The recent Black Lives Matter protests in Australia have highlighted the pressing and continued need for non-Indigenous Australians to take responsibility for reconciliation. This requires non-Indigenous Australians to educate themselves about Indigenous and shared histories
At the moment, Australians reading the news or watching the protests might be asking: how can we contribute to this change? Through our research and teaching, we have learned that spending time with Indigenous people, learning about culture and history and connecting to Country, is an important first step. And one accessible way to do this is through an Indigenous tour.
What is an Indigenous tour?
Indigenous tourism covers activities such as art exhibitions, artistic and cultural performances, festivals and tours.
Our research focuses specifically on Indigenous tours, because visitors are able to ask questions and interact with Indigenous people. We have found that many Australians would like to make personal connections with Indigenous peoples, cultures, histories and languages, but don’t know how – who to talk to, how to connect, what actions to take.
Indigenous tour operators are dedicated to making these connections and sharing their knowledge with visitors. Yet many people don’t realise that Indigenous-owned-and-run tour operators are located all over Australia.
Many different types of tours
The types of Indigenous tours available in Australia are diverse, and cover a huge range of experiences. They include, for example, day tours of two or three hours, involving walking together on Country, learning about history, culture, stories and Indigenous relationships to Country.
There are also culinary tours, where visitors learn about Indigenous foods and cooking, cultural cruises aboard Indigenous-owned vessels and activity-oriented tours where visitors can hike, canoe, quad-bike, or paddle board with Indigenous guides.
This is an excerpt from an article by Marnie Graham, Sandie Suchet-Pearson and Uncle Lexodious Dadd, originally published on The Conversation.
