Wawu — Spirit

Wawu

First Science provides a holistic view of the world and this is because the First Peoples have survived and thrived in the same environments for thousands of years. As a result, First Peoples have formed a special spiritual bond with the land and developed customs, protocols and practices including a deep understanding about how the ancestors guide them on the lands. Wawu is the Yalanji term meaning a person’s spirit. Maintaining your own spirit is vitally important to helping maintain the spirit of the land. In developing the Careers with STEM: Indigenous magazine, First Nation role models in STEM tell their own stories about their learning journey and career pathways. They reflect on both Western and First Nations knowledge and their applications to Science & Technology. As a class, discuss the following questions. Use the responses to draw or describe your community through a storyboard narrative: • What does culture mean to you? Can you draw on ancient heritage that might align with your view of the world and where you sit in the world?

• What is the importance of Indigenous Knowledge Systems in science and education? • What are your personal value systems/principles? Share an incident where your values might not align with your community or peers. • What articles in the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples relate to the protection of spiritual beliefs?

Resources

• Read the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. bit.ly/3hb3UEa

• Read the 17 sustainable development goals of the UN: sdgs.un.org/goals

• Read the Careers with STEM: Indigenous article ‘Strong STEM connections’ p2 with Aunty Jo Selfe’s

Foreword to the magazine.

bit.ly/3Ig6chd

• Read about Darug woman and digital knowledge keeper Lesley Woodhouse, who is bringing Indigenous culture to the world. bit.ly/3M4AC8