The Use of ICT to preserve Australian Indigenous Culture and Language - a Preliminary Proposal using the Activity Theory Framework

TL;DR

This paper explores how ICT can be used to preserve Australian Indigenous culture and language, emphasizing community involvement and the Activity Theory framework to develop effective, culturally sensitive information systems.

Contribution

It proposes a preliminary framework for designing culturally conscious ICT tools for Indigenous language and culture preservation based on community consultation and Activity Theory.

Findings

ICT is effective for collecting and teaching cultural knowledge.

Community consultation is essential for culturally appropriate system design.

A preliminary framework for culturally sensitive ICT tools is proposed.

Abstract

Propinquity between Australian Indigenous communities' social structures and ICT purposed for cultural preservation is a modern area of research; historically hindered by the "digital divide" thus limiting plentiful literature and existing information systems in this field in theoretical and practical applications. Henceforth, community consultation is mandatory in deriving and delivering empirically effective processes in a cultural and language preservation IS tool designed to teach future generations of Indigenous Australians about native culture and language. More than 100 out of 250 languages spoken by Indigenous have become extinct since 1788 (Harrington, 2014) which inaugurates the urgency of this preservation tool. ICT has been identified as the best provision method; by its capacity to best collect, eternize and teach cultural knowledge and language. The aim of this research is to specify requirements and considerations for the development of a socially integrated, culturally conscious, end-user driven IS to preserve Indigenous culture in Australia.