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Link to lesson plan

The lesson plan attached provides students with the opportunity to
develop their knowledge of the indigenous culture, and explore the
traditional practices, specifically the role of storytelling. This is important
within the classroom, as it provides students the capacity to more
effectively understand their world, and the diversity of cultures with in.
This also allows teachers to broaden their scope of teaching, and provide
a meaningful lesson to students. In order to effectively implement this
lesson, I feel it is important to understand the role oral language plays in
Indigenous culture.
What is the Importance of Oral History to the Aboriginal Culture?
Oral language is the oldest form of knowledge sharing, and is enrooted in
all cultures across the globe. Language provides a foundation to cultural
development, allowing members to communicate important information to
each other. This connection to language is especially present in the
Indigenous cultures of Australia, where much of the history is not recorded
through written means, instead creating an oral tradition to pass on
knowledge through the generations. The Indigenous people of Australia
have many oral stories that describe the origin of people, differing
between tribes, contributing to the Great Tradition of knowledge in the
Indigenous culture (Broome, 2010, p 5; HIST106 Lecture Week 2: 60,000+
Years of Australian History). The Koorie Heritage Trust provides a range of
experiences designed to preserve the traditional and cultural knowledge
of Indigenous Australians, providing experiences like their Oral history
program. The Koorie Heritage Trust explores cultural heritage of the
Indigenous people, believing that if these stories are not shared, they will
be lost
Cultural heritage is recognised as the transfer of knowledge of the total
ways of living by a group of people, from one generation to the next
providing an identity that individuals are able to find connection with
(Australian Government, 2008; Broome, 2010 p. 5). The cultural identity of
Indigenous Australians is strongly influenced by their relationship to

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others, their traditional lands, and their language and stories within their
tribal community (Australian Government, 2008: Foley, 1994; HIST106
Lecture Week 2: 60,000+ Years of Australian History). The connection
between the land and community are inextricably linked to each other and
have been developed over many generations. This relationship is built
over time, and has been engrained within the cultural identity of
Indigenous Australians, providing a deep and meaningful connection to
the land. This relationship is recognised by the Australian Government
(2008), who state that for Aboriginal people, all that is sacred is in the
land. Knowledge of sacred sites is learned through a process of initiation
and gaining an understanding of Aboriginal law. In order to preserve the
cultural identify of Indigenous Australians, it must first be understood that
the culture is related heavily to the traditional land and communities,
relying heavily still on oral tradition to maintain cultural heritage.
The cultural identity of Indigenous Australians was severely impacted
during the colonization of Australian, where the forcible destruction of
Indigenous culture became common practice, and attempted to breed
out the indigenous identity, and attempt to assimilate the population
(Broome, 2010, pp 178-182; HIST106 Lecture Week 4: The Myth of
Peaceful Settlement). Bell (2013) states that:
Since the beginning of colonisation in Australia in 1788, the
estimated 250 Aboriginal languages originally spoken throughout
the continent have been under threat. Many of the languages,
especially those in the sites of the earliest settlement in eastern
Australia, have been severely affected, and Aboriginal people
see this as a threat to our identity and survival.
Throughout these periods in Australian history, the Indigenous population
were heavily discriminated against, resulting in the diminished population,
removal from lands, and subsequently, the destruction to the cultural
heritage of the Indigenous population.
Revival of language and culture.

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In the past 30 years, Aboriginal people have engaged in strengthening

their connection to the lands and their traditional languages, supported
heavily by language revival and revitalisation programmes. Language
revival programs aim to initiate and continue to facilitate the healing
process of the Aboriginal culture, and promote for a reconnection to their
spirituality. Many Aboriginal leaders still recognise the mental and physical
pain that was associated with the use of traditional language, during
highly discriminative periods of Australias history (Bell, 2013; Nakata,
2012). This pain and anguish deters traditional language practices
regularly occurring, and continues to have detrimental effects on the
Aboriginal sense of culture and identity. Through assistance and support,
institutions like the Koorie Heritage Trust aim to relinquish such hesitations
to traditional, and promote the regrowth of the Indigenous cultures. The
Koorie Heritage Trust recognises the need for oral language to preserve
the culture of Indigenous Australians, and addresses this through their
oral

language

history

program.

Language

is

vitally

important

in

understanding Indigenous heritage as much of their history is an oral

history, and through oral language, the cultural knowledge can be
preserved, and provide a stronger sense of identity for Indigenous
Australians (Australian Government, 2008; Koorie Heritage Trust).
To facilitate the healing process of Indigenous Australians, it must be
understood that their cultural identity is shaped around their connection
to the traditional land and communities. This relationship between land
and people is one of the cornerstones of the Indigenous culture and
knowledge, and was maintained through the use of oral language and
storytelling. Through language revival programmes similar to the one
provided by the Koorie Heritage Trust, the Indigenous culture and sense of
identity can begin the restoration process after the cultural destruction
that has occurred.

Word count (no citations): 793 words

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Reference
Australian Government. (2008). Australian Indigenous Cultural Heritage:
Australian Indigenous cultural heritage. Retrieved May 23, 2014,
from http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/austnindigenous-cultural-heritage
Bell, J., (2013). Language attitudes and language revival/survival. Journal
of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, (34:4) pp 399-410,
retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2013.794812
Broome, R. (2010). Aboriginal Australians: A History Since 1788 (4th ed.).
Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin
Catholic Education Melbourne. Yarra Healing: Towards Reconciliation with
Indigenous Australians Retrieved from
http://www.yarrahealing.catholic.edu.au/kulinnation/index_wide.cfm?loadref=32
Foley, D. (1994). Aboriginality, Koori Mail, Lismore April, p 3.
HIST106 Lecture Week 2: 60,000+ Years of Australian History
HIST106 Lecture Week 4: The Myth of Peaceful Settlement
Haebich, A. (n.d.) "Forgetting Indigenous Histories: Cases from the History
of Australia's Stolen Generations." Journal of Social History (44).4
(2011): 1033-1046.
Nakata, M., (2012). Better: A Torres Strait islanders story of the struggle
for a better education: Edited by Kaye Price, DOI:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139519403
Koorie Heritage Trust, (n.d). http://www.koorieheritagetrust.com/, EzHome
publishers.