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Indigenous student Andrew Beitzel has successfully challenged Griffith University to rethink how they teach Indigenous heritage.
Reflecting on the fourth lecture of his 1088LHS First Peoples course, the 24-year-old Arts student said, “I knew it was going to be bad when the first slide was a picture of a German missionary handing Aboriginal children lollies as gifts, presented without comment.”
In Beitzel’s opinion, the lecture appeared to advocate for Indigenous missions set up by German settlers in the early 20th century.
Beitzel wrote a scathing Facebook status condemning the content of the course and the fact is was not delivered by an Indigenous professor. Soon, the post surpassed 2,000 ‘likes’.
What started as a way for Beitzel to vent resulted in Professor Regina Ganter volunteering to discontinue as lecturer for that course.
My culture, my people
“I enrolled in indigenous studies because, quite crucially, I wanted to learn about my culture and my people,” Beitzel told The Feed.
“My family were in Moore River Native Settlement, they were taken there. My great-grandmother was Gari Gaari and my great-grandad was Nyigina.
“The first surprise was that the teacher was a German woman, which was a bit interesting.”
Beitzel began pushing back in tutorials, asking questions of Ganter, to the encouragement of his classmates.
“She was kind of like ‘we’ve touched on that already’ and ‘I’m here to teach you a new perspective and to unlearn what you’ve already learnt’, it was a bit dismissive,” Beitzel says.
Four lectures into the course, Beitzel felt like he was unwelcome in a subject centred on his own culture.
"I thought either I could drop this course or even drop out of uni ‘cause I don’t really belong here."
“We’ve got to do it together.”
After Beitzel’s post went viral, a number of Indigenous community members came forward to support him making a complaint to the university.
With the help of Griffith’s Indigenous students support unit, GUMURRII, Beitzel and members of the community landed a meeting with Griffith’s Head of Humanities, Languages & Social Science and the university’s Pro Vice Chancellor Paul Mazerolle.
The group provided the faculty with seven demands consulted by Indigenous elders to improve the course and Indigenous studies at Griffith.
“It took some convincing but once we explained it from our perspective they were a little more sympathetic,” Beitzel said.
Beitzel and groups demands to Griffith Uni. Source: Supplied
Griffith said in a statement:
“Professor Ganter, members of Griffith’s Council of Elders and senior Indigenous staff met and recommended the University’s Indigenous Studies major be led and primarily delivered by an Indigenous teaching team. Professor Ganter has previously advocated for this approach.”
The Feed contacted Professor Ganter for comment, she referred us back to Griffith's media department.
From small changes to big changes
Beitzel hopes that the change that occurred after speaking out will lead to a change in how Indigenous histories are taught at all Australian universities.
“I think Indigenous studies as an idea kind of has to go away. If you’re thinking about Indigenous studies you’re looking at Indigenous people as objects,” Beitzel said.
“The problem with the teaching of it all is they’re teaching a 200-year history when we have one that’s 50,000 years or more.”
He says that universities have an obligation to teach a curriculum that encompasses the entirety of Indigenous history, and one that is community-consulted.
We need community control and we need our culture. That’s the only way we’re going to survive and thrive.
1088LHS First Peoples classes will resume today with a panel discussion involving Beitzel and members of the local Indigenous community.
According to Beitzel, Griffith University has agreed to a two year consultative restructuring of the Indigenous Studies major.
Griffith declined to comment on this when asked by The Feed.
“I’m hopeful that things will change at the uni. Regardless, the amount of support I’ve gotten from the community has been really great,” Beitzel said.
I’m happy that the message is out there that if you confront stuff like this and you get your community behind you, you can actually change things.
