The equity and empowerment of Australian Indigenous women through success in education: Australia's own daughters Of The Dreaming

Abstract

This paper discusses the importance of education in the lives of Indigenous Australian women. Empowerment, whether it be personal, social or professional, can be sought through the attainment of education. As the traditional “gatherers” of food for survival, many Indigenous women now need to focus their energies upon the gathering of knowledge; indeed, this knowledge is as intrinsic to their survival as food once was. Knowledge carries the currency necessary to compete within the professional world as opposed to surviving on the fringes as was the case for 200 years after the arrival of Europeans. While the opportunity to be heard certainly needs to be in their own voice, it is equally imperative that the articulation of that voice be understood by their predominantly non-Indigenous audience. Indigenous women were relegated to both sexual and domestic enslavement, stolen from their families and silenced through the banishment of their native tongue. Whether known as the traditional gatherers, “Women of the Centre”, “Women of the Sun”, or “Daughters of the Dreaming”, these women have proved pivotal in the survival of their people. This paper will discuss how their continued impact can be assured through the empowerment that education can bring to them.