Cirrus@Austlit

'Dhoombak Goobgoowana acknowledges and publicly addresses the long, complex and troubled relationship between the Indigenous people of Australia and the University of Melbourne. It is a book about race and how it has been constructed by academics in the University. It is also about power and how academics have wielded it and justified its use against Indigenous populations, and about knowledge, especially the Indigenous knowledge that silently contributed to many early research projects and collection endeavours.

'By appropriating Wurundjeri land for its buildings, and accepting donations drawn from the proceeds of colonisation of Indigenous Country, the University of Melbourne advertised its superiority as a whole institution to Indigenous people. Within its buildings, academics and students explored a worldview that effectively banished Indigenous knowledge and culture.

'The University has supported injustices called progress, half-truths presented as facts, and prejudices pretending at objectivity. It follows the failings of many biographies and institutional histories that excluded race from their stories of achievement, overlooking how racist ideas complicated and shaped their narratives. Although many things have changed, the stain of the past remains. But the University no longer wishes to look away.
Dhoombak Goobgoowana can be translated as ‘truth-telling’ in the Woi Wurrung language of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people on whose unceded lands several University of Melbourne campuses are located.

'The cover photograph shows the members of a 1901 expedition through central Australia led by Frank Gillen (seated, left) and Baldwin Spencer (seated, right). To the rear stands mounted constable Harry Chance. Beside these white men are two Arrernte men, Erlikilyika (to the left) and Purunda (to the right). This image has been chosen to represent the unacknowledged participation of Indigenous people in the activities of academics in the University’s history. The uncredited work of Erlikilyika as interpreter of both language and culture informed many of the conclusions of the white ethnographers and the anthropologists who followed. The expedition would have been impossible without the knowledge of these Indigenous men, and the scholarship it produced exists only because of them.' (Publication summary)

(Introduction)

'Dr Yunupiŋu was a magnificent person and a magnificent leader. Most people in Australia who are aware of him know him as a ceremonial leader because of his towering presence leading ceremonies at the Garma Festival for so many years and, most importantly, at events that he himself curated in order to make representations to prime ministers and ministers of Australian governments.' (Introduction)

'The definitive book that introduces readers from all backgrounds to First Nations histories and cultures.

'The Welcome to Country Handbook by Professor Marcia Langton is your accessible introduction to First Nations Peoples, history and cultures. Drawn from the bestselling Welcome to Country, this guide is essential reading for every Australian, and an excellent resource for cultural awareness training in the workplace.

'The chapters cover precolonial and post-colonial history, language, kinship, knowledge, art, performance, storytelling, Native Title, the Stolen Generations, making a rightful place for First Australians and looking to the future for Indigenous Australia. A new introduction as well as a chapter on racism has been written especially for this handbook, and all information has been checked and updated.

'Looking through these pages, photos and reading Professor Langton's profound words, you will quickly appreciate how lucky we are to be the home of the world’s oldest continuing civilisation – which is both diverse and thriving in Australia today.' (Publication summary)

'Tourism Australia statistics show that many overseas tourists, as well as Australians, are keen to learn more about Australia’s first peoples. And while the Indigenous tourism industry continues to grow, no comprehensive travel guide is currently available.

'Marcia Langton’s Welcome to Country is a completely new and inclusive guidebook to Indigenous Australia and the Torres Strait Islands. In its pages, respected elder and author Professor Marcia Langton answers questions such as what does ‘country' mean to Indigenous people. A detailed introduction covers such topics as Indigenous languages and customs, history, native title, art and dance, storytelling, and cultural awareness and etiquette for visitors. This is followed by a directory of Indigenous tourism experiences, organised into state and territory sections, covering galleries and festivals, communities that are open to visitors, tours and performances.

'This book is for everyone travelling around this fascinating country who wants to gain an insight into the culture that has thrived here for over 50,000 years, and enjoy tourism opportunities that will show you a different side of Australia — one that remains dynamic, and is filled with openness and diversity. This book will quickly become one of the most important travel guides to be published in recent times. '  (Publication summary)

'I listened to the radio broadcast of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s Closing the Gap address in parliament on 12 February 2018 and, gritting my teeth, expected the worst. I was surprised to hear him mention, if only briefly, violence against Indigenous women as one of the challenges facing the strategy. I expected this matter of high priority to be ignored yet again. But times are changing.' (Introduction)

'A collection of short essays by leading and emerging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander thinkers and leaders. Edited by and including contributions from Megan Davis and Marcia Langton, it conveys to Australians why indigenous peoples should have a direct say in the decisions that affect their lives. Australia is one of the only liberal democracies still grappling with fundamental questions about the place of indigenous peoples, unlike its common law cousins Canada, the United States and New Zealand. (Source: Publisher's website)

Source: ABC Radio National website, http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/ Sighted: 17/12/2012