Screenshot from Indigital hololens prototype video

Note: the Puliima Indigenous Languages + Technology Conference is taking place August 21-25, 2023 in the city of Darwin, Australia. Rising Voices is pleased to be a Supporting Partner for this event that is bringing together more than 900 delegates from across the region. Over the course of the week, we will be featuring different participants that are incorporating technology and digital media into their language work.

Anissa Jones is a Boorooberongal Dharug dhiyin from Marrengorra (Richmond), Dharug Ngurra (Country) aka Sydney, Australia. She has been teaching for over 20 years across all school grades and vocational and university education spaces. She is a mother of three and grandmother of two, currently living in Cootamudra in Wiradjuri Country. She is a Master of Indigenous Languages Education graduate and she has incorporated her love of technology with her love for the Dharug Dhalang language.

Some of the tools favored by Anissa in her language and tech work include Flip, Pixton, Padlet and the Google Suite. In addition, Anissa is collaborating with the Indigital program to introduce augmented reality in digital storytelling.

In this email interview with Rising Voices, Anissa shares some additional information about her Puliima conference session titled, “Bayala Muru – speaking pathways: The importance of Digital Storytelling and maintaining our ICIP“

Rising Voices (RV): Could you briefly share the main focus of your Puliima conference presentation?

Anissa Jones (AJ): My presentation is about using technology to record our stories and language for Digital Storytelling. More importantly, identifying how we maintain our Indigenous Cultural Intellectual Property (ICIP) when working in non-Community based spaces such as educational facilities to create these stories. First and foremost Digital Storytelling is about connecting with Community and a little less about being good at technology. You can capture Digital Storytelling with just paper, pencils and a camera/phone or a recorder. As technology progresses, we need to be more aware of our ICIP as we navigate the tools and institutions that have an interest in Aboriginal Languages and stories. One way to address this is to use mob owned businesses or training facilities who have a deeper understanding of ICIP and Cultural Protocols. Another is to use Contract Law to ensure our ways of knowing, being and doing remain with the Community.

RV: What do you hope that the audience will take away/learn after attending your session?

AJ: I hope that the yarns we have in the presentation are the greatest takeaway and that they inspire the audience to create their own digital stories. Ideally, I want to create a community of Digital Storytellers who can take their learnings back to their Communities and build up their own repositories, working with the tools that best suit them and know that their ICIP is protected. I think it's so important to learn from one another and I know that I will learn from this experience as well. I would like all participants to feel that this is a good way to use technology and language without compromising their Cultural beliefs.

RV: What are you most looking forward to at Puliima?

AJ: Well, I've heard the laksa is good, so I'm looking forward to it. Jokes aside, I can’t wait to catch up with mittigar mudjin (family and friends) as well as making new connections, sharing ideas and having a few laughs.

I hope to learn from the Larrakia people, our beautiful hosts for this event, and from other presenters at Puliima, especially around their experiences in language revitalisation and dual language education systems.

And I’m looking forward to all the new adventures and connections that I will make and to having a great time whilst doing it.