International Journal of Education & the Arts

Citation: Rowlands, K., MacGill, B., & Meiners, J. (2022). First Nations dance in the school curriculum: Perspectives from an Australian university. International Journal of Education & the Arts, 23(SI 1.1). Retrieved from http://doi.org/10.26209/ijea23si1.1

From the rallying call of the USA’s Black Lives Matter movement, three Australian university teacher educators present perspectives on First Nations dance in the school curriculum. The Australian education system has emerged from the devastating impact of European colonisation upon the continent’s First Nations peoples resulting in trauma, resistance, and resilience. Theory/praxis approaches to matters of Indigenous marginalisation within the school system are presented in relation to the context of public interest in “truth telling” about past colonial injustices. We draw first upon genealogical research to track the prohibition of Aboriginal dance in schools from the early years of colonisation to the later White Australia policy until now. Next, the complexities of embedding a new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures’ Cross-Curriculum Priority are considered. Third, we explain research into teachers’ enactment of First Nations dance in schools. Finally, a summary suggests ways forward from past wrongs.