2018 will see a revitalisation of the Indigenous Archives Network renamed as the Indigenous Archives Collective.
Our aim will be to share stories, experiences, research, and questions on the importance of Indigenous Archives. We conceptualise ‘Archives’ broadly to encompass art, dance, storytelling as well as collections. Best described by McKemmish (2005) in relation to the Australian Records Continuum as:
“Continuum definitions of recordkeeping reference the Archive in the very broadest sense, “encompassing oral and written records, literature, landscape, dance, art, the built environment and artefacts” insofar as they provide traces of social, cultural and organisational activity that evidence and memorialise individual and collective lives.” (McKemmish, 2005, p.1)
The group represents Indigenous, and non-Indigenous researchers and professionals, who work across the wider GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums) sector.
The new website will feature contributions from a number of authors on topics from the digital return of materials, data sovereignty, and archives, Indigenous voice, and representation in the sector, as well as showcase exhibitions and projects that are led by Indigenous peoples.
Author – Kirsten Thorpe
References
McKemmish, Sue. “Traces: document, record, archive, archives.” In Archives, pp. 1-20. 2005. In McKemmish, S., Piggott, M., Reed, B., & Upward, F. (Eds) Archives: Recordkeeping in Society, (pp. 1). Australia: Charles Sturt University, Centre for Information Studies.
Acknowledgments
We acknowledge the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation, where we came together for the first meeting of the Indigenous Archives Collective in 2018.
Image Source: State Library of New South Wales. [Cropped Image] View of the Heads at the entrance to Port Jackson New South Wales, 1824, Joseph Lycett, SAFE F82/16, plate 9. See: http://archival.sl.nsw.gov.au/Details/archive/110315077
Indigenous Archives Collective 