An impressive line-up of experts headlines the International Council on Archives Indigenous Matters Summit in Adelaide on Friday 25 October.
The international event is supported by the National Archives of Australia and keynote speakers include Professor Mick Dodson AM and Craig Ritchie, AIATSIS CEO and Co-Chair of the International Year of Indigenous Languages Steering Committee.
'Language is more than just a means of communication,' Craig Ritchie said at the official launch of the international year.
'It is a repository for history, wisdom, identity and culture. Indigenous languages contain unique systems of knowledge that are valuable to our modern challenges. They are also fundamental to the world's cultural diversity and social integration. The good health of Indigenous languages is in everyone's best interest.'
The theme of the summit is See Us, Hear Us, Walk with Us: Challenging and Decolonising the Archive.
The Summit will bring together First Nations people, archivists, record-keepers, librarians, curators and community organisations to discuss:
- identify key issues faced by Indigenous peoples and archives
- options to develop a proactive international agenda for preserving Indigenous language and oral history
- the vital role of archives
- approaches to redesigning archives led by Indigenous people.
