Michael Aird Michael Aird i(A139245 works by)
Born: Established: Southport area, Gold Coast, Queensland, ;
Gender: Male
Heritage: Aboriginal
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

Works By

Preview all
1 ‘The White-man Calls Me Jack’ : The Many Names and Claims for Jackey Jackey of the Lower Logan River, South-east Queensland, Australia Michael Aird , Joanna Sassoon , David Trigger , 2022 single work criticism
— Appears in: Aboriginal History Journal , April no. 45 2022; 'Genealogies that demonstrate a continuous historical lineage play a critical role for native title evidence as well as contemporary negotiations concerning Indigenous identity. The complexities of this genealogical research are compounded in regions with lengthy histories of disruption from traditional lands and contestation concerning the forebears of Indigenous individuals, families and wider groups. This article presents a case study that introduces a forensic methodology to demonstrate challenges facing researchers and family members investigating Indigenous histories. It explores a history of the renaming of an Aboriginal man photographed wearing a breastplate inscribed with a name, Jackey Jackey. In this review of the extant historical data, we outline our genealogy of names that have been attached to Jackey Jackey. We suggest that two men named Jackey from different parts of the Logan Valley region, south-east Queensland, have been conflated into a single person’s identity and then renamed firstly as Bilinba and then as Bilin Bilin. We explore what these symbolic acts of renaming mean for the first wave of Indigenous descendants researching their family history, pose questions about the significance of this renaming, and identify the consequential issues for those now seeking legal recognition of traditional rights in land.' 

(Publication abstract)
1 Aboriginal People and Four Early Brisbane Photographers Michael Aird , 2014 single work criticism
— Appears in: Calling the Shots : Aboriginal Photographies 2014;
1 y separately published work icon Object of the Story : Reflections on Place Michael Aird , Mandana Mapar , Southport : Keeaira Press , 2013 6807734 2013 single work oral history information book

'A photograph holds many memories. Objects connect us to ideas, people and to place. This exhibition and publication present a selection of personal recollections by Ballina Shire community members in their own words. These stories are reflections on

place through a variety of objects and embrace both historic and contemporary perspectives on Aboriginal experience and relationships.' (Source: Introduction; page 3)
1 y separately published work icon Brisbane Blacks Michael Aird , Southport : Keeaira Press , 2001 7224786 2001 single work life story

'A book Featuring more than 50 first-hand interviews with 200 photos of the Brisbane Aboriginal Community. Brisbane Blacks is a unique insight into the lives of Aboriginal people through stories that may otherwise have remained untold. In this book over 50 Aborigines tell history in their own words, backed by the authors narrative and a wealth of photos from archives, newspapers, family albums and the author's private collection.' (Source: Publishers website)
1 1 y separately published work icon I Know a Few Words : Talking about Aboriginal Languages Michael Aird , Southport : Keeaira Press , 1996 9332353 1996 single work single work oral history

'A book conceived by a group of Queensland Aborigines wanting to pass on some of their knowledge of traditional languages. This book is recommended for schools and anyone interested in Aboriginal people and their languages.' (Source: Publisher's website)
1 1 y separately published work icon Portraits of our Elders Michael Aird , Brisbane : Queensland Museum , 1993 18372352 1993 single work multimedia A 1991 collection of photographs of Indigenous Peoples taken between the 1860s and 1925. Portraits of our Elders argues that the camera is a tool of dominant society, the lens being aimed by those with hegemony at those who are oppressed by it. 
X