Indigenous Terms of Reference

Indigenous Terms of Reference (ITR) is a set of protocols that ensure Indigenous knowledge, experience and values are respected and worked with during an Indigenous project or decision making process. ITR clearly defines the roles and protocols for Indigenous practitioners, non-Indigenous practitioners and Indigenous stakeholders.

ITR was pioneered by Lilla Watson in 1985 and refined by Darlene Oxenham in the 1990s and 2000s. It makes up one of the core principles for all Indigenous courses and programs at Curtin.

ITR protocols are important because they:

  • Reflect Indigenous values and aid students in asserting the right to self-representation, self-definition, and self-identification.
  • Privilege and affirm Aboriginal cultural ways of working.
  • Highlight diversity among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
  • Provide a framework for engaging successfully in Indigenous community, education, health and research projects.

At the Centre for Aboriginal Studies, ITR protocols are applied in an education and research environment to give value to the experiences and knowledges of students and staff from many Indigenous and non-Indigenous nations.

Learn more about the ITR

Curtin staff and students can learn more about the ITR from these publications available at the Curtin Library:

Reconciliation at Curtin