Charles Darwin University School of Australian Indigenous Knowledge Systems Faculty of Law, Business

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Charles Darwin UniversitySchool of Australian
Indigenous Knowledge SystemsFaculty of Law,
Business Arts

• Dr Linda Ford
• Higher Degree by Research Supervisors Workshop
• March 2008

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Indigenous Candidates Supervisors

• Acknowledgement
• Introduction Indigenous Candidates
  Supervisors
• Indigenous Ph.D Candidature with Deakin
  University Institute of Koorie Education,
  Geelong, Victoria.
• My Indigenous candidate supervision is grounded
  in postgraduate studies Master of Education and
  Doctoral Studies, Research, Teaching and
  Consultancy projects

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Fords Doctoral Thesis

• Australian Digital Theses Program
• http//tux.lib.deakin.edu.au/adt-VDU/public/adt-VD
  U20070614.105953/

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Teaching

• Coordinating units
• CMR401 Introduction to Collaborative
  Multidisciplinary Research
• CMR403 Issues in Indigenous Research
• EIP310 Teaching Indigenous Learners

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Supervising Postgraduate Students

• CDU postgraduate students
• PhD Candidates x 3 (2 Indigenous)
• Masters x 2 (1 Indigenous)
• Honours x 2

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Research Consultancy Projects

• Australian Research Council Indigenous Discovery
  Grant
• Australian Research Council Linkage Grant
• CDU Internal Grant SAIKS
• CD Internal Grant SAIKS, CRCTS DEET
• Australian Red Cross Consultancy Tiwi
  Palmerston

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Key Principles

• There are 7 key principles
• Valuing Indigenous Knowledge Holders
• Indigenous Business
• Shared Knowledge
• Relationships and Connectedness
• Research Methodology
• University Ethics Protocols
• Prioritizing Indigenous Examiners

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Valuing Indigenous Knowledge Holders

• Custodians of Indigenous Knowledge
• Indigenous knowledge (IK) is held by the
  custodians, individuals and the Indigenous
  community. The Indigenous protocols are strict
  for Indigenous researchers, postgraduate students
  and researchers
• The expectations of Indigenous postgraduate
  students have strong links to their Indigenous
  community
• Indigenous candidates need to negotiate the
  shared ownership of the post graduate research
  process with the Indigenous knowledge community
  and adhere to their community Indigenous
  protocols
• It is at this point in the Indigenous
  postgraduate candidature when the cultural
  tensions and University expectations present a
  struggle as to whether they decide to continue
  with their studies or not

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Indigenous Business

• Significance of Indigenous postgraduates
• Indigenous post graduates have strong links to
  the Indigenous community
• Indigenous postgraduates are claiming the Higher
  Education University landscape as our Indigenous
  Research Agenda
• This is undertaken as our core collaborative
  Indigenous business approach through ongoing
  discussions, negotiations, consultations and
  revised with the IK holder communities
• As more Indigenous postgraduate enrolments
  increase in Honours, Masters and Ph.D degrees
  there will be a steady progress in achieving the
  results the Indigenous community identify as
  their priorities

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Indigenous Business

• Indigenous business is about knowing in a very
  unassuming way that is holistic.
• There are layers and coexisting layers within
  layers and just when you think you have managed
  to learn those more layers are unveiled
• Prioritizing IK for my PhD candidature was my
  first priority where the IK ethics and protocols
  were adhered otherwise it was not an Indigenous
  higher education research framework that
  reflected my Rak Mak Mak Marranunggu ways of
  knowing, being and doing

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Shared Knowledge

• Defining shared knowledge is about
• Locating the supervisors with affiliations to
  prioritize IK ethics and protocols
• Supervisor recognizes the expertise of Indigenous
  candidate and Indigenous Senior Elder and the IK
  holder community
• Acceptance of the IK ethics and protocols that
  govern the IK holders community

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Relationships and Connectedness

• Relationships connectedness is about
• Ways of operating within the system of the
  supervision process
• University expectations of Indigenous candidate
• Commitment to long-term Indigenous Research
  Agenda
• Indigenous ownership of Indigenous knowledge
  content in your research project implementation
  and research outputs

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Research Methodology

• Action Research as a methodology
• Is one where IK holders are comfortable to
  participate and the IK content is shared and
  group ownership of the research-in-practice is
  validated by the Indigenous research participants
• Is when the supervisor is directed by the
  Indigenous research cohort
• Is when the Supervisor is never in the position
  to have IK the IK remain in the custodianship
  of Indigenous Candidate and the Indigenous
  community
• These are principles of the Indigenous Research
  Agenda

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University Ethics Protocols

• University higher education by research
  recognizes, understands and accepts the IK ethics
  protocols and their processes. When the HE
  Ethics Committee undergo an Indigenous learning
  process then they may consider a partnership with
  IK holders
• The Charles Darwin University Indigenous
  Research Strategy 2007 2010 has policies that
  may lead to the respect by the supervisor of the
  IK community ethics, protocols and may value the
  Indigenous community contribution to strengthen
  the Indigenous Research Agenda

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Prioritizing Indigenous Examiners

• The examination process of my thesis Narratives
  and Landscapes Their Capacity to Serve
  Indigenous Knowledge Interests underwent the
  normal procedure
• In addition an Indigenous Reviewer examined the
  IK content of the thesis.
• Privileging IK community in the examination
  process

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Ma-wadi

• Claiming Indigenous Higher Education Research on
  the University landscape

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Ph.D Conferred 26th Oct 2006

• My 3 Supervisors

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Doctoral thesis summary

• Ford (2005) The narrative provided the energy to
  transform the institutional landscape of Charles
  Darwin University. This transforming energy
  brought into existence a model that allowed
  Indigenous knowledge to flow, authentically, into
  the core business of the University. This model
  was culturally alien to the normal practices of
  Higher Education but could be maintained while
  its sustaining energy was being provided by its
  Indigenous students, teachers and community
  representatives. This energy maintained the new
  shape within the landscape of CDU. But once
  this energy was weakened and diminished in its
  intensity, the previous form of the institutional
  landscape at CDU quickly started to re-establish
  itself.

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Post Doctoral Studies

• Further publications, projects, consultancies etc
  are the areas that Indigenous postgraduate
  students want to achieve
• It is the responsibility of the University to
  ensure that Indigenous postgraduate students are
  supported