Rochelle Coleman Student no.

21089837 Word Count: 983 EDUC5429 Aboriginal Education Resource Assignment

As a future secondary English teacher, I am required to follow the guidelines of the Australian curriculum for the English learning area and include the oral narrative traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander peoples, as well as the contemporary literature of [this] cultural group[s] (Foundation to Year 10 Curriculum, n.d., para 4). As I intend to work in the Perth

metropolitan area, it is important for me to prepare resources that are appropriate for use in a Nyoongar community and embed them in my teaching programs.

Morgan, S. (1998). My Place. Fremantle, W.A.: Fremantle Press. Sally Morgans My Place is a seminal work by an indigenous author and was first published in 1987. This novel contains stories from three generations of indigenous Australians. Morgans mother told her that she was Indian, but she suspected later in life that she was indigenous. The novel details Morgans exploration of her Aboriginal identity. Morgan was born in Perth and is an artist as well as an author (Aborginal Art Online, n.d.). Morgans story is useful for teaching students about the construction of Aboriginal identity in a modern, urban context. I would use My Place in an English class in different ways, depending on whether I was using the text for an upper or lower school class. For lower school, I would focus on the novel as an autobiography. It would be useful to use an extract from the beginning of the novel in lessons with lower school students on representations of childhood. Excerpts should be used as the full 1

novel may not be appropriate for lower school classes due to adult themes. For upper school, I would undertake a novel study, focusing on constructions of identity. My Place is on the suggested text list for upper school English stages one, two and three.

Scott, K. (2000). Benang. North Fremantle, W.A.: Fremantle Arts Centre Press. Kim Scotts Benang is a highly-regarded postcolonial text that depicts themes of family and the construction of Aboriginal identity. It also

contains references of how the government attempted to breed out Aboriginal people. The novel uses poetic and powerful imagery and contains elements of magical realism. Scott is a Nyoongar man and was born in Perth, Western Australia. He has won several literary awards for his novels and is currently a lecturer at Curtin University. Due to the background of the author, it would be appropriate to use this novel in the Perth metropolitan area. Benang is one of the recommended novels for WACE literature 2A 3B. Consequently, I would undertake a study of the novel in an upper school English literature class. The text would be useful in exploring notions of Aboriginal identity, post-colonialism and the use of imagery in prose texts.

Noyce, P. (Director). (2002). Rabbit Proof Fence. [Motional Picture]. Australia: Hanway Films. Rabbit Proof Fence is a film depicting the journey of three young Aboriginal girls who were part of the Stolen Generation. The girls were taken from their families to be sent to the Moore River Settlement as they were seen by the government as half-castes. The girls followed the rabbit proof fence to get back to their family.

Rochelle Coleman, Student no. 21089837

The film is based on the novel Follow the RabbitProof Fence by indigenous author Doris Pilkington Garimara. The authors mother was Molly, one of the girls depicted in the novel and film. Although Garimara was

born in the Pilbara region and not south-west Western Australia, the importance and universality of the themes in the novel and film mean that this is an important resource for the classroom. It is an issue that has affected the

psyche of many Aboriginal people. This resource would be useful to be used in a lower-school English classroom, especially in collaboration with a teacher from the Society and Environment department as part of a broader study on indigenous issues.

Doris

Pilkington

Garimara

(n.d.).

Retrieved

from

http://www.programs.sbs.com.au/firstaustralians/content/#/search/. This is a short video of Doris Pilkington Garimara, the author of Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence. In the recording, Garimara tells of her experiences as a child at the Moore River Settlement. She discusses the conditions at the settlement; the children missed their families, but received no affection, and were treated as child labourers. The recording could be used as a supporting resource for the study of the film Rabbit Proof Fence as it gives further background to the girls escape from the Moore River Settlement. I would show this recording to the class prior to viewing Rabbit Proof Fence to generate engagement for the film study. As this recording shows Garimara speaking directly, this resource clearly has a direct indigenous perspective. There are many other films on the website that contain indigenous voices. All stories from the website have been checked thoroughly with the descendants of the stories told. (About the Series, n.d., Community Consultation)

Rochelle Coleman, Student no. 21089837

Noongar

Mambara

Bakitj.

(n.d.)

Retrieved

from

http://wirlomin.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/mambaraenglish-only.mp3

According to (Books and CDs, n.d.), Noongar Mabara Bakitj is An old story retold by Kim Scott, Iris Woods and the Wirlomin Noongar Language and Stories Project. It is available in English and Nyoongar. It tells of a man who went hunting, found some spirit creatures, killed a kangaroo, and gave food to the Mambara (spirits) for letting him hunt on their country. Mambara who didnt want him hunting on his land. The Project aims to reclaim Wirlomin stories and dialect, in support of the maintenance of Noongar language, and to share them with Noongar families and communities as part of a process to claim, control and enhance Wirlomin Noongar cultural heritage. (The Project, n.d., point 1). The He fought a

project consists of Nyoongar Aboriginal voices and would be ideal for using in the Perth metropolitan area. As Aboriginal storytelling is an oral tradition, it is important to include oral stories as part of the English program, not just written stories. I would use this recording to expose students to oral storytelling traditions.

Rochelle Coleman, Student no. 21089837

References

Aboriginal Art Online. (n.d.). Sally Morgan - Aboriginal Artist and Writer.

Retrieved from http://www.aboriginalartonline.com/art/sally-morgan.php.

About the Series. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.sbs.com.au/firstaustralians/about.
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d.). English. Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/English/Curriculum/F10.

Doris Pilkington Garimara (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.programs.sbs.com.au/firstaustralians/content/#/search/.

Morgan, S. (1998). My Place. Fremantle, W.A.: Fremantle Press.

Noongar Mambara Bakitj. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://wirlomin.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/mambara-englishonly.mp3.

Noyce, P. (Director). (2002). Rabbit Proof Fence. [Motional Picture]. Australia: Hanway Films.

Scott, K. (2000). Benang. North Fremantle, W.A.: Fremantle Arts Centre Press.

Rochelle Coleman, Student no. 21089837