Writing about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge

The need

The client (CSIRO’s Atlas of Living Australia and the Noongar Boodjar Language Centre) needed help writing an article about an important project led by the Noongar Boodjar Language Centre. 

The project aims to record, collect, protect and promote the Noongar-Wudjari language and ancestral ecological knowledge and connect it with Western scientific knowledge.

It was important that the key spokesperson from Noongar Boodjar Language Centre had the main lead on key messages and approvals. The article needed to emphasise that there are different knowledge systems and both have merit. While some of the messages in this article may be completely new to readers, it was crucial to capture the observation that the Western view of science and ‘who a scientist is’ needs to evolve. 

The way that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and Traditional Owners are represented, quoted, and credited reflects contemporary and good practice communication.

Our solution

To ensure the process of creating this article was a positive experience for all, Claire:

• Digested a range of background material
• Discussed the project with the client to understand priorities and important relationships
• Interviewed spokespeople
• When the story was drafted, checked the facts, flow of the story, and angles with the spokespeople carefully. 
• Was on hand to provide guidance to the scientists and the communication managers.

Links

Article published on Atlas of Living Australia website for NAIDOC Week 2021: Linking Indigenous ecological knowledge and Western science.

Coverage included: online ECOS blog (by CSIRO), Twitter and Facebook.