Integrating Indigenous Knowledges in the Curriculum

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Community Engagement

Indigenous Knowledge is unique to each country/nation/language group, so it is necessary to treat it in the context of the community it derives from rather than treating First Nations people as one collective. Consequently, where it is practical it is encouraged to engage with community to better reflect the views of Indigenous people.

Community Consent 

If you would like to create new content using Indigenous Knowledges, such as recording an interview of an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, collecting data using the lens of Indigenous Knowledges, or writing an article on First Nations cultural practices it is necessary to take certain steps to avoid misusing or misappropriating Indigenous Knowledges.

IP Australia have established guidelines as requested by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to maintain:

1. Control over who uses Indigenous Knowledges and how it's used
2. Protection to prevent unauthorised use of their knowledge and impose sanctions against misappropriation
3. Recognition as owners of their Indigenous Knowledges
4. Respect as owners of the Indigenous Knowledges and the cultural protocols associated with it.

Free, Prior and Informed Consent

The United Nations recommends project practitioners abide by to concept of Free Prior and Informed Consent, as  ‘all peoples have the right to self-determination’ and ‘all peoples have the right to freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development’. 

The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) emphasises that "traditional owners are the ultimate judges on whether the consultation process has been meaningful", and that free, prior, and informed consent:

What does FPIC look like in practice? by AIATSIS