Abstract:
This study examined a framework for a low-cost, sustainable solution to the challenge of
the Indigenous digital preservation of culture in the form of artwork and languages. In a
global sense, the traditional transfer of Indigenous culture runs the risk of information
loss and inconsistency when Indigenous cultural groups compete alongside mainstream
Western cultural systems. Indigenous Australian culture has been passed down through
traditional means from old to young, with many works of art, and discrete languages
transferred without written, printed or digitised record. The study examines the
challenges associated with the process of language and artwork pertaining to Indigenous
Western Australians. A qualitative study using four case studies from the Kalgoorlie area
of Western Australia was undertaken. All four case studies showed difficulty in adapting
to digital technology for the long-term preservation of art and languages. The research
findings suggest that the challenges associated with Indigenous digital preservation is due
to a range of factors that collectively work to prevent or reduce the effectiveness of
preservation strategies in remote and rural areas. Using these findings, the authors
propose a Work Integrated Learning Digital Object Framework (WILDOF) as a
sustainable, low-cost approach to the archival management of Indigenous material.
