Indigenous perspectives for teaching children about days of remembrance by decolonising curriculum

In this discussion paper, we argue the need to decolonise curricula in our educational institutions and outline practical steps to do this to acknowledge, respect, empower and elevate Indigenous voices. As an example of colonised curriculum, Australian children previously learned about remembrance of war service days, such as Anzac Day and Remembrance Day, through teaching resources that tended to focus on the service of military personnel in wars external to Australia, for example, WWI and WWII. Less emphasis has been placed on other wars, and despite a century of conflict on homelands, even scarcer mention is being made of Australia's Frontier Wars. We explore an exemplar that aimed to address this gap, but despite meritorious intentions, the authors did not ensure that Indigenous authors were part of the process, thereby recolonising curricula. After practising reflexivity, we recommend better ways forward for future projects, by embracing truth-telling that empowers Australian Indigenous voices. This will be of interest to researchers, educators, curriculum designers and policymakers.