Overview

The regulation of Outsiders to Aboriginal Country is theorised by scholars as invasion and contact, race relations, frontiers and acculturation. In these theories Aboriginal People are represented as powerless and hopeless in the face of their inevitable assimilation. Aboriginal regulation of Outsiders is rarely investigated for Aboriginal agency.

This research study investigates the agency of a Rainforest Aboriginal Community in the regulation of Outsiders to their Country of past, present and future. It provides an Indigenist research paradigm founded on the principles of cultural respect and cultural safety and embedded in Aboriginal ontology, epistemology and axiology.

The challenge for western research and researchers is to engage research as an interface where conceptual, cultural and historical spaces interface or come alongside each other based on new relationships to knowledge, to research and to self. The protocols developed for this research study provide seven rules for research to direct culturally safe and respectful researcher behaviour and ensure researcher responsibilities and accountabilities to the Burungu, Kuku-Yalanji, the research study and the academy are fulfilled. When research is transformed in this way, it is itself, transformative and works towards achieving Aboriginal sovereignty in research.

Karen Martin's thesis was highly praised by two internationally renowned scholars. Professor Norman Denzin, (University of Illinois) remarked, 'this is a brilliant and stunning dissertation, original in conception and bold in execution... Relatedness theory is a major contribution to this literature.' Professor Manulani Meyer, (University of Hawaii) celebrated this work for its cultural truth and integrity and wrote, 'Her research showed flair, originality, depth and significant independent scholarship within an Aboriginal community. It has brought us new insights into a people and Nation that will help our own knowledge systems evolve... Her work is timely.'

The thesis was also jointly awarded the Australian Association for Research in Education Doctoral Research in Education Award (2007).

Table of Contents

Foreword
Overview
Acknowledgements

Research ceremony, preparation phase: the ceremony of research

Preface: How to Engage with this Thesis

• Quandamoopah Cultural Traditions, Conventions and Expectations
• Presenting the Research Stories: Prologue, First Stories and Visual Stories
• Storywork: a Meta-process
• Writing Decisions and Meeting Cultural and Academic Conventions
• Structure of the Dissertation
  
  

Where have our stories gone? Preparation phase, research ceremony phase one
Chapter One: Introduction and Background

• Aboriginal Research: Early Patterns in the Dispossession of Our Stories
• Aboriginal Research: Recent Patterns in the Dispossession of Our Stories
• Aboriginal Research: Changing Patterns and Different Ways of Researching
• Aboriginal Research: Invisibility, Dispossession and Native Title Research
• The Burungu, Kuku-Yalanji and the Research Study
• The Research Study: Assumptions, Questions and the Upgrade
• Conclusion
  
  

Searching for the old stories: Initial phase, research ceremony phase one
Chapter Two: Reviewing the Literature

• Aboriginal Research Stories: Invasion, Colonialism and Outsiders
• Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal Contact Experiences in Far North Queensland
• Invasion and Race Relations in Far North Queensland
• Tin Mining and Logging
• Sugar and Agriculture
• Marine-based Industries
• Segregation and Protection, Assimilation and Acculturation
• The Lutheran Church
• Queensland Government
• Aboriginal Agency and Outsiders: Implications for the Research Study
• Aboriginal Research Scholarship
• Critical Race Theory
• Whiteness Studies
• Aboriginal Post-colonialism
• Decolonisation and Aboriginal Research
• Aboriginal Post-colonialism and Aboriginal Research in Australia
• Implications for the Research Study
• Conclusion
  
  

The stories of relatedness: Initial phase, research ceremony phase one
Chapter Three: Indigenist Research Theory

• Quandamoopah Ontology: Worldview, Stories and Relatedness
• Quandamoopah Ontology and the First Story of Worldview
• The Ancestral Core
• The Spirits
• The Entities of Quandamoopah
• The Filter
• Relatedness: An Ontological Premise
• The Depths of Relatedness
• The Quampie Story: Epistemology and Relatedness
• Marine Mud
• The Ancestral Core
• The Three Knowledge Bands
• Ways of Knowing
• Ways of Knowing: Knowing how we are related
• Ways of Being
• Respecting Relatedness
• Relatedness and Responsibility
• Relatedness and Accountability
• Ways of Doing
• Ways of Doing: Processes of Living Relatedness
• Ways of Doing: Practices of Living Relatedness
• Relatedness, Ontology, Epistemology and Indigenist Research
• Defining Ontology
• Ontology and Indigenist Research Paradigm
• Defining Epistemology
• Relatedness Theory and Indigenist Research Projects
• Relatedness Theory: Ways of Knowing and the Project of Critique
• Relatedness Theory: Ways of Being and the Project of Re-framing
• Relatedness Theory: Ways of Doing and the Project of Harmonisation
• Conclusion
  
  

A way to gather and remember stories: Research ceremony phase two, core phase
Chapter Four: Indigenist Research Methodology

• Indigenist Research: Answering Questions of Methodology
• The Quampie Story and Quampie Methodology
• Phase One: Starting Out in Relatedness
• Phase Two: the Research Interface
• Phase Three: Inquiry and Immersion
• Storywork: Fishing for Information
• Phase Four: Indigenist Research Projects and Re-search
• Ways of Knowing: Indigenist Research Project of Critique
• Ways of Being: Indigenist Research Project of Re-framing
• Ways of Doing: Indigenist Research Project of Harmonisation
• Indigenist Research Methodology, Relatedness and Heuristic Indwelling
• Quampie Methodology: Concluding Comments
• Quampie Methodology and the Burungu, Kuku-Yalanji Research Study
• Phase Two: Research before Buru
• Analysis of Key Studies of Burungu and Kuku-Yalanji Peoples
• Pre-study Visits to Mossman and Buru
• Articulating an Indigenist Research Paradigm
• Phase Three: Research at Buru
• Buru Study Visits
• Storyworking with Mr Fischer
• Analysis of Burungu, Kuku-Yalanji Literature
• Analysis of Wet Tropics World Heritage Area Literature
• Phase Four: Research after Buru
• Research and the Project of Critique
• Research and the Project of Re-framing
• Research and the Project of Harmonisation
• Conclusion
  
  

'We been here first' (Fischer, 2001a), The research stories: Research ceremony phase two, core phase
Chapter Five: Burungu, Kuku-Yalanji Regulation of Outsiders

• (Burungu, Kuku-Yalanji Research Stories, Relatedness and Outsiders)
• (The Buru Boundary Signs: the Anchor Point for Research Stories)
• (Burungu, Kuku-Yalanji Entities)
• (Buru Ancestors and Creators: Research Stories)
• (Land: Burungu, Kuku-Yalanji Research Stories)
• (Waterways: Burungu, Kuku-Yalanji Research Stories)
• (Climate: Burungu, Kuku-Yalanji Research Stories)
• (Plants: Burungu, Kuku-Yalanji Research Stories)
• (Animals: Burungu, Kuku-Yalanji Re-search Stories)
• (Skies: Burungu, Kuku-Yalanji Re-search Stories)
• (People: Burungu, Kuku-Yalanji re-search Stories)
• (People -- People: Regulating Relatedness)
• (Burungu Kuku-Yalanji Regulation of ngarrbal, waybal and jarwon as madja)
• (Who or what is an Outsider?)
• (Burungu, Kuku-Yalanji Regulation of Ngarrbal: Indirect and Direct regulation)
• (Indirect Regulation)
• (Direct Regulation)
• (Burungu Kuku-Yalanji Regulation of Waybal: Limited Interaction, Limited Engagement)
• (Limited Interaction and Limited Engagement)
• (Missions and Missionaries)
• (Visitors)
• (Research and Researchers)
• ('Please respect our Land... Please respect the wishes of our elders': Burungu, Kuku-Yalanji Regulation of Jarwon: Sustained Engagement)
• ('Enjoy your stay and thankyou' Burungu, Kuku-Yalanji as madja and the Regulation of Tourists)
• (Regulating Tourists: Limited Interaction, Indirect and Direct Regulation)
• (Direct Regulation: Respect the Land)
• (Direct Regulation: Protect the Land)
• (Indirect Regulation: Respect the Land)
• (Yalakuda Ngulkur Bajaku: Burungu, Kuku-Yalanji as madja)
• (Burungu, Kuku-Yalanji as madja: Coming Amongst and Coming Alongside)
• (Coming Amongst: Regulating People in Country)
• (Inviting Specific People to Buru)
• (Coming Alongside: Regulating Outsiders)
• ('Talk the True Word': Honesty)
• ('Walk One Way Together': Cooperation)
• (Showing Respect)
• (Regulating Relatedness: Away from Buru)
• (Summarising the Research Stories)
• Conclusion
  
  

Re-search after Buru: Research ceremony phase three, final phase.
Chapter Six: Implications for Aboriginal Research and Indigenist Researchers

• Re-search Stories: Protocols for Research
• Coming Amongst and Coming Alongside the Burungu, Kuku-Yalanji Entities
• 'Coming Alongside' the Burungu, Kuku-Yalanji: Protocols for Research
• Protocols for Research
• Research Rules: Respect for Self and Others
• Researcher Responsibility: Obeying the Research Rules
• Researcher Accountability
• Reality Checking and Member Checking: Relevance and Rigour in Re-search
• Presenting the Protocols to Burungu, Kuku-Yalanji at Buru
• Presenting the Protocols to Mr Fischer
• The Research Interface: Aboriginal Research, Indigenist Research and Researchers
• Coming Amongst and Coming Alongside: Implications for Indigenist Researchers and Aboriginal research
• Conclusion
  
  

Concluding the research study: Research ceremony phase four, closing phase
Chapter Seven: Significance, Limitations, Application And Thesis Statement

• Research Study Original Contributions to Knowledge
• New Relationships to Knowledge: Burungu, Kuku-Yalanji Regulation of Outsiders
• Indigenist Research: New Relationships to Research

• Limitations of the Research Study and Further Applications
• Application of Indigenist Research Scholarship
• Conclusion: Research Study Thesis Statement
  
  

References

Legislation cited

Index