Two Melbourne universities have teamed up to create a first-of-its-kind chronicle of Australian history, from the perspective of First Nation’s people.
La Trobe University and the University of Melbourne have begun a million-dollar project to compile a four-volume collection of key documents.
La Trobe Pro Vice Chancellor (Indigenous) Associate Professor Michael Donovan said the collection would tell the story of Australian history from an Aboriginal perspective and would eventually be in every school and public library.
Associate Professor Donovan said the project is the first of its kind in Australia.
“No previous Aboriginal-focused documentary collection has ever been produced to this scale,” he said.
Associate Professor Donovan said the Ngura Ninti project, meaning “knowing home”, would 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.”
He said it 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.”
Melbourne Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous) Professor Barry 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.”
