The Indigenous Knowledge Institute aims to advance research and education in Indigenous knowledge systems.
Following a commitment made by Vice-Chancellor Duncan Maskell at the Garma Festival in August 2019, the institute was launched at the 19th Symposium on Indigenous Music and Dance on 3 December 2020, led by the Research Unit for Indigenous Arts and Cultures at the Wilin Centre for Indigenous Arts and Cultural Development.
The Indigenous Knowledge Institute is one of five current Melbourne Interdisciplinary Research Institutes. These institutes aim to promote research linkages and collaboration across the University and to play a lead role in articulating University research to external audiences.
The Indigenous Knowledge Institute will build on the research and education activities already underway at the University to become a global leader in Indigenous knowledge research and education. The Institute will also build on the work of the Indigenous Hallmark Research Initiative which ceased operation in 2019.
Banner image: Installation photography of Ancestral Memory exhibition, Old Quad, 2019. Photograph: Christian Capurro. Image © the artists.
News and media
Research
The IKI is committed to supporting interdisciplinary research in Indigenous knowledges. Various funding schemes are available, including schemes for PhD students, researchers, and community members.
For more information about applying for these schemes, check out our Funding page. Research that has been funded by the Institute can be found below.
Funding
The IKI is committed to supporting interdisciplinary research in Indigenous knowledges. Various funding schemes are available, including schemes for PhD students, researchers, and community members.
You can find more information about the schemes and how to apply below. See our Research page for information about successful projects and applications.
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Seed Funding
The Indigenous Knowledge Institute invites proposals for innovative and interdisciplinary research projects with a focus on Indigenous knowledge.
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Community Engagement Grants
The Institute invites proposals to support academics with a new research idea to test, explore, and develop it in partnership with members of Indigenous communities.
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IKI Fellows
The IKI Fellows scheme presents a unique opportunity for a mid-career or senior Knowledge Holder, Traditional Owner, and/or Ceremonial Leader to work as a Fellow of the Indigenous Knowledge Institute.
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PhD RTP Scholarships
The Indigenous Knowledge Institute is seeking applications from Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars who wish to undertake a PhD on a topic related to Indigenous knowledges.
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PhD Bursaries
The Institute is committed to developing the next generation of Indigenous researchers and each year offers two $15,000 bursaries (paid over three years) to Indigenous PhD students.
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Themes
The IKI Research Theme grant scheme supports integrated two-year programs of interdisciplinary research that focus on new proposed Themes in Indigenous knowledge.
Resources
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What is Indigenous knowledge?
Indigenous knowledge, sometimes called traditional or local knowledge, refers to the understandings and practices developed by Indigenous peoples through thousands of years of experience. Indigenous knowledge systems are characteristically holistic, relational, and rooted in a strong and continuing connection with the land, sky and waters. Knowledge is often passed down orally, and can be collectively owned. It can include or be embodied in language, song, story, ritual, lore, and customary practices.
The knowledge of Indigenous peoples does not represent a static body of traditional information, and the capacity to incorporate new tools and skills has always been fundamental to the dynamism of Indigenous cultures.
Event recordings and resources
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International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples Symposium
The Indigenous Knowledge Institute hosts a symposium to showcase and celebrate a variety of Indigenous knowledges from across the University of Melbourne and the community.
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NAIDOC Week
Held in the first week of July, NAIDOC Week is a time to celebrate the history, cultures, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
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National Reconciliation Week
National Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.
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Indigenous Knowledge Film Festival
As part of Melbourne Knowledge Week, the Institute showcased and celebrated Indigenous knowledge with a powerful selection of short films whose makers come from various Countries across Australia and Timor-Leste.
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Landscape Construction Through Fire + Water
The Indigenous Knowledge Institute delivered two interlinked panels on Landscape Construction Through Fire and Water for Melbourne Design Week 2022. The panels considered how Indigenous peoples used both fire and water to influence the landscape over millennia.
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IKI Seminar Series
Throughout the year, the Indigenous Knowledge Institute holds public seminars on a range of topics encompassing Indigenous knowledges. The talks are designed to be of general interest to a wide range of audiences.
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Knowledge Intersections Symposium
Each December, the Indigenous Knowledge Institute explores the relationships between music and lore through multidisciplinary panel discussions.
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Cooking the kangaroo: Conversations on Indigenous song, spirituality, and connection
Drawing together leading performers and thinkers, the symposium explored ways Indigenous Australian song and narrative shape relationships, nurture wisdom, and inspire creativity.
Indigenous research
Annual reports
Resources by topic
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Foundation resources
These resources have been curated to develop foundation understandings of Indigenous knowledge systems and research.
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Cultural burning
Cultural burning is part of a broad array of Indigenous land management approaches. It is a method of managing Country using fire which has been employed for millennia in Australia.
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Indigenous languages
There are hundreds of Indigenous languages across Australia – learn more about them here, including the local language where you live, work, or travel.