EDB171 - Indigenous Education and Perspectives - Assignment

Running head: INDIGENOUS EDUCATION AND PERSPECTIVES 1
Indigenous Education and Perspectives
Name of the Student
Name of the Institution

INDIGENOUS EDUCATION AND PERSPECTIVES 2
Indigenous Education and Perspectives
Part A
The two articles “All the facts must be taught about Australia’s history by Nyunggai
Warren Mundine” and “Get over it, it’s 200 years ago': Anger over uni's guidelines for teaching
Australian history by Nicholas McCallum.” Present different perspectives on how the Australian
history should be taught and passed to the current and the future generation. Mr. Nyunggai
Warren Mundine in his article argues that Australian history should be taught in schools without
the use of politically correct language (Nyunggai, 2016). A term such as "invasion" should be
not be substituted for a word such as “to settle.” The conviction illumines such argument that
Australia was invaded by the British colonizers, who assumed that native people did not have
private ownership of land and were deprived of structured society or any recognizable legal or
civic system. In addition, Warren view history as incontrovertible and as such it should not be
edited to fit any agenda. Consequently, it should be inclusive of both European and Indigenous
perspectives assessing the contribution of each in the building of the modern Australia
(Nyunggai, 2016).
Conversely, Mr. Nicholas McCallum in his article approaches the concept of Australian
history from the point of indifference. In the article, he does more of reporting others viewpoints
about how the history should be viewed than giving his thought on how history should be taught.
He quotes a radio personality who thinks that explaining the historical facts as they were would
divide the society. He further includes the view of Alan Jones who believes that the use of
politically incorrect language would result in conflict (McCallum, 2016). The two articles thus
differ significantly in that, Mr. Nyunggai’s article presents a well-articulated position on how
history should be taught while Mr. McCallum offers scanty quotes of others view regarding

INDIGENOUS EDUCATION AND PERSPECTIVES 3
Australian history. In addition, Nyunggai’s article advocates scrutiny of both Indigenous and
European historical perspectives while McCallum article lacks any significant contribution
regarding how Australian history should be approached.
Media as a powerful instrument through which information is disseminated effects how
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders families and communities perceive their experience
(Bullimore, 1999). Stereotypical portrayal and representation of the indigenous people by the
media inculcate the sense of low self-esteem in the children of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islanders communities. Similarly, such a portrayal make the community feel guilty of its
experience thus evoking ravage sentiments. Furthermore, media affects how the families pass
values to the next generations and the self-perception they form of themselves (Stoneham,
Goodman, & Daube, 2014).
In conclusion, Mr. Warren Mundine approach in teaching Australian history should be
adopted in the education system. Adoption of such a system would allow the Australian natives
develop an appreciation of their cultural identity as well as acknowledge the contributions of the
European culture in the formation of the modern Australia. It will further lead to the creation of a
cohesive society which is founded on mutual understanding and respect.
Part B
Cultural identity is one of the ideal values any cultural tradition can pass to its generation.
As a consequence, preservation of culture has been a critical part of humanity ever since the
commencement of time. The passing of traditional and cultural ideas keeps the current
generations connected to the spirits of their ancestors. Although different cultures utilize various
customs to construct their identity, some believe that mother tongue is the most crucial in the
formation of the cultural identity (Bodkin-Andrews, & Carlson, 2016). In Australia cultural