Abstract
Why is it important to establish collaborative agreements governing relationships between Indigenous People and educational institutions? (Indigenous communities around the world use different autonyms and identifying terms in the English language. The authors will refer to specific peoples by their preferred terms. In this chapter, the general terms “Indigenous People” and “First Nations” will be used interchangeably). By what processes might protocols be established? How might these understandings serve mutual respect and learning? What universal protocols might be applied, regardless of the cultural context or geographic location of the parties? These questions and others are addressed in an analysis of the processes involved in the development of agreements between Indigenous communities and universities. Two cases are examined, one in Australia and the other, in the USA. Authors, Aunty Veronica Bird and Kim Walker represented their respective organisations, the Butchulla Native Title Aboriginal Corporation and the University of the Sunshine Coast, in developing agreed Protocols of Engagement, an agreement which acknowledges the benefits of co-researching, co-publishing, learning from each other and working together to care for Butchulla Country. With Indigenous community collaboration, authors, David Rahahę́·tih Webb and Peter Blaze Corcoran assembled an actionable land acknowledgment for Florida Gulf Coast University in the USA. Through these cases and their diverse Indigenous, non-Indigenous, and professional backgrounds, the co-authors offer a model of how universities are able to develop respectful relationships that advance learning together.