Dr Jared Thomas Churchill Fellowship

However, the museum and my colleagues are working proactively to address the wrongs of the past, and the longer I work in the institution, the more aware I am that historically Aboriginal people including my family members have voluntarily contributed to the workings of the museum, including donating objects, and representation of our own cultures.

A big part of the Churchill Fellowship Research for me was seeing what happens when Indigenous and colonised people have control of their objects and interpretation of their cultures, and looking at different types of museum models, including First Nations owned museums, and museums like the South Australian Museum to assess their positives and limitations. To do this work, I met with museum and gallery directors, curators, artists, First Nations communities and academics.

Churchill Fellowships offer a diverse range of people from all walks of life an opportunity to travel overseas for four to eight weeks to explore a topic or issue that they are passionate about.

The Churchill Fellowship builds on my work as Research Fellow, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Material Culture at the South Australian Museum and University of South Australia.

In this role I research and develop exhibitions focussing on Aboriginal material culture (artefacts, artworks, clothing, and tools both historic and contemporary) whilst promoting the voices of Aboriginal people to share their own interpretations of their cultures. My passion for this work is linked to my person background. My Dad is Nukunu and Ngadjuri from the Southern Flinders Ranges and mid-north of South Australia, and mum’s Aboriginal family (the Dodd’s) are from Winton, Queensland.

The research will support me to create changes to the way Aboriginal material culture is presented at the South Australian Museum and assist me to share ideas with those working on the Tarrkarri First Nations Cultural Centre being built in Adelaide.

I commenced employment at the South Australian Museum in 2018 with full awareness of the role that museum’s have played in representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that has produced negative outcomes for Aboriginal people.

Probably most surprising was the way that Sámi people of Finland and Norway considered their museums and archives to be elders, not replacing elders in their own communities but enhancing the opportunity for Sámi people to learn about their cultures and share them with the world. Whereas many international First Nations people consider repatriation of cultural objects to their home communities, Sámi considered repatriation to be the return of objects and archives from international museum to their own Sámi owned institutions.

There were six stand out components of institutions I visited. These include:

The way that First Nations and African American art and employees were presented and supported within the Art Gallery of Ontario

The way that culture was employed to teach science, technology, engineering and math at the National Museum of the American Indian in New York

The revitalised Northwest Coast Hall of the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in New York, placing First Nations people front and centre in the telling of their own stories

• The way that the story of cultural appropriation is told through the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC

The combination of telling the difficult story of slavery and political struggle combined with the celebration of African American achievement within the National Museum of American Culture and History in Washington DC

A nd the way that storage display solutions are employed by the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver to increase the number of collection items that can be shared with communities. Other things that were great to see was the way that institutions were working to increase First Nations museum employees, and improve their collection, repatriation and display practices, and engagement with First Nations communities. Before this trip, I last visited North America in 2017 and I was pleasantly surprised to see the increased focus on diversity and inclusion which was reflected through the increased employment of women, First Nations people and people of culturally diverse backgrounds, along with the development of exhibits that prioritises the voices of First Nations and colonised peoples.

Dr Jared Thomas

Dr Jared Thomas is a Nukunu person of the Southern Flinders Ranges, the Research Fellow, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art and Material Cultural at the South Australian Museum and University of South Australia, a filmmaker, and an award-winning author.

I was delighted to be in Canada on 30 September for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – a public holiday that “honours the children who never returned home and Survivors of residential schools”, and to find that New Zealand now has a national public holiday in July in recognition of Māori reverence of Matariki, the seven sisters. The countries that I visited also have a treaty or rights agenda that increases the ability for First Nations and colonised peoples to be self-determined within museums and galleries.

I was also focused on learning how the best museums are developed from conception with sustainability in mind, the role of architecture in storytelling, and various cost points involved in making high-quality museum displays.

There were so many incredible people that I met, exhibitions and objects, and country that I saw. I felt particularly moved when gaining a deeper appreciation of the meaning of objects such as headdresses to American First Nations people, standing up close to Jimi Hendrix’s guitar amplifier and Michael Jordan’s jersey that he wore when last playing for and winning a championship with the Chicago Bulls, and seeing the way that all people were utilising museums to share their art and story with the world.

It’s difficult to make comparisons between First Nations people of the world, as we’re all a little the same and different, but it was clear that we all want to tell all of the aspects of our history and culture and be supported to do so.

I look forward to presenting full details about my Churchill Research Fellowship through a series of public forums in 2023.

Listen to Aboriginal Way’s podcast with Dr Thomas at www.nativetitlesa.org/ aboriginal-way-news

Department for Child Protection

Aboriginal Child and Youth Worker, Pool

Are you interested in working with children, young people and families in South Australia who need it most, in a role that is both challenging yet highly rewarding?

Then consider applying for the Child and Youth Worker role.

As part of this role, you will receive:

• A competitive salary ($64,636 – $68,886 per annum) plus superannuation and relevant penalties

• Be paid to complete a Certificate IV nationally accredited qualification

• Be allocated a mentor and undertake shadow shifts to build your confidence and develop your skills

• Receive ongoing learning and development

As a Child and Youth Worker, you will be part of a team contributing to improving the social and living skills of children and young people in residential care (both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal), and assist in their effective transition into the community and/or reunification/ reconnection with their families, family-based care providers or other suitable care options

Supporting our Aboriginal children and families in DCP Department for Child Protection (DCP) is committed to ensuring that Aboriginal children in our care have the opportunity to have connection, culture, community, spiritual identity and that we support traditional ownership of the land through respect and celebration by the people around them and those who care for them.

For further information about the role and enquiries relating to the pool, please contact the DCP Recruitment Team at DCPRecruitment@sa.gov.au.

To submit your application please visit iworkfor.sa.gov.au and search for reference number 490893.