Perspectives of my lived experiences for addressing suicides among aboriginal communities in the North Queensland tropics

Abstract

This article contextualises my perspectives of Indigenous knowledge within a cultural cosmology, used to address the suicide epidemic in an Indigenous Community in the Far North Queensland Tropics of Australia. I use my personal narrative from the philosophical standpoint theory of an Indigenous female with first-hand experience of living under the residues of the Queensland Government Act (1897). Through the lens of a social constructivist worldview and theoretical underpinnings of Indigenist research, I give honour to Indigenous knowledge, cultural values and privilege the voices of local people. As a PhD researcher at James Cook University, I apply to my research, “Healing after experiencing the suicide of a young person—Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives informed by Indigenous Knowledges” with three Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities. This research also aligns itself to the JCU Strategic Intent, Peoples and Society in the Tropics.

Suicide story: An evaluation of ‘tackling suicide Our Way’

“…These concepts include ‘safe spaces’ (Fanian et al, 2015), ‘cultural continuity’ (Dudgeon et al, 2022) and sharing stories in ‘sharing circles’ (Isaak et al, 2010), ‘learning circles’ or ‘community conversations’ (Wexler et al, 2017), ‘circles of strength’ (Gray & Muehlenkamp, 2010) and ‘culturally congruent’ processes (Allen et al, 2014) using ‘culturally competent practitioners’ (Dudgeon & Holland, 2018). These processes are underpinned by principles of decolonisation and self-determination (Dudgeon et al, 2020a), and are led by ‘people of culture’ (Baird, 2020, p. 216). All these are consistent with culturally safe practice (Dudgeon et al, 2016, p. 3).…”