29/7/10- Assessment Notification

We were notified of the upcoming assessment in today's period. The task consists of a 4-6 performance piece (in groups). This can be in the form of a poem, play or other. I learnt several important points today, these are:

• Aboriginal works must be respected and used only with permission
• Intellectual Property Rights apply to all Aboriginal literature and theater- it remains the sole property of Indigenous Australians
• It is important to seek permission before using any Aboriginal literature/ theater pieces as these pieces are very valuable to Indigenous Australians
• The pieces must not be edited in any way that presents Indigenous Australians in a negative light. Examples include: the use of inappropriate accents, humor associated with serious issues such as substance abuse 

We also discussed The Dreamtime stories such as "The Rainbow Serpent" and how they were passed down from generation to generation and are dear to Indigenous Australians as it remains one of the few things that White Australians have not removed from their possession.
I will take note of these points and ensure that they are applied  to my performance piece as a symbol of respect for Indigenous culture and heritage.

27/7/10- Aboriginal Theatre Studies

After a refreshing two weeks of holidays, drama resumed with Aboriginal Theatre Studies. A new area of study that encompasses many traditional Indigenous forms such as dance. We began the lesson with a pop quiz on famous Aboriginal identities. It was surprising to note that only a small portion of our class could come up with answers to 4 or more questions. I only knew the answers to 3 of the questions- which honestly, is quite dismal.
Later we were handed booklets containing Indigenous theater material including poems, plays and songs. Many of these focused on abuse, The Stolen Generation and the Dreamtime.We also practised proper acknowledge of the "Darug" people. Our school is built on the Darug region and therefore by paying our respects to the Darug people, we acknowledge their possession of the land. An acknowledgment is along the lines of "We are gathered here today on the land of the Darug people. We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land both past and present." 
We will continue to acknowledge the Darug people every lesson through the Aboriginal Theatre Study Unit.

 Map showing location of Darug region.