Newsletter. Welcome to the March 2014 IISIG Newsletter

Transcription

1 Indigenous Issues Special Interest Group (IISIG) Newsletter CONTENTS Loris Williams lecture State Library NSW State Records SA Public Record Office Victoria National Archives of Australia Websites & resources IISIG AGM2013 Welcome to the March 2014 IISIG Newsletter Hi everyone and welcome to the first IISIG newsletter for 2014.I am really happy to be at the helm of the newsletter this year. I would like to acknowledge the wonderful work of Kirsten Thorpe as newsletter editor over the last several years I have big shoes to fill! Remember this is your newsletter so please feel free to contribute to it or to make suggestions about the content and layout it all helps! About the ASA IISIG The Indigenous Issues Special Interest Group was formed following the 1996 ASA National Conference in Alice Springs. One of the main aims of the IISIG is to: Encourage and facilitate contact and discussion amongst members of the ASA involved with or interested in issues relating to records and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples One thing that I know has happened in the past both under Kirsten s guidance and previously is the inclusion of member profiles. I would really like to get these happening again. To get the ball rolling, see my profile toward the end of the newsletter. So, please enjoy this edition of the newsletter and get thinking about what you might like to contribute to the next one. It s due out in June/July perfect timing to tell us about your NAIDOC and Reconciliation Week activities! Rebecca ISIG Committee Convener: Andrew Wilson (State Records SA) Secretary: Hilary Rowell (National Archives) Newsletter editor: Rebecca Bateman (National Archives)

2 Loris Williams Memorial Lecture The Loris Williams Memorial lecture is delivered at each Australian Society of Archivists conference. It was conceived and named in honour of Loris Williams who was an Aboriginal woman of Mulinjali (Beaudesert, South East Queensland) descent through her father, and Birri Gubba (Ayr, North Queensland) descent through her mother. Loris was the first Aboriginal person from Queensland to gain professional archival qualifications and only the second Aboriginal person to do so. Loris is remembered as a passionate advocate for the right of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to use archives as a means of reconnecting with their family, country and Indigenous identity and the lecturer and topic each year are chosen in keeping with this passion. Loris Williams MEMORIAL Lecture 2013 Speaker: Stewart Sutherland, Indigenous Visiting Research Fellow, AIATSIS The Bringing Them Home Report: A reassessment of the original recommendations In 2013 the Loris Williams Memorial Lecture was presented by Stewart Sutherland. Stewart is a PhD student at the ANU researching the interplay between reconciliation and the social and emotional wellbeing of Indigenous people forcibly removed from family and cultures, and an Indigenous Visiting Research Fellow at AIATSIS. He is from Mumbil NSW, the heart of Wiradjuri country, and has worked in Indigenous health, focusing on mental health. His research focus is transnational, Forced removals and Cultural Identity trends. Stewart s lecture looked at the recommendations of the Bringing Them Home report on access to records. He looked at what has already been achieved at a range of Archival institutions and highlighted some areas that require further attention. Stewart discussed the relationship between access to records, identity and emotional wellbeing for the Stolen Generations and their descendants. It was an insightful lecture and reflected the spirit of Loris legacy and the intention of the Loris Williams Memorial Lecture. Loris Williams Scholarship The ASA also honours Loris William's memory through a scholarship program. Scholarships are offered to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who wish to train for careers in archives and records management at a University or TAFE. The scholarship was first offered in For more information on the Loris Williams Scholarship visit the ASA Web site at: and_publications/recognising_excelle nce_-

3 Indigenous Issues Special Interest Group update Annual general meeting Members of IISIG met on 15th October Minutes of this meeting are included at the end of this newsletter. For more information about the Indigenous Issues Special Interest group see Membership To be a member of the IISIG, you must first be a member of the ASA, either as an individual or via an organisational membership if your employer is a member. For more information about membership of ASA see: or contact the Membership Officer at membership@archivists.org.au IISIG Committee At the last AGM, the following committee was elected. Convenor Andrew Wilson Senior Aboriginal Access Officer State Records of South Australia Secretary Hilary Rowell Assistant Director Reference Projects National Archives of Australia Newsletter Editor Rebecca Stubbs Project Officer Indigenous Issues National Archives of Australia Other Executive members Kirsten Thorpe Coordinator Indigenous Unit State Library of NSW Kathy Frankland Manager Community and Personal Histories at Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural Affairs (Qld)

4 Indigenous Unit, State Library of New South Wales Rediscovering Indigenous Languages Project The Indigenous Unit team at the State Library of NSW are involved in a number of projects to increase access to the archival collections of the State Library. A significant project that is currently underway is to expose the many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language materials held in the collection. A website is currently being developed for the language materials that will provide an opportunity for communities to engage with the content. In addition, the Indigenous Unit team are actively involved in consulting with communities about the material that has been identified to discuss use of the material in the future. The Reference Committee has provided important input into planning the consultation process. It has also been assisting with advice on the use of the language resources for education in schools and communities. Further information on Indigenous Services and Collections at the Library For further information on Indigenous Services at the State Library visit: For further information on Indigenous Family History research visit: Find articles in the Koori Mail and other newspapers and magazines using the Australian Indigenous Index visit: Kirsten Thorpe Coordinator, Indigenous Unit State Library of NSW

5 Koorie Records Unit, Public Record Office Victoria walata tyamateetj: A guide to government records about Aboriginal people in Victoria walata tyamateetj is a brand new guide to government records about Aboriginal people in Victoria. Produced by Public Record Office Victoria with the National Archives of Australia, the guide highlights the wide range of records available in our collections for Aboriginal Victorians researching their family and country, as well as researchers interested in the history of Aboriginal affairs in Victoria. Along with extensive series listings there is a historical overview by Emeritus Professor Richard Broome. The guide features artwork by Victorian Aboriginal artist, Vicki Couzens, who also developed the title of the guide walata tyamateetj, meaning to carry knowledge in the Gunditjmara language of western Victoria. walata tyamateetj is an invaluable starting place to connect with Victoria s Aboriginal history, people, places and the collections. The guide will be launched on 8 April 2014 by the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, and is available in hard copy and digital formats online free of charge from the PROV website at prov.vic.gov.au/publications Aboriginal records showcase A special display of Aboriginal records from the collection of Public Record Office Victoria will showcase the variety of material available for Aboriginal history and family research. A highlight of the exhibition will be fascinating records dating from early European settlement in Victoria and the Protectorate period of the 1840s and 1850s through to the 20th century. Also on display will be original letters, maps, reports, petitions and images from Victorian Aboriginal missions and reserves including Coranderrk, Framlingham and Lake Tyers. On display at the Victorian Archives Centre in North Melbourne from 17 May to July Free entry. Koorie Records Unit -- koorie.records@prov.vic.gov.au

6 State Records of South Australia Remembering Laura Winslow - a recent long standing member of the State Records (South Australia) Aboriginal Access Team In 2014 while things are mostly business as usual for the State Records of South Australia AAT (Aboriginal Access Team), the team (now only two) is otherwise resettling minus one position. At the end of 2013 State Records farewelled Laura Winslow (a Ngarrindjeri woman from the Coorong region in South Australia). She served as a member of the AAT for just short of ten years. Laura (who was getting towards her retiring years and now happily resettled back home in Murray Bridge), took a voluntary separation package and as a result her position will not be replaced. While this has meant an increased workload for the two remaining AAT members (Jay Morrison and myself), some efficiencies have been put in place for us to better manage our responsibilities. So far so good. However, the main focus of this article is to acknowledge Laura Winslow for the work she did in her time as a member of the AAT. As well as being a vital member of the team attending to general enquires, she was also solely responsible over the ten years for responding to all SA Link -Up enquiries. However, one of her most valuable contributions was several years ago when (apart from maintaining its premises in one of Adelaide s northern suburbs), State Records also moved into a beautifully renovated heritage building in Adelaide s CBD. While this created a better and upmarket image for State Records, the move helped to increase the number of our users. Shortly after, in line with the new look State Records was another State Records first a public exhibition space. Laura will be remembered for extensively researching and putting together a very valuable part of the Scabby Knees, Hopes & Dreams a child s experience of government exhibition (that still remains today). Her segment relates to the SA Aboriginal community of Raukkan (better known to most people as Point McLeay) where her mother s people are from and traditional country is. The following page shows one side of a brochure of the Scabby Knees, Hopes & Dreams exhibition brochure. It includes an image (1846) from the cover of an Aboriginal Affairs (AA) primary source document relating to the care of Ngarrindjeri children; a GRG 52/1 reference extracted from another AA record (1890) about Aboriginal children removed from school and a photographic image of local Aboriginal children at the Point McLeay School in the 1920 s. All of these and other items were used in Laura s Point McLeay exhibition segment, which includes an audio presentation about the history of the school, which is the oldest surviving ongoing used school in South Australia.

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8 National Archives of Australia Copies of Petition presented to the Larrakia Nation 'Today we are refugees in the country of our ancestors' In a ceremony in Darwin on 11 November 2013, the Director-General of the Archives, David Fricker presented Darren Wilson, Director of the Larrakia Nation Aboriginal Corporation with copies of the 1972 petition, often referred to as the Larrakia petition. The Corporation intend displaying the copies in their new building due to be opened in The petition to the Queen concerning a treaty, land rights and political representation was organised by Larrakia people and signed by approximately 1,000 Aboriginal people from all states of mainland Australia. The 3.3 metre petition was torn in an unsuccessful attempt to present it to Princess Margaret during her visit to Darwin in October The organisers patched the document and posted it to Buckingham Palace. The palace sent it on to the Australian government via the Governor-General and it was passed by the Department of Aboriginal Affairs to the National Archives' predecessor for preservation as part of the national collection in The original of this important document is very fragile. The Archives' conservators created a 3.3 metre display copy, as well as an album of copies of the original smaller individual pages (which were pasted together to make the long document). These, together with indexes to the signatures prepared by Archives' staff, were handed to the Larrakia Nation. The event received media coverage in the Northern Territory News and in the Koori Mail. Opening words of the petision, NAA: A2354, 1073/86 ATTACHMENT 1

9 National Archives of Australia I ve Been Working on the Railways Mt Newman Rail Project, Photo courtesy of John Kennell Snr. Since late November 2013, an exhibition I've Been Working on the Railway: Railway stories and experiences of Torres Strait Islanders, Aboriginal people and Australian South Sea Islanders has been on display in the National Archives in Canberra. The exhibition was developed by the Workshops Rail Museum, Queensland. The exhibition was officially launched on 28 November by Professor Mick Dodson, a member of the National Archives Advisory Council. The exhibition curator, Dr Geraldine Mate, visited Canberra and presented a talk to the public in the National Archives Speakers Corner program on Sunday, 2 February She spoke about developing the exhibition and the unique personal insights she gained from talking with railway workers. She also gave a talk to staff on 3 February. As part of the Canberra Enlighten Festival, on March 8th Troy Brady performed a concert of original and other songs with a railway theme. Troy drew upon the experiences of his own family and there experiences working and living on the railways in Queensland. I ve Been Working on the Railway explores the little known railway stories of Aboriginal people, Torres Strait Islanders and Australian South Sea Islanders and their contribution to the development of rail across Australia. Their stories are about their achievements, such as the 1968 World Track Laying record set by a predominantly Torres Strait Island gang. The exhibition includes details of camp life, the realities of the work, the hardships, the separation from their land, islands and family and the opportunities and challenges of working on the railway. There are many poignant stories in the exhibition one of my favourites is of Eddie Koiki Mabo, and how his fighting spirit can be traced to his youth spent working as a fettler on the railways where he Commonwealth Government Records about Tasmania The guide, compiled by Michael Piggott, offers a sample of the vast resource of files, photos and other material available through the National Archives website and its reading rooms. Where especially relevant, the guide also points to the collections of other archives such as the Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office. It includes additional information to help researchers including those undertaking family history, academic and other scholarly investigations, local histories or compiling heritage material. The guide includes an A Z section of micro stories. They show that more Tasmanian stories can be found through using Commonwealth records that have been overlooked for too long or previously unknown, including a chapter about records relating to Tasmanian Aboriginal people. You can view the guide on the National Archives website

10 National Archives of Australia Serving our Country: a history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the defence of Australia Serving our Country is an Australian Research Council-funded research project based at The Australian National University. The National Archives is a linkage partner in the project together with the Australian War Memorial and the Departments of Defence and Veterans Affairs and the collaborating partners including the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS). The project will investigate the history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the defence of Australia, and provide authoritative accounts of their contributions to the nation. The project will produce a comprehensive history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people s participation across all major conflicts and in peace time; including two books, oral histories, community workshops and exhibition and a national conference (to be held in Canberra, 2-4 December 2014). The National Archives is contributing funding as well as research assistance, content for the community Yarn Up workshops, developing an exhibition and participating in the national conference. It is a really exciting project which highlights an important part of our history and the National Archives is pleased to be involved. For more information see See following pages for dates and locations of Community Yarn Ups.

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13 Member profiles Rebecca Bateman I am Rebecca Bateman (used to be Stubbs) and I am the Project Officer, Indigenous Issues at the National Archives of Australia. I am a Weilwan woman and my people are from the area around Warren in North Western NSW. My mother was a member of the Stolen Generations and I feel strongly about the importance of helping our people to access records. Before joining the National Archives (in December 2013) I worked in the Family History Unit at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) where I was first a Family History officer and then manager of the Unit. Many years. I was there for 12 years. I am thoroughly enjoying being at the National Archives and having the opportunity to work on a variety of projects. I particularly enjoy meeting people and hearing their stories most recently Troy Brady who performed at the official opening of I ve Been Working on the Railways. Another highlight was meeting Uncle Boydie Turner, the grandson of Victoria Aboriginal activist William Cooper (c ) and hearing his childhood memories of his grandfather. It s been a fabulous first year and I can t wait to see what the next one holds!

14 Your turn! It would be great to learn more about our wonderful and dedicated members, so don t be shy tell us about yourself (or your organisation if you prefer). You can answer all of the questions or just pick a few that you like the sound of (or, if you prefer, just write a few lines about yourself - it s up to you!). Where do you work? What is your role? How does your role involve Indigenous records? What brought you to the archives profession? Have you been involved in any interesting activities recently that you d like to share with us? What's the best part of your job? What s the most challenging part of your job? What do you wish more people knew about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander records? What might we be surprised to know about you? What would you tell someone who is thinking about a career in archives? If you weren't working in archives, what would you be doing instead? Photographs are great but don t feel you have to include one if you d rather not

15 Interesting websites Parliamentary Library Overview of Indigenous Affairs: Part 1: 1901 to IndigenousAffairs1!Do you know Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet Transcripts from the Prime Ministers of Australia of a really useful website or other resource why not share it with us! Jesse s Thesis Blog documenting the establishment of Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Indian Residential School's National Research Centre (Archive) at the University of Manitoba

16 Indigenous Issues Special Interest Group (IISIG) Meeting 15 October 2013 MINUTES Present: Andrew Wilson Kirsten Thorpe Grace Baliviera Jess Reid Rebecca Stubbs Margaret Reid Kathy Frankland Apologies: Hilary Rowell, Janette Pelosi Welcome Andrew Wilson acknowledged the Ngambri and Ngunnawal people on who s country the meeting was held. Andrew welcomed everyone to the meeting. Thank you to IISIG members and Executive Andrew thanked those people who have contributed to the work of IISIG over the past year, both Executive and other members. He particularly acknowledged the hard work of Kathy Frankland and Margaret Reid on the Loris William Scholarship. Andrew also thanked Kirsten Thorpe and Hilary Rowell for all their work for IISIG this year. Andrew acknowledged that the executive members are all time-poor but assured us that this does not take away from the spirit of IISIG. Loris Williams Scholarship: Update Margaret reported as follows (and will also provide a short written report). Publicity IISIG needs to focus on publicity for the Loris Williams Scholarship, preferably publicising twice a year. If money is available for publicity, it would be good to spend it on advertisements in the Koori Mail and Indigenous Times. This would be in addition to the networks that the Scholarship is currently publicised through. Margaret noted that current advertising is primarily through universities. More work on getting to know who teaches courses might also be helpful. Margaret has had a meeting with the ASA Council Treasurer at which she discussed this proposed publicity plan. IISIG will need to lobby the ASA Council further on this matter. Kirsten suggested approaching Koori mail and Indigenous Times to requests article about the success of Dee MacArthur as the current Loris Williams Scholar. Publicity through articles highlighting past and current successes might be a good option.

17 It was also suggested it could be helpful to publicise on the Indigenous Scholarships website The joint RAPSIG/IISIG session, if it is to occur again in the future, might also be an opportunity to publicise the scholarship. Other Margaret raised the issue of making the scholarship criteria more flexible for people who are studying part time and working full time. This had been discussed at the previous IISIG meeting but needs to be revisited. Finding applicants is an issue and it is important that the successful applicant is given help with mentoring and liaising with organisations (particularly to do with secondments). Hilary has volunteered to look after the scholarship this year. IISIG is confident she will do a great job. Dee McArthur: Current Lois Williams Scholarship Holder Congratulations to Dee MacArthur who will graduate with her Masters in Information Studies (Records and Archives Management) in December. Pathways to your future and Our Past Careers for Indigenous people in archives and records brochure There was general discussion about the future of the brochure is it still required and in what form? The general agreement was that we still need something but that a website would be a more efficient way of reaching the target audience. Loris Williams Lecture Andrew reminded the meeting that Stewart Sutherland will be delivering the 2013 Loris Williams Lecture which serves to commemorate a dear friend and to uphold her name. Commitment of ASA for ongoing support of the Loris Williams Scholarship This matter has been covered in previous items Promotion of Loris Williams Scholarship This matter has been covered in previous items Aboriginal Petitions Factsheet This was referred to in the last IISIG newsletter and ties in with the presentation given with Kitty Eggerking at the joint RAPSIG/IISIG meeting. IISIG are in support of holding a joint event every conference.

18 Convenors report This year was a quiet one and members of the executive were busy with work commitments. Things have kept moving along despite members being quite time-poor. Secretary s Report Pending Election of Executive Members: A call for nominations for the executive positions was put out in the last newsletter but none were received. With a quorum present, the members agreed to nominate and vote on positions. Nominations were as follows. Convenor Andrew Wilson nominated himself to be convenor on the understanding that members are aware that he has an increasing work load and IISIG matters may not always be dealt with as quickly as he would like. Kirsten Thorpe seconded the nomination. Members present voted to accept. Secretary Secretary Kirsten Thorpe nominated Hilary Rowell. Hilary was unable to attend the meeting but will be asked if she accepts the nomination and will be given the opportunity to decline if she prefers not to continue in the role. Andrew Wilson seconded the nomination. Members present voted to accept pending Hilary s acceptance of the nomination. Newsletter Editor Newspaper editor Kirsten Thorpe nominated Rebecca Stubbs Andrew Wilson seconded the nomination. Members present voted to accept. Other Executive members Kirsten Thorpe self-nominated Kathy Frankland self-nominations Members present voted to accept.

19 Reports from states South Australia Andrew Wilson The Aboriginal Access Team has been reduced from 3 staff members to 2. This has had a significant impact on Andrew s time as he is taking on additional reference enquiries. In November there will be an Aboriginal Family History outreach visit to three communities; Port Augusta, Port Pirie and Whyalla. Victoria Jess Reid Jess is currently in the Koorie Reference Officer position, Grace Baliviera will be returning to that role shortly. The last year has seen a focus on joint publications with the National Archives. There are, on average, Aboriginal researchers at the Victorian Archives Centre a month. Queensland Kathy Frankland Community and Personal histories have received 800 request this year so far, an average of around 80 per month. Of those requests, Native Title makes up about 25%. Fortunate that public service cuts have not affected the team. Sigrid McCausland is working with the Community and Personal Histories team one day a week doing appraisal work. Kathy has taken on additional staff, including Indigenous staff. Currently there are twenty four staff in the team. Community and Personal histories have inherited a project concerning unresolved deceased estate and three staff are currently working full time on that project. New South Wales Kirsten, State Library of New South Wales Alex Byrnes is committed to building the Indigenous Unit. There are currently 5 staff in the Unit, including Kirsten, Ronald Briggs and Melissa Jackson. The State Library has recently advertised for an Indigenous Librarian but no applications were received. There was some broader conversation about lack of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people taking up Library and Archive careers. The main project for Kirsten and her team at the moment is Rediscovering Indigenous languages. A linguist has identified Indigenous language material in the State Library of NSW collection and the project is about making that material available to Indigenous people. Kirsten would also like to know about the Indigenous language holding of other institutions and will be in touch individually to discuss. Andrew mentioned the Adelaide University s Mobile Language Team. If people know of language material in their collection, it would be great to share. Kirsten is willing to start a joint Google doc. The Indigenous Unit is working on a business plan and has received a lot of support from the State Library Executive.

20 Other business Newsletter Kirsten made the point that networking is the most important function of the IISIG and we need to think about new and creative ways of using the newsletter to do this. Andrew to talk to Kylie Percival about how Council can help us to promote the content of the IISIG newsletter Membership There is a list of IISIG members and it would be useful to know who on the list intends to remain members. How do we engage with these people who are on the list and not currently actively involved. Ensure that minutes are sent to all IISIG members. National and State Libraries Australasia, Indigenous group Kirsten Thorpe NSLA are commemorating the 50 th anniversary of the 1967 Referendum with an online exhibition; Right Wrongs, Write Yes. There will also be a series of talks. State Libraries will also have a role in collecting oral histories. Sarah McQuade of the State Library of Western Australia is the project manager. This project has created potential for collaboration between the Library and Archive sectors. Could the Archive sector be doing a similar thing? Previous minutes Copies of the minutes are currently unavailable. Andrew will the minutes for approval. Congratulations to Kathy Frankland Kirsten passed on Hilary s congratulations to Kathy Frankland on receiving a public service for her ongoing commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders. IISIG Executive and members also congratulate Kathy who was a worthy recipient. Meeting closed 12.25