Right now Christopher Pyne is considering the Australian national curriculum review. The review suggests that we need to be careful to “balance” Indigenous perspectives in the Australian students’ curriculum. Where the Australian curriculum, assessment and reporting authority (Acara) had stipulated that we ought to consider Indigenous “perspectives” in all areas, Pyne has suggested that it is about matching it where it is appropriate - for instance, not in maths.
The national curriculum review recommends that the Australian curriculum should place more emphasis on our Judeo-Christian heritage, the role of Western civilisation in contributing to our society and the influence of our British system of government.
One might want to argue that these things are important, but how many of us truly understand the country and culture of the actual land we share? How many Australian teachers have tried to understand or learn about the culture (history and present) that comes from this country?
The Acara has been challenging our teachers to learn from this country’s intellectual treasure in order that they can share this with our young people. For a while it looked as though we might create better educated students, students who would feel at home in their country and as initiated Warlpiri man Wanta Jampijinpa Patrick would say, “at home in themselves.”
So many of our young people in Australia are not feeling “at home in themselves”.
Wanta and his community in remote Lajamanu, Northern Territory, have been working for years to encourage the inclusion of Australian Indigenous teaching methods and subject matter in remote schools. Wanta has won awards for his teaching of Warlpiri literacy, however he passionately believes that it is through “listening to country” that all Australians, not just Indigenous Australians, can better understand themselves and the world around them. His recent work as a fellow at the Australian National University has endeavoured to bring this education to a broader audience.
Wanta states that, “This is not a black or white thing, it is a birthright if you live in Australia”.
Wanta is an educator but also the creative director of Milpirri, a cross cultural festival that is currently in rehearsals for the performance on 1 November in Lajamanu. He is also the co-director, writer and narrator of the documentary, Milpirri: Winds of Change, which will air at the same time.
In the documentary, Wanta says “it is not true that one culture is better than another culture ... but it is absolutely important to understand what you are standing on”.
Those of us who live in this country are standing on it, living under the same sky. We need to understand where we are and our place in it. It is a way to give us a sense of belonging, an understanding of ourselves and of our country.
In Lajamanu, Warlpiri community are rehearsing the music and dance for Milpirri, the cross cultural event that invigorates the whole community, gets kids to school but more importantly is “school”. Milpirri teaches the whole community about collaboration and working together, conflict resolution, family, the environment, geography, languages, mathematics and much more. It teaches the important lessons of diligence, persistence and care in your work also teaches that learning is “all the time”.
The documentary follows the preparations for the 2012 Milpirri event, incorporating a rare insight into the reality of self-determination for this remote community. A Warlpiri designed performance in collaboration with Tracks Dance in Darwin, it is performed one night every two years in Lajamanu.
It came from a realisation in the community that the young were losing their way, the stories were not being passed on and interest in learning and education both mainstream and Indigenous was waning. The impact on the youth was devastating. This Warlpiri community grasped an incredibly creative way to meet the challenges of maintaining culture, of giving youth direction and of renewing the community’s belief in its own capacity.
“This is a desperate time for Yapa (Indigenous people). A lot of the old people are now gone. We have got to get all these stories out,” says Wanta. “Milpirri encourages Yapa (Indigenous people) and Kardiya (non-Indigenous people) to come up with something to help themselves. It gives hope really and encouragement to look to the many stories that exist for Yapa in Australia and in the Torres Strait.”
This is such a contrast to the approach to education that is being proposed by the federal government’s review; an approach that risks losing the huge benefits that can come from all in Australia taking seriously the knowledge that this country has to teach us.
It is no secret that our young people are all struggling with challenges that are new to this generation: the impact of the internet in terms of bullying, abuse and pornography; the use of drugs and alcohol; new environmental concerns; anxiety and mood disorders; and for Indigenous communities, the legacy of many years of abuse – parents and schools are struggling to know how to support our young.
Wanta and the Lajamanu community have responded extraordinarily wisely by bringing the community together, drawing young and old, black and white, modern and ancient together - like the Milpirri clouds themselves, hot and cold air clash together to produce the rain giving clouds. The opposites of hot and cold do not disappear, they adjust to one another and only then they are able to feed the land. By truly coming together, opening our ears and eyes to one another, not changing one another but adjusting to one another, then we can care for our community, our country and ourselves.
Milpirri offers so much to the future of Lajamanu. For youth who are feeling overwhelmed by life’s challenges, Milpirri provides support from all in the community, it teaches pride and deeper understanding of culture and offers a variety of great role models. Milpirri provides a place which values all in the community, black, white, male, female, young and old. It is an answer that comes from the country.
This is a critical time for all of us to find the heart of what is important about living as people in this country, indeed the world. We need to listen to the country we stand on. Most of us should have tried listening a long time ago. The stories and culture will always be here, but as Wanta puts it, “There are few who still know how to listen to country.”
But it is not too late; that is if our educational curriculum encourages all of us to become wiser by valuing, respecting and listening to the country. In Australia, the experts in listening to country are the Australian Indigenous First Nation people: the least we can do for our young people, is have them learn about this.”
Milpirri: Winds of Change premieres on NITV on Saturday 1 November, 7.30pm. Milpirri will be performed at the same time in Lajamanu, NT.