Study Tour: Indigenous Knowledges Malaysia

Wirltu Yarlu invites University of Adelaide students to take part in a two-week study tour in Malaysia in Summer School 2024. Offering a rich and diverse academic and cultural program, students will participate in seminars, site visits and field trips to learn about lived experiences of the Orang Asli, Malaysian Indigenous people. In collaboration with the Centre for Malaysian Indigenous Studies (CMIS) at the University of Malaya, students will engage in cross-cultural knowledge exchange to tackle Indigenous community challenges in Australia and Malaysia.

In Malaysia, students will work on case studies on traditional ecological knowledge and land management; Indigenous studies and field methods; concepts, frameworks and outcomes of Indigenous health; and sustainable futures and land rights.

The cultural program will include activities such as:

• Indigenous craft workshops (weaving, wood carving, bead stringing and design)
• Indigenous community traditional music and songs workshop
• Indigenous art activism and youth
• Rice field tour to discover traditional rice cultivation methods
• Discovering longhouse architecture and communal living
• Discovering Indigenous rituals
• Field trip to Orang Asli village and school

Learning outcomes:

On successful completion of this study tour, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate a deep understanding of the politics of Indigenous Knowledges in a post-colonial country
• Conduct primary research on how Indigenous Knowledges of the host country are embedded into local institutions
• Show enhanced critical thinking and analytical skills
• Better understand disciplinary knowledge and its application in an international context
• Demonstrate confidence, respect and resilience in a foreign environment and a well-developed sense of social responsibility through engagement with local communities

Eligibility and application process:

Preference for places will be given to students who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, but applications are welcome from all students with interests in one or more of the following topics, as they relate to First Nations people of Australia and Malaysia:

• Decolonial methodologies of doing, being and knowing 
• Colonisation
• Language and culture preservation
• Cultural practice
• Indigenous health

Apply for the study tour via SMART by 8 October 2023.

Students will be merit-selected for this program, based on the ‘About Me’ questionnaire in SMART applications and relevant courses students have already completed (as recorded in student transcripts). Student Success Teams will assess eligibility for academic credit as part of the study tour selection process.

Credit

Students selected for the study tour will receive 3 units of credit for ABORIG 2002 - International Study Tour: Indigenous Knowledges.

Funding

Thanks to the Australian Government New Colombo Plan, grants of $3,000 are available to eligible domestic students. The New Colombo Plan initiative aims to lift knowledge of the Indo-Pacific in Australia by supporting Australian students to study and undertake internships in the region. We encourage you to use this experience to increase your understanding of our region – it could be the start of an enduring interest in, and connection to, the Indo-Pacific, which will benefit your professional and personal life in decades to come.

Eligible domestic students may also apply for an OS-HELP loan of up to $8,817 to cover costs associated with this program.

Find out more and apply via SMART.