Ailan Dans: Critical Issues in Torres Strait Islander Dance and the Curriculum

Abstract

The question of the place of culture in the curriculum is complex and, at times, problematic for educators and community members. The issue is frequently at the heart of debates within fudigenous education. In particular, the critics of culturalism in fudigenous education argue that too often there is an over-emphasis on cultural issues to the detriment of other aspects of the curriculum. In addition, representations of fudigenous cultural practices often reify and essentialise Indigenous peoples. Despite these critiques, many Indigenous community members argue for respect for their cultural practices, standpoints and beliefs in education. <br/> This thesis considers the issues surrounding the incorporation of dance in the curriculum for Torres Strait Islander students. It does so through a critical discourse analysis of Torres Strait Islander community discourses. As with other Indigenous peoples throughout the world, Torres Strait Islander perspectives are diverse. Among the dominant discourses identified was a discourse that linked dance to broader social imperatives. Not only a cultural practice, Island Dance (Ailan Dans) emerges as an important aspect of postcolonial social movements amongst Torres Strait Islander people. <br/> Visual and performing arts such as dance are important in a postcolonial society and postcolonial curriculum in providing spaces to interrogate and engage with colonialist legacies, structures and representations. Dance is more than a practice or commodity in, for example, tourist performances: it is also a political product, in that fudigenous peoples can assert their rights through dance. Indigenous cultural practices are crucial as forums of Indigenous expression and 'voice', allowing people to resist dominant practices. The research suggests that Ailan Dans is important in community healing. Cultural practices such as dance also provide the possibility of interrogating stereotypical representations and images of Torres Strait Islander people. <br/> This thesis interrogates anthropological representations of Ailan Dans and suggests the need to consider the significance of Torres Strait Islander dance in the curriculum as an important, although contested, aspect of Torres Strait Islander resistance, affirmation, economic empowerment, communal wellbeing and artistic expression. <br/>