A realisation of Ganma

Abstract

<p>The <i>Ganma</i> metaphor underscores Yolŋu approaches to education and learning that incorporate both Western and Aboriginal epistemologies. <i>Ganma</i> is the point where saltwater (non-Aboriginal knowledge) and fresh water (Yolŋu knowledge) meet to form a lagoon (Marika, 2000). The different bodies of water churn beneath the foam-striped surface, and this "great sharing" supports a "rich habitat of its own" (Bat & Guenther, 2013, p. 128), thus revealing the benefits of the collaborative approach to knowledge generation. This metaphor, shown in Figure 1, can be used as a foundation for negotiating culturally contested knowledge areas, and was the basis for a research project conducted in a Northern Territory Boarding School in 2019.</p>