Weaving lives: Collaborative Research in north east Arnhem Land

This research focuses on Sharing Knowledge, Mutual Benefits and Self-Determined Futures through a deeply collaborative partnership with Indigenous co-researchers from Bawaka Cultural Experiences (BCE), North East Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. The research collaboration enhances BCE's capacity to share knowledge through the development of mutual benefits and in doing this facilitates Indigenous self-determination and autonomy.

Weaving Lives Together At Bawaka North-East Arnhem Land

Sarah Wright, Laklak Burarrwanga (BCE), Merrki Ganambarr  (BCE), Banbapuy Ganambarr, Djawundil Maymuru, Ritjilili Ganambarr, Kate Lloyd (Macquarie University), Sandie Suchet-Pearson (Macquarie University)

By bringing together art, research and culture we co-researched and co-authored an innovative book on weaving in 2008 entitled Weaving Lives Together At Bawaka North-East Arnhem Land, the joint work of Lak Lak Burarrwanga, Djawundil Maymuru, Ritjilili Ganambarr, Banbapuy Ganambarr (Bawaka Cultural Experiences and Gay'wu Women's Program), Sarah Wright (The University of Newcastle), Sandie Suchet-Pearson (Macquarie University), Kate Lloyd (Macquarie University): KLSSPSW Press.

For book enquires please contact:

Lirrwi Yolngu Tourism Aboriginal Corporation
T:  08  8987 2828
M: 0487 333 660
F: 08 8987 2276
E: development@lirrwitourism.com.au
PO Box 1695
Shop 7 (Qantas Office) Endeavour Square
Nhulunbuy  NT  0881

We are currently co-authoring our second book on the patterns of belonging that underpin Yolngu relationships at Bawaka. These books and associated outputs strengthen communities and progress self-determination through the communication of Indigenous knowledge for non-Indigenous audiences.

The research team won a 2011 Excellence in Research Award from Macquarie University in recognition of the deeply collaborative research partnership between Indigenous and non-Indigenous research partners

Closing the gap: Principles for effective Indigenous/Non-Indigenous communication and collaboration
Sarah Wright, Laklak Burarrwanga (BCE), Merrki Ganambarr  (BCE), Banbapuy Ganambarr, Djawundil Maymuru,  Ritjilili Ganambarr,  Kate Lloyd (Macquarie University), Sandie Suchet-Pearson (Macquarie University).

The need to 'close the gap' on Indigenous disadvantage is one of Australia's most intractable policy problems. Changing this situation will demand effective and informed cross-cultural communication. This collaborative research with Yolngu from Bawaka in Northeast Arnhem Land aims to develop a replicable model of 'two-ways' learning that can inform the development of effective cross-cultural collaborations in academic, industry and policy settings.

Outcomes

Recent publications

Burarrwanga L, Ganambarr  M, Ganambarr B, Suchet-Pearson S, Wright S, & Lloyd K (in press)  'Learning from Indigenous conceptions of a connected world', in  J Murray, C Dey & C Andrew (Eds) The teacher's guide to sustainability. Common Ground, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois

Suchet-Pearson S, Wright S, Lloyd K, Burarrwanga L & Hodge P (In press) 'A footprint in a rock: entwining lives and co-constructing 'the field' in Australia'. To be included in an edited edition A Deeper Sense of Place to be published by University of Arizona Press

Wright S, Lloyd K, Suchet-Pearson S, Burarrwanga L and Tofa M (In press) Telling stories in, through and with country: Engaging with Indigenous and more-than-human methodologies at Bawaka, NE Australia, Special Issue 'Placing Indigenous Geographies: Implications for Geographical Thought and Practice' in Journal for Cultural Geography

Lloyd K, Wright S, Suchet-Pearson S and Burarrwanga L (2010) Stories of crossing and connection from Bawaka, North East Arnhem Land, Social and Cultural Geography 11(7): 201-217

Muller S, Power E, Suchet-Pearson S, Wright S and Lloyd K (2009) Quarantine Matters!: Quotidian relationships around quarantine in Australia's northern borderlands, Environment and Planning A, 41(4) 780-795

Wright S, Suchet-Pearson S, Lloyd K, Burarrwanga D and Burarrwanga L (2009) That means the fish are fat: Sharing experiences of animals through Indigenous tourism, Current Issues in Tourism: Special Issue on animals in the tourism and leisure experience, 12(5-6) 505-527

Burarrwanga L, Maymuru D, Ganambarr R, Ganambarr B, Wright S, Suchet-Pearson S, Lloyd K (2008) Weaving Lives Together at Bawaka, North East Arnhem Land, Centre for Urban and Regional Studies, The University of Newcastle

Presentations Include

Lloyd K, Wright S and Suchet-Pearson S (2010) Development Studies and Indigenous-academic research collaboration in Australia, Development Studies in the Antipodes: Current Research and Praxis: An International Expert Symposium, Flinders University, Adelaide, September

Wright S, Lloyd K, Suchet-Pearson S, Burarrwanga L, Burarrwanga D and Maymuru D (2010) Patterns of belonging at Bawaka, North East Arnhem Land: documenting and communicating Yolngu Hidden Mathematics to care for, and be cared for by, country, New Zealand Geographical Society/Institute of Australian Geographers Conference, Christchurch, New Zealand, July

Suchet-Pearson S, Wright S, Lloyd K, Burarrwanga L, Burarrwanga D (2009) Reimagining relationships between people, animals and place through Indigenous-owned tourism: a case study of Bawaka Cultural Experiences, North East Arnhem Land, Australia, International Academic and Community Conference on Animals and Society: Minding Animals, Newcastle, 13-18 July

Wright S, Suchet-Pearson S and Lloyd K (2007) Educational tourism and learning exchanges with indigenous tour operators in the Northern Territory. Refereed paper in CAUTHE, Proceedings of the 17th Annual Conference, I McDonnell, S Grabowski, R March, (Eds) CD-ROM, University of Technology, Sydney