Finding Indigenous knowledges resources
This page provides tips for finding resources on Indigenous knowledges including resources by Australian First Nations authors.
To start with, if you have a particular publication by an Indigenous author e.g. Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World by Dr. Tyson Yunkaporta, look for similar material by that author.
If there is a reference list at the end of the work, see if there are any sources by Indigenous authors, follow up their works and try and locate other sources by those writers.
Seek out any reviews of recent publications by Indigenous authors.
Finding Indigenous knowedges resources on the library website
Library Search
Author search
To search for a particular Indigenous author, select the field Author and key in the name [last name first] e.g. Yunkaporta, Tyson
Subject search
Books about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, their culture, laws etc. are currently classified under “Aboriginal Australians” followed by a sub-heading or narrower terms e.g. Aboriginal Australians--Bandjalang (Australian People) or Aboriginal Australians -- Land Tenure.
A subject field search for “Aboriginal Australians” (include the double quote marks) plus additional keywords related to your topic will retrieve items in that area in the context of Australia’s First Nations peoples.
You can limit to Source type (e.g. books, ebooks, academic journals) from the list of options on the left hand side of the results screen.
Subject databases
AusLit Database
A feature of AustLit, is BlackWords, which provides access to a vast record of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers and their publications. The database is searchable, and provides essays and publications on authors as well as themed ‘trails’ guiding educators around different cultural and historical topics.
Streaming video resources
Streaming video resources can be accessed via A-Z Databases by title or filter Streaming video
Informit EduTV
Informit EduTV is a searchable database that contains educational content from Australian free-to-air channels covering TV series, films and documentaries. Titles include: episodes from Living Black, First Australians, Lake of Scars, The Australian Wars, Incarceration Nation and more.
To search for First Nations content:
1. Go to the library homepage>A-Z Databases
2. Key in EduTV in the search box
3. At the top of the search screen select Advanced Search
4. Key in the term First Nations or Aboriginal Australians and select the field Subject
5. Select filters for Resource type, Genre etc. as relevant.
Kanopy
Kanopy offers a wide range of quality films and documentaries.
Search by title or creator or browse collections. Films and documentaries with First Nations content can be found under:
- Global studies and languages>Indigenous Studies>Indigenous Peoples of Australia. Titles include In My Blood It Runs, Stolen Generations, Utopia and more.
Ethnographic video online: Indigenous Voices
Ethnographic video online: Indigenous Voices A platform dedicated to First Nations filmmakers, enabling Indigenous voices to address issues from Indigenous perspectives. Select the filter icon to find relevant First Nations content for your context.
Other scholarly resources
Informit Indigenous Scholars You Should Know
- Informit have worked with Australian First Nations researchers to develop a collection of interviews that spotlight Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led scholarship. This interview series highlights Indigenous-led research and First Nations methodologies.
TROVE (National Library of Australia)
- TROVE has a First Australians portal where you can explore resources and search by language groups. Included on this portal is The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Biographical Index, an ongoing project in which books from the AIATSIS collection with names of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people mentioned in them are indexed. Covers the whole of Australia, including Tasmania and the Torres Strait. You can explore items in the ABI collection by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language codes from AUSTLANG.
Indigenous Knowledges Research
- Developed by University of Melbourne, this guide is an introduction to Indigenous knowledge systems and resources. It includes a Zotero library (free registration is required to access the library). From the guide’s homepage, go to Resources>Shared Library.
Macquarie PEN Anthology of Aboriginal Literature website
- Edited by Anita Heiss and Peter Minter, this anthology of works is accompanied by a comprehensive website which provides links, book lists, critical readings and resource lists for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander texts and perspectives.
Publishers of First Nations Voices
There are a number of First Nations publishing houses which publish Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories and voices. Here is a selection:
- Publishing arm of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) and publisher of Australian Indigenous studies. They publish scholarly works, children’s books, biographies, research papers and monographs across a broad range of topics.
- Australia’s leading Indigenous publishing house, Aboriginal-owned and led. Published the award-winning Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe
- Established in 1996 with the purpose of recording Aboriginal history and culture.
- An Indigenous community-based publishing venture based in North Queensland and specialising in illustrated books for young readers.
- The publishing arm of Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, Northern Territory, Australia. The teaching and learning resources are produced primarily for Indigenous students living in remote communities, the majority of whom have English as a second or third language.
University of Queensland Press – First Nations Writers
- Awarded 2022 & 2021 Australian Small Publisher of the Year, UQP established the David Unaipon Award in the late 1980s, an award that has launched the careers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors including Samuel Wagan Watson, Larissa Behrendt, Tara June Winch and Ellen van Neerven.
Other resources
Reconciliation Australia
- Publishes quarterly newsletters which features “Look for a book” section in each edition. For example, take a look at May 2022 (p.26).
Vogue: An essential First Nations reading list (2022)
- Compiled by Wiradjuri woman, Tara June Winch. See also a series of essays by Tara, Decolonising the Shelf in Griffith Review.
ANZLL First Nations' Literature Reading list
- Australian and New Zealand Literature Lovers' collation of books by First Nations authors. Includes interviews and reviews.
Whispering gums
- Interviews with Australian Indigenous authors (podcasts)
NAIDOC Week must-read books by Indigenous Australians
List of Australian Indigenous writers (Wikipedia)
- Includes categories for Literature, Journalism, Music & Theatre, Non-fiction, Essays & Academia
Indigenous Australian literature (Wikipedia)
- Includes categories for History, Contemporary Literature, Poetry, Notable Authors