black&write! team celebrates Indigenous Literacy Day

To celebrate Indigenous Literacy Day, our Junior Editors, Georgia and Allanah, have written a blog together, about how they honour Country as editors, writers and readers.   

Georgia is a Torres Strait Islander woman from the Umu Mere and Umai Lag mobs of the northern Islands.   

Allanah is a Barkindji woman. Her land runs all along the Darling River, originating in Bourke and Wilcannia. She has discovered recent connections to the Malyangapa people.  

We hope you enjoy! 

How do we honour Country through our positions in the literature field as readers, writers and editors?  

 Allanah: 

I honour Country as a reader and editor by researching the Country and language that an author is writing about, to educate myself and connect with the story better. If I’m acting as an editor, I also ask lots of questions. The author is the expert on their own Country, not me!  

I also want an author’s editing relationship with me to be a safe space where they feel they can share their culture without being asked problematic questions or interrogated about their knowledge. Instead, they can share as much, or as little, as they’d like.  

As a writer, I feel like I honour my Country and show pride in it by incorporating these special places into my writing (like, for example, there’s a special place near where I grew up, where the Murray and Darling Rivers meet, that holds personal meaning). I want to write those moments with love and connection, for readers to feel that feeling, if only for a moment, of what I do when on Country, particularly with family.   

Georgia:

As a writer, I honour the country I’m on by continuing my awareness of my place on this Country. I am a guest on the mainland of Australia and I carry myself as such, with respect to the traditional owners. I listen to elders and to Country, I learn from them, I celebrate with them and I mourn with them.  

When I am a reader, when reading First Nations stories, I like to research the author, find out where their country is and, if I can, find what country they write from, and shift my lens to see the whole context of the story. I also ensure that I read critically for everything that I consume. 

 And as an editor, when working with an author I’ll ask them about their Country, listen to their stories and learn as much as I can about their mob. This brings a new level of understanding to not only their work, but who they are, I then carry that understanding with me when working together.   

What can people do to honour Country through literacy?  

Allanah: 

People can honour Country through literacy by making an effort to read others’ stories and really engage with the aspects of culture that authors are willing to share. I think it is also to recognise your privilege in being able to learn in the language you speak, and that, depending where people are on Country, this isn’t always the case. It’s understanding how home and Country is an integral part of people’s lives and education.  

Georgia: 

Write! Write your stories, whether it’s beautifully complex and intricate fantasies or a diary entry about your everyday life, every story told by a First Nations person is an ode to their Country. The best way to honour Country is by sharing knowledge and sharing story. So write and create and share!