Durithunga – Growing, nurturing, challenging and supporting urban Indigenous leadership in education John Davis-Warra Bachelor of Arts (Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Studies & English) Post Graduate Diploma of Education Supervisors: Associate Professor Beryl Exley Associate Professor Karen Dooley Emeritus Professor Alan Luke Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Faculty of Education Queensland University of Technology 2017 Keywords Durithunga, education, Indigenous, leadership. Durithunga – Growing, nurturing, challenging and supporting urban Indigenous leadership in education i Language Weaves As highlighted in the following thesis, there are a number of key words and phrases that are typographically different from the rest of the thesis writing. Shifts in font and style are used to accent Indigenous world view and give clear signification to the higher order thought and conceptual processing of words and their deeper meaning within the context of this thesis (Martin, 2008). For ease of transition into this thesis, I have created the “Language Weaves” list of key words and phrases that flow through the following chapters. The list below has been woven in Migloo alphabetical order. The challenge, as I explore in detail in Chapter 5 of this thesis, is for next generations of Indigenous Australian writers to relay textual information in the languages of our people from our unique tumba tjinas. Dissecting my language usage in this way and creating a Language Weaves list has been very challenging, but is part of sharing the unique messages of this Indigenous Education field research to a broader, non- Indigenous and international audience. The following weaves list consists of words taken directly from the thesis. These Language Weaves refer to both traditional Indigenous languages and idioms used in contemporary language today. This list is in no way exhaustive or representative of the breadth and depth of Indigenous Australian expression. More to the point, it is this writer’s intention to pay respect and homage to my eldership who challenge every one of us as Davis family members to expand and express our pride in culture and our identity in all walks of life we take. My Jutja Noelly Blair, while last visiting his extended Davis family, sat and spoke of and on Cobble Cobble language and culture. He said to me while we spoke on language, “roll your tongue boy when you speak … That’s how our old people spoke … Remember that – roll your tongue …” (Blair, personal communication, 2015). The challenge is to continue speaking how our ancestors have spoken of, for and on this land since time immemorial. The Language Weaves to follow provide a translation of text for readers of this research, a translation of how I “roll my tongue” in academic writing. The definitions are written in generic text style to connote the meaning extracted from the Indigenous- centric words. This signals the last time my languages will be relayed in nondescript/generic font form in the thesis to follow. ii Durithunga – Growing, nurturing, challenging and supporting urban Indigenous leadership in education 65,000 years of camp fire knowledges, storying and arting = 65,000 years refers to the length of time Aboriginal people of Australia have occupied Australia, representing in 2017 the oldest living and surviving culture in the world. Aboriginal English = Refers to a linguistic term that relates to the specific ways Aboriginal people communicate when speaking English. Ambae = The South Sea Island village in Vanuatu. Aunty = Relational term referring to female Elders and women. This is also a term of endearment and respect. Bandjalung = Traditional language group of northern New South Wales. Badjalung can also be understood as a root language or base language of the Yugambeh. Bandji = Is a Murri relational term, specifically in Barunngam it means a good friend, generally a male term of reference. Bariebunn Boul = Yugambeh language, specifically Wangeriburra, meaning the “dreaming circle”. There is a Home Centred Learning space in Logan, which uses this name and language across the whole school. Barrunga = (Dalby) refers to the rat kangaroo, a specific species of kangaroo which flourished in and around the areas of Dalby. Barrungam = Traditional language group, west of the Bunya Mountains, language of the Cobble Cobble people. Barrungam derives from the Barrunga or rat kangaroo as above. Batchalla = Traditional language group of the southeast Queensland coastal people in and around K’gari (Fraser Island) and Hervey Bay. Bidjara = The western Queensland traditional language and people of Springsure. Black Swan = Refers to the Torres Strait Islander / South Sea Islander songs about the brave men who voyaged out on the “Black Swan” sailing boat that capsized at sea due to high winds. Bonye Buru = Wakka Wakka language which means Bunya Mountain. Booburrgan Ngummunge = Wakka Wakka, Jarrowar and Barrungam language referring to the Bunya Mountains. This is a language reference to the fruiting Bunya cone and translates to “mother’s milk”. Durithunga – Growing, nurturing, challenging and supporting urban Indigenous leadership in education iii Brown water = Aboriginal relational term connecting people to the freshwater ways inside Australia. This refers to the creeks and estuaries found in inland Australia. Bulkari = Bandjalung language referring to the school safe space in Logan Central. Bunya Bunya = Refers to the Bunya Bunya pine tree, my family’s spirit tree, explained and explored further in Chapter 3. Bunya Bunya cone = When the Bunya Bunya tree has started to mature it begins to fruit – producing the Bunya Bunya cone. Bunya Bunya Cycle = Tumba tjina reference to the PhD learning tool being used in this thesis. Bunya Bunya is the native tree of the southeast, specifically Booburgun Ngumminge (Bunya Mountains, Queensland). The Bunya Bunya Cycle refers to the seedling, growth and fruiting of the Bunya Bunya. Bunya fruiting and sharing = A reference to the Bunya Bunya Cycle where the Bunya cones are in abundance. Bunya growth = Refers to the part of the Bunya Bunya Cycle found in the middle. Bunya roots = A part of the Bunya Bunya Cycle. This part of the cycle is found at the foot of the Bunya pines (see Chapter 3). Bunya seedlings = The seeds of the Bunya Bunya are shown in the Bunya Bunya Cycle as the outlying circle. The Bunya seedling is essential for growth. Bunya tree = Refers to the top of the Bunya Bunya Cycle design. Cape York = A far north Queensland regional place with a majority of Indigenous community members. Cherbourg = The Aboriginal Reserve found 260 kilometres from Brisbane. Historically it was founded in 1900 and first called Barambah. The Cherbourg name is in reference to a place in France. It is found on the traditional lands of the Wakka Wakka people. Circle:Cycle = A process operating monthly. Durithunga’s presence as an entity is symbolised through the formation of a yarning circle held and shared around the local community. This is further discussed in Chapter 3 as part of Community Durithunga Research Design. iv Durithunga – Growing, nurturing, challenging and supporting urban Indigenous leadership in education Clan circles = Refers to the specific individual groupings within an Indigenous Australian context. A “clan” is a smaller group, like the Cobble Cobble, that is part of a broader group or circle. The Cobble Cobble are a part of the bigger Barrungam language group. Cobble Cobble = Carpet snake clan, west of the Bunya Bunya Mountains. Cobble Cobble is a family group of the Barrungam speaking people (see Languages map, Appendix A). Cocoon of knowledge = Reference to the way our traditional Elders and family groups shared and built identity of individuals within the country from which they come. The cocoon is a metaphor for the growth of a particular individual who is wrapped around a strong sense of self through the knowledge that is shared of and on country by respected lore men and women. Coming into Country = A relational reference that refers to the movement and colonial displacement of individuals and family groups. “Coming into Country” relates to individuals or groups of Indigenous people who move into another person’s land. As a Cobble Cobble man (of Warra) I have come into the country of the Yugambeh (Beenleigh and Gold Coast). Community Durithunga = The localised Indigenous education and Indigenous educators yarning circle. Community Durithunga Research = Refers to this research which is specific to Community Durithunga. Community elderships = Refers to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in contemporary Australia who live within discrete communities and may be living off their own country. Coombabah = Yugambeh place name, referring to a suburb in the Gold Coast of Queensland which translates as the place of rotting log. Corroboree = Indigenous Australian word used colloquially to describe traditional forms of dance and singing. Country; my country = Refers to traditional lands of individual Indigenous groups of Australia. “My country” refers to the specific land of an Indigenous Australian. There Durithunga – Growing, nurturing, challenging and supporting urban Indigenous leadership in education v are over two hundred language or individual country places within Australia (see the diversity of country via the Languages map, Appendix A). Country map = Refers to the specific culturally significant and unique landscapes representative within individual Indigenous