85502 Chap.4 First Nations Design Histories
First Nations Design Histories
A three-part journey
Week 4 follows First Nations design from before colonisation, through the hardship of colonisation and the resilience it demanded, to a present in which First Nations designers work for liberation and empowerment, across fashion, product design and visual communication.
Telling the history well
The tutorial frames the oldest continuous civilisation on Earth alongside a timeline of colonisation and rights milestones, and warns against presenting First Nations people as passive victims.
Skills for practice
Acknowledgements of Country, positioning, and APA 7 paraphrasing and quotation are taught together this week.
Why it matters
Design students will work on Country and with communities throughout their careers.
The week’s practices of acknowledgement and positioning give you a respectful way to begin that work.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Design before colonisation
- 02
Colonisation, resilience and resourcefulness
- 03
Contemporary First Nations design and empowerment
- 04
Truth-telling without positioning people as victims
- 05
Acknowledgement of Country and Welcome to Country
- 06
Positioning and positionality statements
- 07
Paraphrase, short quotation and block quotation
- 08
Watching films as research sources
Worked example · free
Turn a source sentence into a paraphrase and a quotation
- 1Paraphrase with new structure and words: Lee (2024) argues that clothing produced on missions holds evidence of both domination and resistance.
- 1Short quotation in quotation marks: Lee notes that mission garments “recorded control and resistance in the same stitches” (Lee, 2024, para. 3).
- 1Check the locator: a web article has no page numbers, so the quotation uses a paragraph number.
- 1Add the reference list entry with author, date, title, publication and URL, in alphabetical order.
Key terms
- Acknowledgement of Country
- A statement anyone can make recognising the Traditional Custodians of the land where they are.
- Welcome to Country
- A welcome given by Traditional Owners or Custodians to visitors on their own Country.
- Positioning
- A First Nations practice of stating who you are, who your people are and where you speak from.
First Nations Design Histories FAQ
What is the difference between an Acknowledgement and a Welcome to Country?
An Acknowledgement of Country can be given by anyone, including non-Indigenous people, to recognise the Traditional Custodians of the land. A Welcome to Country is given by a Traditional Owner or Custodian of that Country to welcome visitors. The Week 4 tutorial asks you to discuss both and practise writing an Acknowledgement.
What is positioning and do I have to do it?
Positioning is a First Nations practice of saying who you are and where you speak from. The tutorial adds that people who are not Indigenous can still name their background and the Country where they live, and the studio asks you to draft a positionality statement in your journal. Assessments do not require one, but it can strengthen work on First Nations themes.
What does the Week 4 lecture cover?
It traces First Nations design from pre-colonisation, through colonisation and the resilience and resourcefulness it forced, to contemporary First Nations designers using their skills for liberation and empowerment. Examples come from fashion, product design and visual communication, and most of the week’s set materials are films to watch.
What should I watch for Week 4?
The required list pairs Treena Clark’s 2023 article in The Conversation with the first episode of Bush Mechanics and a four-minute First Inventors extract on petroglyphs. Recommended extracts cover eel trap fishing, message sticks and aerofoil design, each with timestamps on the Canvas page so you can watch only the relevant minutes.
How should I write about colonisation in my work?
The tutorial slides ask for balance. Tell the truth about invasion, dispossession and the Stolen Generations, but do not present First Nations people only as victims, because distinct cultures and Nations continue. Cite First Nations writers and makers where you can, and ask your tutor when you are unsure of a protocol.
Assessment move
If Week 4 is your Assessment 1 lens, the brief strongly recommends reading ahead early, so start the viewing list in Week 2 or 3. Note timestamps as you watch, because a precise citation of a film extract is evidence you engaged with it. Draft a positionality statement in your journal and revise it once after the tutorial.
Practise one paraphrase and one quotation from the Clark reading each day until the APA 7 forms feel automatic. Before the tutorial, read the UTS guiding principles linked on the Week 4 page, and note one thing you did not know about who may give a Welcome.
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