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7.5.2 Representations of pre-1788 contact between Indigenous Australians and
others.
Where it had not been evident in previous eras, showing Indigenous Australians as having
sustained contact with people from overseas pre-1788 is included in the 1987 year 5 Social
Studies curriculum. Instead of only mediating student understanding of Indigenous culture/s
through contact with the British in the years following 1788 with the early explorers or
through violent confrontations in the Frontier conflicts (as is the dominant representation of
Indigenous Australians analysed for the previous era); student knowledge and understanding
towards Indigenous Australians is broadened through content that acknowledges the variety
of Indigenous cultures within Australia. The example provided in Primary Social Studies
sourcebook year 5 (Department of Education, 1988a) of Indigenous Australians’ interactions
with others is detailed in a Teacher information sheet (see Source 7.23).
Source 7.23. Teacher information sheet extract from Primary Social Studies sourcebook year
5 (Department of Education, 1988a, pp. 19-20).
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