Digital Songlines

Abstract

Digital Songlines is a software toolkit being developed by the Australasian Cooperative Research Centre for Interaction Design. It consists of an applied set of protocols, methodologies and a software program for the collection and sharing of indigenous cultural heritage knowledge. Regular consultation with indigenous traditional owners and representative groups is an essential component of the development process. This article provides an overview of the components of the Digital Songlines toolkit, and illustrates the development of the cultural heritage system in its current prototype. The system employs virtual reality tools to enable aboriginal communities to digitally preserve, protect and promote their arts, culture and heritage. The 3-D visualisation will allow users to appreciate the land as central to the culture, stories and lives of indigenous peoples.

Sami-digital storytelling: Survivance and revitalization in Indigenous digital games

“…With game engines and new media technologies in the field of cultural heritage expanding, digital platforms have already become important tools for recording and representing historically, culturally, and sociologically significant places, infrastructure, and artifacts, as well as the stories associated with them (Leavy, 2007: 261). Moreover, game and app development for the purposes of language learning has been an important element of Indigenous language revitalization for over a decade.…”

Geographic Information Networks in American Indian Governments and Communities

“…An alternative approach focuses on the ways in which indigenous cultural practices shape IT (Salazar, 2007). A new wave of research concerned with IT and indigenous people addresses issues like cultural preservation and revitalization (Auld, 2007;Holton et al, 2007;Keegan et al, 2007;Leavy, 2007) IT and GIS transformation of communities (Eglash, 2007;Palmer, 2007;Turk, 2007), access to IT (Betts, 2007;Daly, 2007), indigenous media, cultural politics and social movements (Ginsburg, 1997;Smith, 2005Smith, , 2006Wilson & Stewart, 2008), and educational uses of IT (Donovan, 2007;Goodwin-Gomez, 2007), and indigenous knowledge (Dyson, 2007;Leclair & Warren, 2007;Salazar, 2007). Lacking in this rich body of literature is research on indigenous peoples, virtual communities, social networks, and GIS.…”