Year: 2011
Type: article
Abstract: This bibliography of journals, new spapers and new sletters issued by Aboriginal and w hite interest groups will prove an invaluable resource to students o f A boriginal history.T he list is based on the collection held at the A ustralian In stitu te o f A boriginal Studies and was com piled by the Senior Bibliographer, Brownlee K irkpatrick.Many people involved in A boriginal affairs w ill recognise titles am ongst th e seventy-nine published by A boriginal and Islander groups and com m unities and the th irty published by 'w hite' interest groups.Students of A boriginal history w ill fin d useful the early publications such as The Aboriginal, or Flinders Island Chronicle an d th e first 'advancem ent m o v em en t' news letters, such as A b o Call These co n tain the views of Aborigines on their social and political situation, views which w ere rarely rep o rted elsewhere.T o d ay A boriginal thought is recorded in widely d istrib u ted national publications such as Id en tity and Aboriginal and Islander Forum.T hese w ill be pertinent to students of co n tem p o rary Aboriginal affairs.The publications of Aboriginal organisations sometimes appeared irregularly, or soon ceased to appear.But, particularly in th e case of the 'advancem ent m ovem ent' newsletters, m any titles disappeared because they were subsum ed in an o th er journal.The grow th of a national Aboriginal m ovem en t m eant the unification o f m any smaller groups, whose views becam e expressed in national publications such as the annual reports of the Federal Council for the A dvancem ent of Aborigines and T orres S trait Islanders (FCAATSI).Today m any com m unities publish new sletters, often in the local A boriginal language, as a resource for the language renaissance which is occurring w ith th e hom e lands and o u tstatio n movem ent.A n exam ple is the Yutana dhdwu fro m Yirrkala.Gabalgu jurra from M aningrida contains interesting local coverage o f the activities of mining com panies in the T op End.T he land council new sletters are th e m ajor published source of A boriginal views on land rights.They are w ritten and pub lish ed in an Aboriginal c o n te x t -unlike the 'w hitefella' media w hose coverage of land rights is distorted by cultural co n cep ts such as 'new sw orthiness', business interests, an d ju st plain bias and ignorance.Land R ights News, published by the N orthern L and C ouncil, has covered m ost o f the land claims lodged from the T op E nd, and is d istrib u ted to all Aboriginal groups in th e C ouncil's area.The Aboriginal co n tex t is one of burgeoning consciousness, self-organisation and confidence.The A boriginal coverage o f th e m eaning and effect of w h itefella politics is astute and uncom prom ising.An exam ple is the N orth Q ueensland L and C ouncil's coverage of A urukun and M ornington Island affairs in early 1978 in N.Q.Messagestick.These new sletters are firstly political resources, keeping Aboriginal p eo p le in touch with their organisations and activities and inform ing their w hite readership o f the subjective Aboriginal p o in t of view.O ther new sletters and journals w ere published by w hite in terest groups.O ften the missionary organs provided only new s o f the 'success' of the C hristian missions to Aborigines, for the w hite congregations w hose donations subsidised m issionary activities.Their rep o rts were probably a m ajor inspiration to th e w h ite view of Aborigines, and could give insights in to A ustralian racism.Such jo u rn als will prove relevant for students of the colonisation o f Aborigines.The periodicals in the second p a rt o f this listing are im p o rta n t to A boriginal history because they include much m aterial w ritten by Aborigines, or in fo rm atio n on the lives of individuals and com m unities w hich is recorded now here else.T h e church periodicals listed here could be an im p o rta n t historical resource fo r researchers wishing
Source: Aboriginal History Journal
Authors: Marcia Langton, Brownlee Kirkpatrick
Language: English
Subfield: Anthropology
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2231390709