True tracks by Terri Janke

True Tracks is a guide to a respectful relationship with Indigenous knowledge and culture. Lawyer and Meriam / Wuthathi descendent, Terri Janke has put together protocols relating to Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP), 10 principles for ethical Indigenous engagement: respect, self-determination, consent and consultation, interpretation, integrity, secrecy and privacy, attribution, benefit sharing, maintaining Indigenous cultures, recognition and protection. She explains the significance of each of these when considering copyright and intellectual property, and how the protocols should be applied in different professions and industries.

For students interested in the law and Aboriginal culture, the book is essential reading, made more accessible by Janke’s story of how she became engaged in this work. For teachers and librarians, the most relevant chapters would be those on Indigenous languages, arts appropriation, Indigenous voices in writing and education, and issues for libraries, archives and museums. However all the chapters make for interesting reading, as Janke describes the inadequacies of Western law to protect a shared traditional and often secret sacred culture.

Each of the chapters is clearly set out and includes stories and case studies of both Australian Indigenous people and other First Nations, with resource lists and reference notes. Each also concludes with practical suggestions for ‘what you can do’. The index at the back is also useful for researching specific people and examples. The book as a whole provides a very readable resource based on Janke’s 2019 PhD thesis, the culmination of many years working in the area of Indigenous cultural and intellectual property.

For further information read a Q&A with Terri Janke or listen to her interview on Late Night Live

Themes: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, Cultural protocols, Copyright law, Intellectual property law.

Helen Eddy