Whanaungatanga ki ngā iwi taketake o Ahitereiria
Solidarity with the First Nations of Australia. A protocol map, partner directory, and consent-led approach for working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language communities on data sovereignty — built on the work that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers, language centres, and artists have already led for decades.
Why this page exists, and why it's mostly in English
An honest opening — because the worst thing a non-Indigenous project from across the Tasman could do is publish translations it hasn't earned.
Te Pā Tūwatawata is a kaupapa-Māori free course on data sovereignty, currently published in six languages: te reo Māori, English, Sāmoan, Portuguese, Guaraní, and Arabic. As the project grew, the obvious next neighbours were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language communities — across the Tasman, deeply connected struggles, parallel data-sovereignty work already led by Maiam nayri Wingara and the Lowitja Institute.
Why there is no Gamilaraay, Meriam Mir, or Yumplatok sticker yet
Aboriginal Australian languages are Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP). The Arts Law Centre is unambiguous: language is ICIP, and publishing it — even from a dictionary, even with good intentions — requires Free, Prior, and Informed Consent from the relevant community. The AIATSIS Code of Ethics (2020) codifies this for any project touching First Nations materials.
We will not publish translations until the community partner asks for it. This is not caution about getting in trouble — it is the substance of what data sovereignty means in this context. The Māori framework does not translate directly across the Tasman, and we will not pretend that it does.
What this page is, then: a public commitment to a way of working, a map of the protocols, a directory of partner organisations whose work we acknowledge, and an open record of the outreach scaffold we are using. If you are an Australian First Nations educator, researcher, language worker, or community member reading this — and you see something we have got wrong — the contact link at the bottom is real and the page will be updated.
The frameworks we ground this work in
Australian First Nations researchers and language communities have already built the discourse this project relies on. We are guests in that discourse, not authors of it.
Maiam nayri Wingara Principles
Five rights of Indigenous peoples regarding data: Control, Contextual, Relevant, Accountable, Protective. Co-founded by Maggie Walter (Palawa), Raymond Lovett (Wiradjuri), and First Nations researchers. The Australian sibling of Te Mana Raraunga.
CARE Principles
Collective Benefit · Authority to control · Responsibility · Ethics. The Global Indigenous Data Alliance's framework, developed with Australian, Aotearoa, North American, and Pacific First Nations researchers. Complements FAIR, does not replace it.
AIATSIS Code of Ethics (2020)
Indigenous leadership, self-determination, agency, sustainability, rights, respect, reciprocity, equity, responsibility. The reference document for any project involving Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander materials.
True Tracks®
Ten ICIP principles: Recognition, Respect, Survival and Revitalisation, Integrity, Keeping Cultures Alive, Benefit, Consent, Interpretation, Authenticity, Relationships. Practical roadmap for organisations working with First Nations cultural material.
Free, Prior & Informed Consent (FPIC)
Not the absence of objection. An active, documented agreement. Free from coercion, Prior to design decisions being locked in, Informed on use and control, Consent recorded in writing — with the right to withdraw at any stage.
Indigenous Art Code
Best-practice standard for commercial trade with Aboriginal and TSI artists. If a Phase 2 artist commission happens, the gallery or intermediary should be an Art Code signatory.
The language landscape, briefly
Approximately 250 Aboriginal language groups existed at the time of colonisation. The Closing the Gap Target 16 framework tracks language vitality as a national headline indicator. Of around 123 languages still spoken, roughly 40 are described as "strong" by the AIATSIS National Indigenous Languages Survey.
Strong-vitality languages
| Language | Region | Speakers (approx.) | Key institution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yolŋu Matha (~12 varieties) | Arnhem Land, NT | 4,000–6,000 | Charles Darwin University · Matha |
| Pitjantjatjara / Yankunytjatjara | APY Lands, SA/NT/WA | 4,000–6,000 | NPY Women's Council · APY Land Council |
| Warlpiri | Tanami Desert, NT | 2,500–3,000 | Yuendumu schools · Batchelor Institute |
| Arrernte | Alice Springs region, NT | ~2,000 | Batchelor Institute · ARDS Aboriginal Corporation |
| Murrinhpatha | Wadeye, NT | ~2,500 | Community-controlled schooling |
| Kriol | Northern Australia | ~20,000 (L1) | AIATSIS AustLang P1 |
Awakening-stage languages with strong revitalisation
| Language | Region | Key institution / program |
|---|---|---|
| Gamilaraay (Kamilaroi · Yuwaalaraay) | NW NSW · SW Qld | Yuwaalaraay Guladha project · Macquarie University |
| Wiradjuri | Central-western NSW | Charles Sturt University · Wiradjuri Language & Cultural Heritage |
| Kaurna | Adelaide Plains, SA | University of Adelaide · Kaurna Warra Pintyanthi |
| Dharug | Greater Sydney | Community-led, Parramatta region |
| Ngarrindjeri | Murray mouth · Coorong, SA | Ngarrindjeri Regional Authority |
| Gunditjmara | SW Victoria | Lake Condah · Budj Bim heritage |
| Bundjalung | Northern NSW · SE Qld | Muurrbay Language and Culture Co-operative |
Torres Strait languages
Meriam Mir — Papuan language of the Eastern Islands (Mer, Dauar, Waier); the language of Eddie Koiki Mabo, whose 1992 High Court case overturned terra nullius (AIATSIS AustLang Y3). Kala Lagaw Ya / Kalaw Kawaw Ya — Pama-Nyungan language of the Western and Central Islands. Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole) — the contact language of the region and its diaspora.
If a Phase 2 partnership begins — the recommended pilot
From Phase 1 desk research. This is a recommendation to a partner, not a decision on a partner's behalf.
Aboriginal pilot Gamilaraay
Recommended because: a public revitalisation infrastructure already exists (yuwaalaraay.com, GY Dictionary App), settled orthography (Giacon grammar; ANU Data Commons corpus), institutional partners at Macquarie and UNE, and a dispossession history in NW NSW / SW Queensland that resonates with the data-sovereignty framing.
TSI pilot Yumplatok
Recommended for Phase 1 because of widest TSI reach, lower ICIP barriers than traditional languages, and a clear contact route via the Torres Strait Regional Authority and Gab Titui Cultural Centre.
TSI Phase 2 Meriam Mir
The historically resonant choice for a data-sovereignty kit — Mabo's language, the language of the case that overturned terra nullius. Requires Meriam community partnership and TSRA introduction; relationship-building work, not desk work.
If and when a partnership forms, we mirror the Guaraní precedent in our existing kit: typography-led design using the visual weight of the script itself, an ochre/earth colour palette as cultural acknowledgement without claiming specific Country, and zero AI-generated figurative motifs. If a Phase 2 commissioned artist is engaged, an Arts Law Centre-assisted ICIP agreement comes before any design work.
Visual sovereignty — what we will not generate
Aboriginal Australian visual cultures are not a single tradition. They are hundreds of distinct visual languages tied to specific Country and ceremony. There is no decoder ring, and AI cannot reliably distinguish public from restricted material.
The Sacred Wandjina case is the canonical warning: a non-Indigenous artist's "inspired" sculpture, 4,000km from Country, caused real harm and no legal mechanism prevented it. The ABC News investigation on dot painting (Oct 2024) is just as instructive: Dharug artist Shane Smithers — "We didn't have dots, we had lines" — on how Western Desert acrylic style has been homogenised into a generic "Aboriginal" signifier that erases the specific visual languages of hundreds of other nations.
We will not generate
- AI-generated dot painting patterns, concentric circles, or any pattern styled to resemble any Aboriginal visual tradition
- AI-generated rarrk / cross-hatching compositions
- Wandjina, x-ray art, Quinkan figures, or any region-specific figurative tradition
- Dhari headdress or any Torres Strait figurative motif
- Anything described as "Indigenous-inspired" without specific community authorisation
- Composite "Aboriginal aesthetic" palette-plus-motif AI outputs of any kind
What we will do
- Typography-led design — orthographic distinctiveness as the visual element
- Earth/ochre colour palette (#C1712F · #F5EDDC · #2D2D2D) as cultural acknowledgement without claiming Country
- Commissioned artist work (Phase 2 only) under written ICIP agreement, artist retains copyright, prominent credit on every asset
- Neutral landscape photography only with consent of Traditional Custodians
- Abstract non-figurative geometry that cannot be read as any specific tradition
Partner directory — who we acknowledge, who we will write to
Approach First Languages Australia first, before any specific language community. They can advise which language centres have capacity, provide warm introductions, and flag communities not in a position to engage right now.
Language centres & peak bodies
First Languages Australia
The correct first call. Maintains a directory of language centres and advises on policy. The first email Te Pā will send (see scaffold below) is here.
Miromaa Aboriginal Language & Technology Centre
Explicitly technology-oriented — Miromaa software platform for language documentation. Likely to understand a digital, sovereignty-framed project.
Muurrbay Aboriginal Language and Culture Co-op
Supports Bundjalung, Gathang, Dhanggati, Darkinyung, Yaygirr-Yaegl, Awabakal-Wonnarua, and related communities. Linguists based on Country.
Wangka Maya Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre
Relevant for any WA pilot. Not a first contact for an east-coast project but important for national scope.
Gamilaraay Yuwaalaraay Guladha
Public-facing Gamilaraay revitalisation project: dictionaries, GY app, learner resources. Pilot recommendation contact after First Languages Australia introduction.
Arwarbukarl Cultural Resource Association
Hunter Valley / Newcastle, close relationship with Miromaa. NSW network member.
Torres Strait Islander organisations
Torres Strait Regional Authority — Culture, Art & Heritage
Federal statutory authority. The appropriate first contact for understanding TSI region partners and protocols. Runs language preservation and arts programs.
Gab Titui Cultural Centre
Contemporary art gallery and keeping place for the Torres Strait. Holds the cultural memory protocols any TSI partnership needs to navigate.
Data sovereignty, research, education
Maiam nayri Wingara
Australia's peak Indigenous data sovereignty body. Sister organisation to Te Mana Raraunga within GIDA. Direct substantive alignment with the Te Pā curriculum.
AIATSIS
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. Custodian of the AIATSIS Code of Ethics, the AustLang database, and the national First Nations library collection.
Lowitja Institute
Entirely First Nations governed. Leads on community-controlled data governance and deficit-discourse critique. Health-data framing connects directly to Te Pā's curriculum.
First Nations Media Australia
Protocols for First Nations content in media production — consent, attribution, deceased-names protocols. Relevant because social media is media production.
Stronger Smarter Institute
High-expectations relationships, strengths-based pedagogy. Network of school-based Indigenous educators — a natural audience for a data sovereignty awareness kit.
Arts Law Centre of Australia
Free / low-cost legal advice with a specific ICIP program. Will be involved in any Phase 2 ICIP agreement drafting.
Phase plan — slow, public, withdrawable
Three to six months from warm first contact to publication is realistic if a community partner agrees to engage. Twelve months is not unusual. No timeline pressure is communicated to any partner.
| Phase | Status | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Complete (this page) | Desk research, protocol map, partner directory, outreach scaffold. No community contact yet. Publicly documented so any community member can read what we plan to do before we do it. |
| Outreach | Ready to send | First email to First Languages Australia. Open the scaffold → |
| Phase 2 · Month 1 | Pending | Relationship building. Share the kit as proof of concept, including Guaraní cards as approach example. Ask: is this something your community would like to be involved in? No timeline pressure. |
| Phase 2 · Months 1–2 | Pending | Protocol conversation with the relevant community. ICIP, credit, copyright, benefit. No translation work until this is complete. |
| Phase 2 · Months 2–3 | Pending | Translation by a community-credentialled translator. No machine translation. Community internal review before delivery. |
| Phase 2 · Months 3–4 | Pending | Design and review — translated text into typography-led card template, ochre palette. Two rounds of revision expected. Community partner approves before any publication. |
| Phase 2 · Months 4–5 | Pending | ICIP agreement signed (Arts Law assistance if needed). Both parties hold copies of all materials. |
| Phase 2 · Months 5–6 | Pending | Publication. Community partner credited prominently. "How this was made" note published alongside. Community retains the right to request removal at any stage, before or after launch. |
Outreach scaffold — the first email
The full first-contact letter to First Languages Australia is committed to the repo as docs/outreach/first-languages-australia.md. Three-bullet pitch summarised below — public, so anyone considering whether to reply knows in advance what is being asked.
- Te Pā Tūwatawata is a free, open-access course on Indigenous data sovereignty (CARE Principles, Te Mana Raraunga, ICIP) built by a Māori-aligned Aotearoa educator. The campaign kit currently exists in six languages — Māori, English, Sāmoan, Portuguese, Guaraní, Arabic — and we are exploring whether a community-led Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander language version might be possible.
- The approach is typography-led, no figurative motifs, modelled on the Guaraní precedent. The community partner retains copyright on the translation and is credited on every card. All ICIP documentation is in place before any publication. We follow True Tracks® and the AIATSIS Code.
- We are not seeking a quick turnaround. We understand this kind of work takes months and proceeds at the community's pace, not ours. We will not name a specific Aboriginal language on the kit's site before that community has consented to participation.
Related on te-pa.org
If we have got something wrong on this page
This page is maintained publicly in the open. If you are an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander educator, researcher, language worker, or community member, and you see something we have framed incorrectly — a protocol we have got wrong, an organisation we should not have listed, a recommendation that is unwelcome — please tell us and we will update the page.
Open an issue on GitHub or contact via the Trust at te-pa.org. Corrections from First Nations community members take precedence over everything else on this page.
Acknowledgement of Country: Te Pā Tūwatawata is operated from Aotearoa New Zealand on the unceded lands of Te Wai Pounamu. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands and waters across Australia, and pay respect to Elders past and present.