University of Melbourne and La Trobe University have begun a project to compile a four-volume collection of key documents that tell the story of Australian history from an Aboriginal perspective, which will be sent to remote community schools across Australia and will eventually be in every school and public library.
The Ngura Ninti project, meaning “knowing home”, will be accessible to Aboriginal communities as well as academics and the wider community. It aims to change the way Australians understand the history of their land.
This project is the first of its kind in Australia. No previous Aboriginal-focused documentary collection has ever been produced to this scale.
The project is co-led by University of Melbourne Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous) Professor Barry Judd, La Trobe University Associate Professor Katherine Ellinghaus and La Trobe Emeritus Professor Richard Broome. Professor Judd said a team of regional editors would consult with Indigenous communities so they could be in control of choosing documents, ensuring Aboriginal leadership and direction of the project.
“We want Aboriginal Australians to be in control of the historical narratives they share about their communities,” Professor Judd said.
“This is the first documentary collection that asked Aboriginal people and communities to select the documents they would find useful or appropriate.”
Associate Professor Ellinghaus said the landmark documentary project would respond to the critical need and public desire for truth telling about the experiences, lives, and actions of Indigenous Australians since British invasion 250 years ago.
“Australia is a nation where two beginnings, two histories, and two knowledges about the past have existed separately,” Associate Professor Ellinghaus said.
“This project will allow communities to document their history about what life was like before and after British colonisation.”
La Trobe Pro Vice Chancellor (Indigenous) Associate Professor Michael Donovan said the project would provide a record of Aboriginal people’s past policies, activism, and events.
“It will empower Aboriginal communities with historical knowledge that may have been lost through generations, placing the Aboriginal voice and understanding at the forefront, and to educate non-Indigenous Australians about the country’s history before and after colonisation,” Associate Professor Donovan said.
Ngura Ninti’s team of three general and eight regional editors, six of which are Indigenous, include scholars with expertise in Indigenous Studies and historians with skills in archives and historical documents. The project will be published by Routledge.
Minsmere has committed to providing $1million for the project, and a further $290,318 was granted by the Australian Research Council.
