Boodja Marr Karl: A Whole-Community Approach to Aboriginal Education—The Development of a Cultural Framework for Aboriginal Participation in Education and Schooling

Abstract

Boodja Marr Karl is a term used in the Nyungar group of languages. This term attempts to succinctly and vividly label concepts that significantly influence Aboriginal society today: community grief (boodja or earth); constant turbulence (marr or wind); and violent cultural contact (karl or fire). These three concepts have contributed to the situations that many of our people find themselves in today in modern society. This chapter brings Boodja Marr Karl into the discussion about us as a people—who we are, where we are, and where we are going. This chapter also describes how a community initiative could work with the current educational contexts for Aboriginal children and the Aboriginal community through the development of a cultural framework for Aboriginal participation in education and schooling.