Indigenous Knowledge, New Times and Tomorrow's Archives - by Professor N.M. Nakata

The Inaugural Ben Haneman Memorial Lecture, held at the State Library of New South Wales on 10 September 2003, was delivered by Professor Martin Nakata, Director of Indigenous and Academic Programs, Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning, University of Technology Sydney.

Dr Ben Haneman, with the help of Ronald Briggs and others, indexed the Koori Mail and a number of early missionary publications and records. Through this work, important historical and contemporary records are available and accessible to Indigenous Australians.

Dr. Nakata's Inaugural Ben Haneman Lecture discussed important issues and posed some crucial questions regarding Indigenous knowledge in contemporary Australia.

His speech covered:

• The importance of the archives for Indigenous Australians and for personal reconcilliation
• The importance of preserving contemporary Indigenous perspectives for the future
• Contemporary Indigenous issues in libraries
• Contemporary issues in the documentation and production of Indigenous knowledge
• Some emerging issues in relation to Indigenous knowledge documentation and the intersection of this knowledge with the western system of knowledge
• Indigenous people and the networked, electronic environment