From 28 October to 8 November the RCDH hosted fifteen Indigenous women from all over the continent for a two-week Indigenous Family History Research Residency. The Residency is designed to provide opportunities for Indigenous women to develop their capacity for researching and writing their own family histories, through a comprehensive two-week residential program at the ANU, featuring sessions by Indigenous historians. The residency is supported by the Australian Research Council’s Kathleen Fitzpatrick Fellowship and Laureate, the College of Arts and Social Sciences and funding from ANU’s Gender Institute.
After a rousing Welcome to Country from Aunty Matilda House, the Residency kicked off with a Yarning Circle and sessions led by Professor Jackie Huggins AM and Dr Kath Travis who both shared their own experiences of researching their family histories. Jackie and Kath also joined in on archive visits during the first week, as participants enjoyed regular visits to the National Library Australia, the National Archives Australia, and the Noel Butlin Archives at the ANU. These introductory sessions were designed to familiarise the group with catalogues, reading rooms, and archival materials and to develop familiarity dealing with archival institutions. Researchers were supported by the teams at each institution. One participant noted that ‘seeing physical items and making contacts in these institutions was amazing!’, and another, that ‘having access to the archives as a critical mass,’ including the support of others in the group, helped make the visits some of the best parts of the residency.
The sessions delivered by Jackie, Kath and Dr Shauna Bostock were a highlight of the program for many. One participant said that she could ‘relate to their journeys which is amazingly helpful as this work can be isolating… they are all inspiring.’ Participants said that highlights were ‘having Indigenous teachers who have been on the journey of family research’ and ‘learning from such awesome inspiring women who have achieved so much and are so supportive.’
The second week of the program included visits to AIATSIS and sessions run by Shauna, Professor Kat Ellinghaus and Aunty Judi Wicks. Shauna shared her family history research and writing skills across several sessions, and Kat and Aunty Judi spoke with the group about the complexity of certificates of exemption and family history research.
On Thursday and Friday, as the residency drew to a close, participants made their own presentations to the group, sharing their family history research journeys so far. The presentations demonstrated the diversity of experiences and family histories across the country, as well as showcasing the different paths taken by each of the participants in researching their family histories.
The RCDH would like to thank the teams at the NLA, NAA, AIATSIS and the ANU archives for their support and involvement in the program. This extended beyond the introductory sessions to include support for participants throughout the Residency period as they undertook their own self-directed research, as well as preparation of materials for each participant based on their research plans. We’d also like to thank the NMA for hosting us for a tour on the weekend.
Our biggest thanks must go to the participants themselves, who engaged in the program with enthusiasm, support, friendship, kindness, lots of laughter and good humour. While the program has been designed to facilitate family history research, and to provide supported access to archives and sessions with Indigenous historians, by its nature it also creates the opportunity to meet and spend time with other family historians. Much of the feedback from participants emphasised how integral this was to the experience. ‘Connecting with like-minded women,’ and ‘participants’ generosity in sharing their knowledge and experiences,’ everyone was ‘supportive and understood where each other was coming from.’
