Australian Institute of Architects introduces glossary of First Nations terms and concepts

Working with spatial designer and Country-Centred designer Danièle Hromek, the Australian Institute of Architects' First Nations Advisory Committee (FNAC) has released two new guides to support architects and built environment professionals in their understanding of, and engagement with, First Nations terminology and concepts.

The first resource, titled First Nations Terminology, collates and defines words that are broadly relevant when discussing First Nations Peoples and Country, supporting readers to use language correctly. It includes definitions of over 40 words and phrases, including "Country", "Colonisation", "Indigenous", "Invasion" and "Traditional Custodians".

The second resource, titled Terms, Concepts and Shared Understandings, lists the meanings of eight architecture and built-environment-specific concepts, which have been collectively workshopped and authored by First Nations built environment professionals and allies.

Some of these terms and their meanings, as defined in the Terms, Concepts and Shared Understandings resource, include:

Country Centred Design:

Designing with Country:

Hromek commented that "to date, most of the ways of defining what architecture or design means has been decided by non-Indigenous people. However, as First Nations voices rise, so too do the ways they choose to define and decide for themselves what architecture and design means to them."

"Words have power - otherwise why did colonisers feel the need to forcibly remove our own languages from our tongues? … Authoring a set of terms, concepts and shared understandings provides a shared grounding in which the industry can start to respond," she said.

The two new resources complement an existing suite of tools available on the Institute's website, including a Cultural Safety Policy, which provides principles to create a culturally safe environment for First Nations Peoples; a First Nations Resource Hub that features projects which exemplify respect to Indigenous culture; and a guidance note on Protecting Cultural Knowledge and Intellectual Property in Built Environments, which provides an understanding of Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP).