the past, and in the majority, portrayed Indigenous cultures and communities in a derogatory or less than flattering manner. Further, it will explain the main factors for appropriate manifestation of Indigenous perspectives within any film production that is portraying or capturing Indigenous individuals, narratives and/or communities. The paper relates the key elements that must be in place to ensure appropriate and robust Indigenous agency in any film production. Finally, the paper concludes with an affirmation of the need to creatively engage in the third space; between Indigenous values and priorities and Western formats and narrative structures, to arrive at a uniquely modern Indigenous telling that is accessible, firstly to Indigenous Australians, and secondly, to those with whom we wish to share our stories.' Source: The authors.

'The Martu people originate from the Pilbara region in Western Australia. Despite policies of removal, incarceration in prison and the need to leave community for health services, Martu maintain identity and connection to country. Their narratives have been used to inform a wider Australian audience about the history and culture of Aboriginal people. But the stories have also received criticism and been the subject of a Westernised anthropological view. With the emergence of storytelling as method in the academy, a new space is being created for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people to find a more robust foothold within the Social Sciences to story our world. This paper is written by three Martu people who position storytelling as transmission and preservation of cultural knowledge and to privilege a voice to speak back to Western academics. Storytelling also brings an opportunity to engage with an Aboriginal worldview, to use narrative as an inquiry into ontology and one's connection to people and place. This brings benefits to all Australians seeking stories of country, connection and identity.' Source: The authors.