Chapter 1: Indigenous Participation and Aboriginal Education

The idea of ‘shared authority’ (Frisch 1990) in researching and representing cultural heritage has been discussed and debated extensively for more than 30 years. The need for greater equality in establishing and voicing cultural knowledges has been recognised but not always well achieved, especially in postcolonial settings drawing upon a history fraught with injustices in the treatment of Indigenous peoples. What has been recognised is that a key aspect of achieving such equality—as well as a more balanced understanding of cultural heritage—is the exploration of research partnerships where academic researchers work to engage meaningfully with relevant communities to extend and share knowledge. In our project, this aspect includes an educational context.