ABSTRACT
The resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States of America has rippled its influence around the world, including the shores of Australia. Here in our country, a focused spotlight bears down on the lives and livelihoods of the First Peoples of Australia. However, what do we really know about the brown and black people of Australia other than what is produced by the mainstream media? For instance, what are our children learning about Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people? Where does Aboriginal history of colonisation feature in the history and social sciences curriculum taught in Australian schools? What do teachers know about our kinship system? How do schools use culturally appropriate ways to acknowledge the past, learn our truths and step every day in a journey toward reconciliation? Why is culture so important for us and particularly children’s wellbeing? This chapter explores Aboriginal worldview and how this guides our perceptions of our reality(ies) (ontology) and how we think and behave within our realities (epistemology); the importance of Aboriginal culture and the relationship with student identity, wellbeing, and school outcomes; and the need for decolonisation of teachers’ perceptions, their teaching style, choice of teaching content, and the teaching environment.
