Thinking about Play: Perspectives on play from two remote Indigenous communities in the NT

This paper reports on findings from the ‘Talking Pictures research project, a Telstra Foundation funded project that investigated remote Indigenous adults’ perspectives on play. ‘Talking Pictures’ was undertaken by a team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers from Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education (BIITE) using a participatory action research methodology. The findings raise important questions for educators attempting to implement play-based learning programs in diverse cultural contexts. Play is a universal human activity yet it is also a deeply cultural one. The views and values expressed by Indigenous adults in two remote Indigenous communities provide a basis for exploring issues of Indigenous identity and the right to contest the dominance of western views of play.