Indigenous Archival Futures and the International Council on Archives Tandanya-Adelaide Declaration: Indigenous Perspectives from Australia

Lauren Booker; Monica  Galassi; Narissa Timbery; Kirsten  Thorpe

doi:10.37683/asa.v53.11075

Lauren Booker Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Monica Galassi Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Narissa Timbery Department of Human Centred Computing, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
Kirsten Thorpe Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.37683/asa.v53.11075

Keywords: First Nations archives, Impact evaluation, Rights in Records, Indigenous Archival Sovereignty

Abstract

2024 marked the 5th anniversary of the Tandanya-Adelaide Declaration, a critical milestone in the international archival community's commitment to transform archives by centring Indigenous leadership, self-determination and knowledge systems. This paper introduces and discusses the collaborative Australia-based research project Tracking Tandanya, launched in 2024 through a partnership between the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research at the University of Technology Sydney, the Faculty of Information Technology at Monash University, and the Australian Society of Archivists. The Tracking Tandanya project evaluates how the Declaration is advancing its aim of transforming archives to support Indigenous priorities, drawing on research data collected through a sector-wide survey of individuals and organisations engaging with, or implementing, the Declaration across Australia. Tracking Tandanya seeks to answer questions including: How is the Declaration being utilised in institutional contexts? Are projects being adequately resourced and evaluated? Are the reforms making an impact on community? Have archival practices begun to be reimagined? What are the trends from the Declaration’s themes that are being addressed? By establishing this evidence base, the project aims to identify both strengths and areas for improvement in supporting Indigenous self-determination in archives.

Author Biographies

Lauren Booker, Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia

Dr Lauren Booker (Garigal) is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Indigenous Archives and Data Stewardship Hub at Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education & Research, University of Technology Sydney and a member of the Indigenous Archives Collective. Lauren has worked across the Australian Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums sector (GLAM) on projects supporting First Nations communities and organisations to access Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property held in collecting institutions. This includes working in consultation with the public library network regarding language documentation identification and the use of manuscripts in language revitalisation. Her work also focuses on planning and facilitating the digitisation of cultural heritage and photographic collections, and the organisation of digital community archives.

Monica Galassi, Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia

Dr Monica Galassi is a Research Fellow at the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research at the University of Technology Sydney. Monica’s scholarship and advocacy centre on social justice, with a strong focus on the importance of access to and control over cultural heritage. Her research sits at the intersection of archival practice and theory, aiming to support research approaches that can drive meaningful institutional change in response to community needs and aspirations. Through her PhD and ongoing work, Monica has developed methodologies for knowledge translation that prioritise community-centred approaches and strengthen the impact and accountability of research.

Narissa Timbery, Department of Human Centred Computing, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

Dr Narissa Timbery (Yuin Nation) is a senior lecturer and DAATSIA Fellow at Monash University in the Department of Human Centred Computing, Digital Equity Group, Faculty of IT. She is a founding member of the Information Empowered Communities Lab. Her research with the Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Living Archives of People and Place project, centers on connecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples with their records held in archival institutions; through her research she hopes to achieve the return or care of archival records based on Community protocols and needs. Narissa is the DAATSIA Fellow on the Discovery Indigenous project, Cybersecurity for Indigenous Communities. She is a qualified archivist and has worked at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies and the National Archives of Australia.

Kirsten Thorpe, Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia

Dr Kirsten Thorpe (Worimi, Port Stephens) is Professor at the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research at the University of Technology Sydney, where she leads the Indigenous Archives and Data Stewardship Hub. The Hub advocates for Indigenous rights in archives and data, and develops research and engagement in relation to refiguring libraries and archives to support the culturally appropriate ownership, management and ongoing preservation of Indigenous knowledges.