Education U NTHINKING THE 200 YEAR OLD C OLONIAL M IND : I NDIGENIST P ERSPECTIVES ON L EADING AND M ANAGING I NDIGENOUS E DUCATION

Acknowledgement of Country  I pay my respects to the Larrakeyah people and acknowledge them as the Traditional Owners of this country  I also thanks the Bunnerong people on whose country I have permission to teach  I also pay respects to Elders and teachers past and present. Our lives continue to be enriched the generosity and wisdom of these wonderful people.

It is not only those who have been minoritized or deprivileged who can speak about oppression. Those in positions of power and privilege also have an obligation to speak about these issues. (Sefa Dei 1999)

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world… Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007) Endorsed in Australia in 2009 International Labour Organisation Convention #169 (1989) International Rights Mechanisms and Instruments

UN DRIPs

UN DRIPs Article 14

Establishment of the Native Institution, 10 December, 1814 [NSW State Archives: NRS 1046 [SZ759, pages 11-14; Reel 6038]

 In pronouncing this plan, no mention of discussion with Aboriginal people is evident. Civilization was the explicit goal: –Fourthly, That the main Object of the Institution shall be the Civilization of the Aborigines of both sexes.  Keeping children away from their families was another: –Fourteenthly, That no Child, after having been admitted into the Institution, shall be permitted to leave it, or to be taken away by any Person whatever (whether Parents or other Relatives, until such Time as the Boys shall have attained the Age of sixteen Years, and the Girls Fifteen Years; at which Ages they shall be respectively discharged.

1989 NATIONAL ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER EDUCATION POLICY [MCEETYA 2000 Achieving Educational Equality for Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, pp. 36-7]

200 year legacy

The Colonial Mind: Six Principles and a Concept

A Two-way Path to Education Justice TOWARDS AN INDIGENIST PERSPECTIVE ?

Elements of an Indigenist Perspective  Empathy for Indigenous matters revolving around acceptance that Indigenous and non-indigenous people are equal and should thus be treated equally, that is, Indigenous people should have the access to and outcomes from education as non-indigenous people do  A passionate and profound commitment that has changed every corner of their lives, containing a radical questioning of the traditional, colonial, civil service administrative mindset, of the ways in which these privilege settler ways of being and knowing  An understanding that Indigenous people suffer inequalities and injustices in society, while non-indigenous settlers, particularly those in the administrative and governing classes receive various forms of power and privilege, and  A recognition that the current, dominant model of education fails to recognise the rights of Indigenous Peoples and is therefore oppressive to Indigenous children, as well as being limiting for non-indigenous settlers.

The Reconciliation Path For Non-Indigenous Peoples

The Justice Path For Indigenous Peoples Affirming Aspirations and Sui Generis Rights

Recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander contributions to Australian society and internationally

18 Recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership

Looking to Indigenous Education Leaders

Recognising individuals, families, and communities and their different ways of contributing positively to Australian society

Creating Sustainable Futures: The Right to a Good Life See Langton and Ma Rhea

Both Ways education: Maintaining Indigenous Lifeways

Both Ways Education: In the westernised domain

Thank You For a full version of this paper please go to: Ma Rhea 2015 Unthinking the 200-year-old Colonial Mind: Indigenist Perspectives on Leading and Managing Indigenous EducationMa Rhea 2015 Unthinking the 200-year-old Colonial Mind: Indigenist Perspectives on Leading and Managing Indigenous Education