Indigenous Science Network Bulletin

Indigenous Science Network Bulletin http://members.ozemail.com.au/~mmichie/network.html

August 2014 (Volume 17, Number 4) ISSN 1449-2091 Editor: Michael Michie

Tiwi designs by Jennifer Coombs, Melville Island, NT

NEWS and VIEWS

What do you call that plant or animal in Bininj Gunwok? A new online resource documenting Aboriginal names for plants and animals in Kakadu and west Arnhem Land is now available.

For more than twenty years, linguist and anthropologist Murray Garde has been learning and working together with Bininj people to document and support the Bininj Gunwok dialects of the region.

Bininj Gunwok is a dialect chain that stretches from Kakadu National Park in the west through to the Mann, Liverpool and Cadell rivers districts south of Maningrida.

The online resource includes the Bininj Gunwok names for common plant and animal species from the region, and features beautiful artwork and photographs.

Murray says that many people working and living in the region need to know the Bininj Gunwok names for natural species, because it is a basic first step in land management and ecological knowledge recording.

“Indigenous land management rangers, scientists, linguists, arts centre workers, tourists, students and others who have an interest in Indigenous ecological knowledge will find this online resource useful,” he said.

“Making lists of names may sound straightforward, but there are six different Bininj Gunwok dialects which often have vocabulary differences for various species, and Indigenous systems of taxonomy are different to those used in western science.”

It was decided at a Kakadu Board meeting in 2013 that making the names more accessible would take the burden away from Bininj involved in land management and non-Indigenous researchers, who are regularly asked for the correct names and spelling.

The interactive database includes audio files of the Bininj Gunwok name so that users can hear how to pronounce words. Users can also upload their own photos of natural species. The resource is a work in progress, as it will take some years to fill all the categories out for all dialects.

Please help us by contributing information or photographs. Log on to http://mayh-dja- kundulk.bininjgunwok.org.au/, call (08) 8946 7619 or email [email protected].

Bora Ceremonial Grounds and the Milky Way: a Connection? By Robert Fuller and Duane Hamacher

As we learn more about how Aboriginal people utilized the night sky, we find increasing complexity and intellectual depth in this knowledge. This article discusses some research about the orientation of Aboriginal ceremonial sites and their connection to the the Milky Way.

Most Aboriginal language groups in Australia practiced initiation ceremonies. In some places, this tradition continues. During this ceremony, teenage boys were taken through a rite of passage, where they would perfectly recite the stories, laws, and customs they were taught, and perform the dances with extreme precision among other things. The initiation also involved a form of body modification, but most of these details are considered secret. This ceremony proved to their elders that they were ready to be men. In southeastern Australia, it was generally known as a Bora ceremony, taken from the Kamilaroi term for the word. The Bora ceremony was commented upon by the earliest European arrivals in Sydney. One of the first Bora sites identified was at Farm Cove in Sydney – what is now the Botanic Gardens near the Opera House.

Most Bora grounds have a distinct shape. They tend to consist of two rings of flattened earth, with an embankment of raised earth or stones, and a pathway connecting them. One is a larger “public” circle, where women and other people can attend. The other is a smaller sacred circle, which is considered sacred and secret. This is where the final part of the initiation and body modification takes place. Secret parts of the ceremony are not discussed out of respect to the Aboriginal elders.

Bora ceremonies take place between August and the following March, which are the summer months. The ceremonial grounds are often laid out long before the ceremony is held, or even renewed from previous ceremonies. Although Bora ceremonies were held at any time over this long period, it seems many of them were held in August and September. And this may have astronomical significance.

Left: Photograph of a Bora ceremony, taken in 1898 by Charles Kerry (National Library of Australia). Right: Casino Bora Ground, Richmond Valley, NSW (Sandra Bowdler)

It seems the Bora ceremony is connected to the Emu in the Sky. The Emu in the Sky is a spirit emu found in the Milky Way. This Aboriginal constellation is not made up of bright stars, but instead comprises dark patches in the Milky Way, stretching from the Coalsack Nebula near the Southern Cross down to the centre of the galaxy in Scorpius. Since male emus brood, hatch, and rear the emu chicks, it is symbolic of the initiation of adolescent boys by their male elders. In southeast Australia, the culture hero Baiame is believed to live behind the Milky Way. The son of Baiame, is a being called Daramulan, who watches over, and even comes down from the sky for, the Bora ceremony, and his wife is an emu.

Left: The Emu in the Sky. Right: The Sky Bora in the Milky Way at the time of year ceremonies were held, usually in the evenings in August and September.

One elder said that the Bora ceremonial ground was reflected in the Milky Way as the Sky Bora: two dark patches within the Milky Way that mimic the two earthly Bora circles (Figure 4). These dark patches are also within the celestial emu: the larger one is the Coalsack (the Emu’s head) and the other is down the Milky Way towards the Emu’s body. As it turns out, August and September is when the Milky Way is vertical above the south-southwest horizon in the evening sky. Because of this connection, the researchers – Robert Fuller (Macquarie University), Dr Duane Hamacher (University of New South Wales), and Professor Ray Norris (CSIRO/Macquarie University) – wondered if the Bora ceremonial grounds were oriented to the direction of the Sky Bora/Emu in the Sky when Bora ceremonies were held. Information collected by 3 anthropologists learning from Aboriginal elders suggested as much, but Fuller, Hamacher, and Norris needed to demonstrate this.

Fuller and his colleagues collected data for a significant number of Bora grounds in New South Wales and southeastern Queensland. They identified a subset that contained clear information about the site’s orientation, from the large circle to small circle (mostly within 200 km of Brisbane). The remaining sites showed that a significant number of them were oriented to the southern quadrant – more so than any other direction (and by quite a bit more!).

This is interesting, but could these results be a product of chance? To test this hypothesis, the researchers used a statistical technique called a Monte Carlo simulation. This is where random orientations, like those of the Bora grounds, were simulated millions of times over. If these orientations were common, the simulation would confirm that. The researchers ran the simulation 100 million times. Only 303 of the simulations gave a result like the one found by Fuller and his colleagues. This means the probability of these orientations occurring by chance is one in 3 million, or 0.0003%! This confirms that there is definitely a preference for Bora grounds to be oriented towards the south. This coincides with the position of the Milky Way in the evening sky during August and September.

Is this conclusive proof that Bora ceremonial grounds were oriented to the position of the Milky Way in August and September? No. But it takes us one step closer to finding out. Fuller and his colleagues are currently working with elders across NSW to learn more about the Bora ceremony and its connection to the sky, which is starting to reveal new and interesting facts about this initiation ceremony.

To learn more about the research, see the paper “Astronomical Orientations of Bora Ceremonial Grounds in Southeast Australia.” Australian Archaeology, No. 77, pp. 30-37.

Engaging Indigenous students through science The power of science to lift the educational outcomes of Indigenous high school students in regional areas has been highlighted during a national conference on engagement in higher education at Charles Sturt University.

National Association for Research in Science Teaching Distinguished Contribution to Science Education through Research Award Dr. Glen Aikenhead has made distinguished contributions to science education during the course of his career. His scholarship and research have focused on curriculum and instruction, cross-cultural school science, student assessment, and teachers’ practical knowledge. He has influenced policy and the science education community in all of these areas and his career has been punctuated by seminal work with respect to science-technology-society and nature of science.

His body of research includes many research and theoretical publications that can be found in the most prestigious journals in science education. He is especially well known for his work in the area of indigenous knowledge, and the associated phrase, “Border Crossings” along with his work on the development and applications of the Views on Science – Technology – Society test (VOSTS).

Most recently, he synthesized over four decades of research in his four areas of interest culminating in the book: Science Education for Everyday Life. Most impressive about his scholarship is the balance struck between theory and practice. His work has clearly influenced both classroom teachers and science education researchers. Glen Aikenhead has made distinguished and continuing contributions to science education research through his mentoring of PhD students throughout the world. His notable leadership includes editorship of research journals or guest editorship for special issues in journals, the organization of research symposia worldwide, and visiting professorships in nine different countries. Finally, his substantial impact 4 includes service on the NARST Board and the JRST Editorial Board. His research has earned him the “Best Publication” in the journal Science Education in 1985, the “JRST Award” in 1988, and the “Canadian Educational Researcher Award in 1990. Dr. Aikenhead is a most deserving recipient of the 2014 NARST Distinguished Contributions to Science Education through Research Award.

Reprinted from eNARST News, July 2014.

New appointment for Liz McKinley The appointment of Liz McKinley as a new professor to the Melbourne Graduate School of Education as part of the Research @ Melbourne Accelerator Program (R@MAP) was made recently.

Professor Liz McKinley comes to Melbourne from the University of Auckland. The author of five books and numerous journal articles and chapters, she is a sought-after speaker on both the local and world stage. She brings a depth of experience and an international reputation in the field of cultural diversity and education, bicultural and multicultural contexts, and in indigenous education. Professor McKinley is currently Director of the Starpath Project for Tertiary Participation and Success, a 10-year long program funded in part by New Zealand’s Tertiary Education Commission and in part philanthropically. Starpath aims to increase access, participation and success at degree-level tertiary study for students from Maori, Pasifika and low SES backgrounds. Liz will lead the establishment of a Centre in Indigenous Education.

Liz takes up her appointment on 1 September. Congratulations!

INDIGENOUS ASTRONOMY

Yuendumu Doors and the Milky Way Paul Curnow has an article on the Yuendumu Doors and our Milky Way featured at this site: http://livelystories.com/2014/07/07/door-milky/

Also, Aboriginal Skies on Facebook now has 2,350-members. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Aboriginal-Skies/156305897720881

Australian Society for Indigenous Astronomy Recent Activities  The research of Bob Fuller, Ray Norris, Michelle Trudgett, and Michael Anderson at Macquarie University on Aboriginal stellar navigation and waypoints was featured on ABC science.

 Ray Norris presented this material at the Astronomical Society of Australia annual meeting at Macquarie University and a poster on navigation and waypoints at the International Society for Archaeoastronomy and Astronomy in Culture (ISAAC). Both were well received.

 Hamacher attended the meeting of the International Society for Archaeoastronomy and Astronomy in Culture (ISAAC), at the South African Astronomical Observatory in Cape Town in early July. The theme was “Astronomy, Indigenous Knowledge, and Interpretation” and most of the talks can be viewed on the YouTube “Cultural Astronomy Channel”

 Ragbir Bhathal ran science and engineering workshops, including Aboriginal Astronomy, for over 100 selected Aboriginal students. The aim of the workshop was to encourage Aboriginal students to take careers in engineering. He was pleased that the students seem know quite a lot about the Aboriginal night sky.

 On 24 May UWS held an "Aboriginal Astronomy night", including a talk by Ray Norris, and traditional Indigenous art - and even a traditional Indigenous meal! The event was very well attended, and included members of the local Darug community and University Indigenous representatives. This kicked off the start of new Aboriginal Astronomy activities at UWS, details of which will be announced as they become firmed up.

Upcoming Public Talks:  “Yuin Aboriginal Astronomy,” Sapphire Coast Science Festival, Eden, NSW, 19 July (Duane Hamacher)

 “Wiradjuri and Kamilaroi astronomy,” Central West Astronomical Society, ‘The Dish’ north of Parkes, NSW, 1August (Trevor Leaman and Bob Fuller)

 “Wiradjuri astronomy,” Wiradjuri festival, Bulgandramine, NSW, 4-5 October (Trevor Leman)

 “Some Aspects of 40,000 Years of Aboriginal Astronomy”, Australian Institute of Physics and the Royal Society of NSW, University of Sydney, 18 November (Ragbir Bhathal)

Research Students and Volunteers Wanted! If you are a student interested in pursuing studies in Indigenous astronomy, there are several options available. Indigenous students are highly encouraged to apply and lead the future of the discipline. Interested students should contact Dr Duane Hamacher at the University of New South Wales and Prof Ray Norris at the University of Western Sydney.

Volunteers are needed to contribute to social media. We have a Facebook and Twitter account, as well as a blog, but little time in which to disseminate materials. If you are interested in being a volunteer for the team, please contact Dr Hamacher and get involved.

If you are an Indigenous person or community representative and wish to share your knowledge of the sky, we are all more than happy for you to contact us and share your stories. All work is done through a university, which requires strict ethical guidelines for working with Indigenous communities. This includes a mandatory “giving back” process, so any (public) knowledge shared will be incorporated into educational materials or programs under the direct guidance of the Indigenous communities and stakeholders.

RESOURCES Journal for Activist Science & Technology Education (JASTE) We are pleased to announce a Special Issue of the Journal for Activist Science & Technology Education (JASTE), featuring articles written by high school students and an editorial written by a high school science teacher. The issue deals with students' self-directed and open-ended research-informed action projects to address socioscientific issues of their interest.

This special issue is located here: http://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/jaste/index

The full issue can be downloaded as a pdf file.

JASTE is a community-reviewed journal featuring educational writing prioritizing acts for personal, social and environmental wellbeing in matters relating to science and technology and their educational counterparts.

Guest Editor: Mirjan Krstovic Editors: Steve Alsop, Larry Bencze & Jesse Bazzul

ICASE Newsletter You can find ICASE June / July Newsletter is on the http://www.icaseonline.net/newsletter/icase_06_07_2014.pdf

Working Cross-culturally: Identity Learning, Border Crossing and Culture Brokering Michael Michie (Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, Australia)

ISBN Paperback: 9789462096783 ($ 32.00) ISBN Hardcover: 9789462096790 ($ 99.00) ISBN E-Book: 9789462096806

Subject: Education General, Culture and Education, Multicultural Education Free Preview Working Cross-culturally

Why do some westerners seem to have a better relationship with Indigenous people than others? Using a narrative research methodology, the author explores the experience and wisdom of eight such participants to come to an understanding of why. He uses a broad sweep of ideas from anthropology, ethnohistory, multicultural education and cultural studies of science education, together with a model of identity learning.

From anthropology the author traces ‘marginal man’ and ‘middleman’ to modern equivalents, border crosser (and hybrid) and culture broker. He uses a theory of identity learning to look at the response to culture shock as a passage into another culture (or not), a theory which includes both cognitive and affective or emotional components. The participants’ narratives are examined for early influences which brought them into contact with the indigenous peoples in the countries where they live. Considering that they experienced border crossings when working cross-culturally, they are located within a spectrum of border crossing positions. The participants’ ideas about being culture brokers are explored, along with their experiences in that role. These are organised into five areas leading to a deeper understanding the role of the culture broker. Finally, the participants consider how teachers in particular should behave in cross-cultural settings and the types of experiences they needed to become effective teachers and border crossers.

CONFERENCES 2014 National Indigenous Women Conference 13-15 October 2014 Cairns, Queensland

Inspiring guest speakers from all states and territories of Australia and now Internationally Indigenous Conference Services in cooperation with MEES (Australia) launches the 2014 National Indigenous Women’s Conference to be held in Cairns on the 13th – 15th October, 2014. The overwhelming response of the Call for Papers clearly indicates the interests of organizations and individuals working in Indigenous Women’s services to improve the Indigenous women’s wellbeing throughout this nation.

Within a few weeks of first publishing the event, we've received abstract submissions both from every states and territories in Australia and from overseas. Registration numbers are also filling fast; hence, we encourage anyone who wishes to attend the conference to register as soon as possible. More than 80 % of

7 the submitted papers are from community based organizations, wishing to share successes in programs implemented within their communities.

One of the featured speakers is MS. CHERI YAVU-KAMA-HARATHUNIAN. Cheri is a traditional Australian Aboriginal woman of the Terabalang Bunda, Gooreng Gooreng and Kabbi Kabbi peoples. Ms Yavu-Kama-Harathunian received a Master's Degree in Criminal Justice, as well as a Bachelor of Applied Science in Indigenous and Community Health and a Certificate in Small Business Development. Cheri has more than 40 years of professional experience in Governance and Management in health, child care, education, social/criminal justice. She is a Director on the Board of IWC Ltd Bundaberg. Her portfolio covers the Spiritual and Social Services where her focus is to staff and clients and their families. She’s also the Director of Lonweigh Aboriginal Corporation 2004-2014; a Director of the Bunya Mountains Elders Council 2013-2016; and Director Indigenous Business Institute. In 2013, she was awarded the International Professional of the year Award by World Wide Who’s Who.

Furthermore, the conference also lined up several international Indigenous speakers from New Zealand, Canada and USA. MS. BERNADETTE L. PIZZEY was born November, 1960 in Edmonton Alberta, Canada. Bernadette is Metis. She grew up in a German/Irish home and her biological father is Cree. She has a Social Welfare Certificate, a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology, and is currently completing her fourth year of the Bachelors in Social Work Degree at Algoma University in Sault Ste. Marie Ontario. She recently published her first book, “Traveling Truths: Highway Memoirs” (2013) and is working on her second book, “Traveling Truths: Bus People”.

It is so pleasing to see both government and non-government organizations participating in choosing the agenda and as delegates as well. For after all, this conference is about sharing of information on successful Indigenous women programs existing and being implemented all over Australia and encouraging interagency networking either at a local, state and national level.

We encourage anyone interested in attending the conference to register early as numbers are filling fast. We’ve structured our registration in such a way that will save organization's money while at the same time providing a great forum for frank and open discussion. To register or for further details, please visit the event’s website: www.indigenousconferences.com or email us at [email protected]

2014 National Indigenous Men’s Conference 13-15 October Cairns, Queensland

Indigenous Conference Services in cooperation with MEES (Australia) launches the 2014 National Indigenous Men’s Conference to be held in Cairns on the 13th – 15th October, 2014. The overwhelming response of the Call for Papers clearly indicates the interests of organizations and individuals working to improve Indigenous men’s services. More than seventy (70) percent of the submitted papers are from community based organizations. With this in mind, we have great pleasure in announcing the great depth of presenters from within Indigenous communities around Australia.

Among the featured speakers are MR. STEVE WIDDERS & MR. JOHN RILEY. Steve is the current Aboriginal Community Liaison Officer of Armidale Dumaresq Council in New South Wales. Although declared medically and legally blind by the late Professor Fred Hollows at age 35, Steve sees himself as a Man of Vision and prefers to talk of his ‘Ability’ rather than his disability. Steve is a descendant of the Anaiwan / Kamiloaroi people of Northern NSW. John is the Community Counsellor and Development Officer of The Royal Flying Doctor Service. He will be sharing the story of how the Wik Warrior's Men's Group breaks the cycle of Aurukun’s males passing away without the opportunity to pass on their tribal knowledge to younger generations.

It is encouraging to see both government and non-government organizations participating in choosing the agenda and as delegates as well. For after all, this conference is about sharing of information on successful Indigenous men programs existing and being implemented all over Australia and interagency networking either at a local, state and national level.

We encourage anyone interested in attending the conference to register early as numbers are filling fast! To register, please visit the event’s website: www.indigenousconferences.com or email us at [email protected]

2nd International History, Philosophy and Science Teaching (IHPST) Asian Regional Conference 4-7 December 2014 Taipei, Taiwan

The 2nd International History, Philosophy and Science Teaching (IHPST) Asian Regional Conference will be held on 4-7 December 2014 in Taipei, Taiwan. The information of the conference is as following and the flyer is attached.

The conference theme is “Re-examining Science: Historical, Philosophical, and Sociological Approach to Public Engagement with Science.” When science came to the non-Western world, such as East Asia, it was often visualized as something powerful and universal. The theme of this conference is intended to examine this conventional view and to emphasize the democratic nature of science. Following the tradition of IHPST, the second Asian regional conference will bring researchers and educators from the history, philosophy, sociology of science and science education together to exchange ideas and research results.

Please visit our conference website at http://www.sec.ntnu.edu.tw/ihpst2014/index.html for information. Paper submission is open now and will be due on 15 July. We look forward to seeing you in Taipei.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS This is mostly a summary of upcoming conferences. More details may have been given in this or previous bulletins as shown. A web-based contact is usually included. Inclusion of conferences in this list is not to be read as an endorsement of the conference.

2014

August 2014 7-8 August: Finding the Common Ground with Indigenous and Western Knowledge Systems, Batchelor Institute, NT (Australia) ( http://40years.batchelor.edu.au/) (June14)

26-29 August: 9th International Conference on Conceptual Change, University of Bologna, Italy (http://www.aub.edu.lb/FAS/SMEC/Pages/The9thInternationalConferenceonConceptualChange.aspx) (Feb14)

September 2014 21-27 September: 2014 IOSTE Conference, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. Science and Technology Education for Sustainability (http://www.sarawak.uitm.edu.my/iosteBorneo/index.html)

October 2014 29 October – 2 November: iSER 2014 World Conference, Cappadocia, Turkey, (http://iser-icer.net/) (April14)

November 2014 25-27 November: International Science Education Conference 2014 (ISEC 2014), National Institute of Education, Singapore (www.isec2014.org) (April14)

December 2014 4-7 December: 2nd International History, Philosophy and Science Teaching (IHPST) Asian Regional Conference, Taipei, Taiwan (http://www.sec.ntnu.edu.tw/ihpst2014/index.html) (Aug14)

2015

April 11-14 April: National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) conference, Chicago IL

July Australasian Science Education Research Association (ASERA) conference, Perth (host: University of Western Australia

Future Australasian Science Education Research Association (ASERA) conferences (mid-year} 2016 – Canberra (host: University of Canberra)