Cirrus@Austlit

'GROWING UP, I never imagined I would become a lawyer with my own law practice.

'I didn’t know any lawyers. I didn’t understand what a lawyer did. But I watched television shows like LA Law, where lawyers argued their cases in front of a judge. They always won, and they wore nice clothes, drove fancy fast cars and fell in love with other lawyers.' (Introduction)

'Indigenous cultures are not terra nullius -nobody's land, free to be taken.

'True Tracks is a ground-breaking work that paves the way for the respectful and ethical engagement with Indigenous knowledges and cultures. Combining real-world cases and personal stories, award-winning Meriam/Wuthathi lawyer Dr Terri Janke draws on twenty years of professional experience to inform and inspire leaders across many industries; from art and architecture, to film and publishing, dance, science and tourism.

'How will your project affect and involve Indigenous communities? What Indigenous materials and knowledge are you using? Who owns Indigenous languages?

'True Tracks helps answer these questions and many more, and provides invaluable guidelines that enable Indigenous peoples to actively practise, manage and strengthen their cultural life and empower future generations.

'If we keep our tracks true, Indigenous culture and knowledge can benefit everyone.'(Publication summary)

'I can remember Jones Street in Cairns, where I grew up. The street was flat and straight, no gutters. If it rained for more than a day, the puddles would become lakes then rivers. My siblings, Toni and John Paul, and I would have fun splashing and catching tadpoles When it didn't rain, we rode our bikes up and down Jones Street. One day I strayed away from our street alone. A kid on a dragster bike called out, 'Get out of here, blackie.' My legs pedalled fast to get back home.'  (Introduction)

'Jake’s more interested in video games than in his family background. Visiting the Torres Strait Islands changes all that. He even braves a cyclone to help his Nanna.' (Source: Publishers website)

In the past 20 years Indigenous Australians have called for greater recognition of Indigenous cultural and intellectual property rights.

The intellectual property system does not acknowledge Indigenous communal ownership of cultural expressions and knowledge passed down through the generations, and nurtured by Indigenous cultural practice.

Sacred knowledge is also at risk. 115 legislative and policy recommendations were made in Terri Janke's 1999 report - Our Culture: Our Future - Report on Australian Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property Rights.

Yet, the protection of Indigenous cultural and intellectual property rights remains largely unprotected in Australia, and a hotly debated international issue. Now is the time for us to reassess the current framework.

This Paper sketches out the ground gathered by Indigenous copyright cases and examines international model laws and draft provisions.

It argues for greater infrastructure to support and defend Indigenous cultural and intellectual property rights. Terry Janke's vision is for a National Indigenous Cultural Authority to facilitate consent and payment of royalties; to develop standards of appropriate use to guard cultural integrity, and to enforce rights. (Source: Publisher's blurb)

'This practical guide is essential reading for all filmmakers shooting in Australia. Research and written by lawyer Terri Janke, Pathways &​ Protocols provides advice about the ethical and legal issues involved in transferring Indigenous cultural material to the screen. Whether shooting in country or city, with an Indigenous cast or not, practitioners of film, TV and digital media projects are encouraged to recognise and respect Indigenous people's images, knowledge, stories and land in the production of audiovisual material. (Back cover)

'This guide in one of five protocol guides produced by the Australia Council for the Arts, which clearly spell out clearly the legal as well as the ethical and moral considerations for the use of Indigenous cultural material.' (Source: Writing, 2007:Intro)

Tarena Shaw has just finished her Law degree but isn't sure if she wants to be a lawyer after all. What place does a black lawyer have in a white system? Does everyone in Sydney feel like a turtle without a shell? Drawn to Thursday Island, the home of her grandparents, Tarena is persuaded by her family to take on her first case. Part of the evidence is a man with a guitar and a very special song... Butterfly Song moves from the pearling days in the Torres Strait to the ebb and flow of big city life, with a warm and funny modern heroine whose story reaches across cultures.

Source: Author's website.