Hannah Murray, 20501017

RESOURCE COLLECTION

South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council (2010). Kaartdijin NoongarNoongar Knowledge. Retrieved from http://www.noongarculture.org.au on 2 April, 2013.

Kaartdijin Noongar is a website run by the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council (SWALSC). It is a website that features a wide range of information about the culture, the country and the people. It includes glossaries, video clips, pictures, maps, and historical information about Indigenous people in the South West region. This website would be useful in my area of teaching, English as a Second Language teaching (henceforth referred to as ESL), because it provides information in an interactive, interesting and compact way. The pictures could also provide a starting point for a writing exercise or students could look at geography by clicking on the map links. This source is South West specific and includes areas such as Northam, Moora, Margaret River and Narrogin; therefore it would be most relevant for teaching in this region of Western Australia. SWALSC, a Native Title representative body of Noongar people, provide the information on the website so this is an Aboriginal perspective. They write, . this is the opportunity for Noongar people to tell our story our wayour history is an oral sharing of storieshowever we need to work with the technology of today to help the generations of tomorrow to understand our community past and present which emphasises to the students the important of Indigenous knowledge and perspective. [217 words]

Stasiuk, G. and Sillifant, A. (Directors). (2005). Noongar of the Beeliar (Swan River). [Video]. Perth, W.A: Kulbardi Productions. Noongar of the Beeliar is a short documentary about the Noongar peoples connection with the Swan River. This source would be appropriate for ESL learners, as it is enjoyable to watch and would raise awareness about the

Indigenous history of the region as well as being a good potential listening and comprehension exercise. The knowledge is quite specific to the region so for an audience like foreign students, perhaps a introduction with a more general source like The Little Red Yellow Black Book would complement this video well. This source is most suitable for teaching students in Perth as it is about the Swan River. This source provides many interviews with Noongar people, providing an Aboriginal perspective and was directed by Glen Stasiuk, of Minang-Wadjari origin. Unfortunately I was unable to find any information about the background of the other director Ash Sillifant. [143 words]

Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Studies and Pascoe, B. (2008) The Little Red Yellow Black Book (2nd ed.) Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press.

The Little Red Yellow Black Book is a general introduction to Indigenous Australia and provides students with easily accessible information about the culture and history of Indigenous people. The book discusses a diverse range of subjects including health, Indigenous people in sport, important Indigenous figures, art, Reconciliation and Indigenous history. This book would be a useful starting point for ESL students who are new to the country and do not know anything about Indigenous culture. Its English complexity would make it more suitable for more advanced English learners but its short concise passages would be perfect for reading comprehension exercises or a good starting point for a research assignment. While this book focuses on Indigenous Australians in general and is not Western Australia specific, it still would be a valuable resource for foreign students who do not know anything about Indigenous Australians. Once students had a general understanding of the culture and history, they could be provided with more region specific information about Indigenous people, such as the video Noongar of the Beeliar. This book is produced by the AIATSIS, which is an institution who provides information and conducts research about cultures and lifestyles of Indigenous people and is published by the Aboriginal Studies Press. This book is written using the pronouns we and us, so we could conclude that it is from the perspective of Indigenous people. It is also written in collaboration

with Bruce Pascoe, an author with Bunurong heritage, people from the South Central Victoria region. This book also acknowledges that they only provide some Aboriginal perspectives; in the introduction they write that everyone has their own narratives and separate identities, which they cannot put into one point of view. This is also an important point to impart to students; Aboriginal perspectives are not all the same. [300 words]

Frankland, R.J. (2007). Digger J. Jones. NSW: Scholastic Press.

Digger J. Jones is a fictional novel written as diary entries from the perspective of a young Aboriginal boy in 1967. This book would be ideal for ESL students as we are always studying and learning about different text types such as diaries. This book gives us the perfect opportunity to integrate an Indigenous perspective into an English lesson and also gives us opportunities to branch out into other areas such as a vocabulary study or a focus on Indigenous history, such as the 1967 referendum. Again this book is not Western Australian specific, it is set in Victoria, however it is such a good resource for raising cultural awareness that that would also integrate really well into the curriculum. Students would be becoming aware of the climate in Australia surrounding the 1967 referendum that Indigenous people all around Australia were experiencing while also developing their English skills. The author is an Indigenous musician, filmmaker and playwright Gunditjmara origin, from western Victoria. [162 words] Kwaymullina, E. and Morgan, S. (2009). Sams Bush Journey. Victoria: Little Hare. Sams Bush Journey is a picture book about a city boy learning to love and appreciate the bush. This book would be good for ESL learners as it is a story that shows the Indigenous peoples connection to the land in a simplistic, visually appealing medium. It would be a good introduction to the importance of the bush, and this could be elaborated on further with information from the SWALSC website. It is also appropriate for low-level learners, as most of the other sources so far use a higher level of English. While the authors of this

book are from the Pilbara region, this book is general enough that it is still applicable to West Australian bush, such as its references to water holes and gum trees. It would best be taught to students who live in the Perth and the South West region where there is plenty of bush land. The authors of this book are both of Palkyu origin, however were both born in Perth. [167 words]

Total= 989 words