The Wangka Maya archive serves the community which created it to sustain language, culture and history activities within its region. Despite its significance as an explicit modern archive established solely by and for practitioners of a particular Aboriginal cultural group, the Wangka Maya archive is little understood by professional archivists in terms of its philosophy, content, operation and cultural impact. A novel Australian language and culture institution, Wangka Maya was established in 1988 in Port Hedland in Western Australia. Its explicit aim was and is to support sharing language and culture between generations among members of the several First Nations polities of the Pilbara. Wangka Maya immediately began recording usages of Pilbara languages, history and culture, and providing opportunities for the local Aboriginal people already engaged in language work and education to extend their skills (Thieberger and Sharp, 2001). Material created at Wangka Maya rapidly accumulated in the operation of these cultural activities, and was complemented with material copied from settler linguists, archives and libraries. Thus a diversity of records formed the Wangka Maya archive. I present the findings of a PhD project which inquired how the Wangka Maya archive which supports language continuity in the Pilbara Aboriginal community, can be understood within archival research and practice. The thesis contends that the Wanga Maya archive is a multiversal archive. I articulate this concept and distinguish it from the idea of the "archival multiverse" (Gillard, McKemmish, and Lau, 2017). As a multiversal archive the Wangka Maya archive contains and is embedded in multiple cultural networks and temporalities, which include intersections between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal ambiences (Hurley, 2005). Description and use of the multilingual archive demands participation in community language work as part of archival practice. This participation contributes to sustaining language through use and resuse of the multiversal archive.

In response to the Australian Government's National Cultural Policy - Revive: a place for every story, a story for every place, the National Archives of Australia is embedding a 'First Nations first' approach which aligns with the Our Way: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Protocols. These reflect a commitment to create a culturally safe space so Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders peoples can engage with the National archival collection. A key part of this is acknowledging the impact that our archival practices have had on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and how these should be changing. We continue to change our practices of reparative description to amend language in descriptive metadata which may be derogatory, inaccurate, misleading or cause offense to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We will discuss the results of our report on reparative description, and the ways our archival practices are changing with the development of new metadata fields to capture Indigenous knowledge and sensitivities, as well as the work that staff at the National Archives currently undertake to mediate descriptive metadata.

Jorge Diez del Corral Dominquez, National Archives of Australia

The Aboriginal History Archive (AHA) is an Indigenous-controlled initiative based on self-determination: Aboriginal control of Aboriginal affairs. Founded by activist and historian Professor Gary Foley, the AHA redefines archival practices to centre Aboriginal priorities, ensuring cultural preservation and challenging colonisation of Indigenous knowledge.

Governed by Aboriginal scholars including Foley, John Maynard and Larissa Behrendt, it employs community-driven policies and protocols, developed through consultations with Aboriginal communities. Access to materials follows Indigenous data sovereignty principles,
ensuring accountability and respect for Indigenous control. Since 2017, the AHA has preserved over 80,000 records documenting Aboriginal organisation and resistance.

The AHA asserts Indigenous leadership in education and knowledge management, countering colonial narratives. It acknowledges non-Indigenous allies while emphasising Aboriginal governance in research and staffing, fostering equitable collaboration. By prioritising Indigenous perspectives, the archive transforms education and archival practices
into tools for sovereignty and self-determination.

The AHA shows the potential of Indigenous-controlled archives in cultural preservation, self-determination, and strengthening communities. By documenting Aboriginal organisation, protest, and resistance, it challenges colonial frameworks and reasserts Indigenous agency.
Its model serves as a tool for cultural and political empowerment.

Ultimately, the AHA exemplifies how Indigenous-controlled archives can protect Indigenous knowledges and advance political agency. Its model offers lessons for Indigenous-led education and archival initiatives, reinforcing the role of self-determination in decolonising knowledge systems. By centring Aboriginal voices, the AHA paves the way for
transformative, Indigenous-led futures.

Will Bracks (presenting)
Taylah Austen (presenting)
Professor Gary Foley
Kim Kruger
Rochelle le Pere