Wirrawi Bubuwul – Aboriginal Women Strong

Abstract

The scholastic success of Bolongaia (Maria Lock), at the Parramatta Native Institution in 1819, arguably positions her as an academic giant. Bolongaia’s exam results challenged the opinions of the day when she ‘bore away the chief prize’. Bolongaia’s academic success was based purely on her acquisition of western based knowledges and values. In contrast, I was awarded a Masters of Indigenous Education in 2016. This academic achievement draws attention to a significant change in the positioning of Aboriginal Knowledges in the academy. This article is a letter to my ancestral grandmother, Bolongaia, to tell her about the Aboriginal women who have challenged the status quo of western based educational frameworks and research paradigms. This article honours the Aboriginal women who have paved a way for Aboriginal knowledges in mainstream educational institutions in ways that Bolongaia was unable to experience and perhaps even imagine in her lifetime.