Assessor Resource

AHCASW302A
Relate Aboriginal culture to sites work

Assessment tool

Version 1.0
Issue Date: March 2024


This unit applies to Aboriginal worldviews and beliefs as they impact and affect Aboriginal-sites work on Country. The unit applies to working either as an autonomous Sites worker or under the supervision and cultural authority of a Traditional owner and/or Elder for specific Country and is also applicable to the work of repatriation workers and anthropologists. This unit applies to all Aboriginal-sites workers. Cultural beliefs and practices vary across locations and communities however and in some situations non-Aboriginal learners may not be able to access the cultural knowledge and/or materials required to achieve competency in this unit. This applies when restrictions are applied to non-Aboriginal people gaining access to cultural knowledge, material or sites. In these situations the Registered Training Organisation will have to make alternative arrangements for learners that are still consistent with the delivery and assessment requirements for this unit.

This unit covers the cultural and ceremonial worldviews necessary to understand cultural landscapes from Aboriginal perspectives. The unit introduces overarching belief systems that operate where Aboriginal-Sites work takes place. This unit provides a conceptual foundation for understanding Aboriginal cultural protocols, cultural customs and cultural practices that the Aboriginal-Sites worker is likely to encounter in daily work routines.

You may want to include more information here about the target group and the purpose of the assessments (eg formative, summative, recognition)

Prerequisites

AHCILM306A Follow Aboriginal cultural protocols


Employability Skills

This unit contains employability skills




Evidence Required

List the assessment methods to be used and the context and resources required for assessment. Copy and paste the relevant sections from the evidence guide below and then re-write these in plain English.

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

The delivery and assessment of this unit must comply with Community protocols and be carried out in consultation with and participation with Traditional Owners and/or Elders and custodians of that specific Country.

In accordance with Aboriginal cultural protocols, cultural knowledge copyright considerations and Aboriginal lore/law restrictions, it is essential that this requirement be respected and implemented in the delivery and assessment of Cultural Units to guarantee cultural authenticity and quality control around the delivery of training and assessment for Aboriginal-sites workers.

The evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit must be relevant to workplace operations and satisfy holistically all of the requirements of the performance criteria and required skills and knowledge. Candidates must demonstrate evidence of the ability to:

explain traditional Aboriginal belief systems

identify examples and impacts of disintegration and disconnection with Aboriginal culture

describe the relationship between the land and environment and Aboriginal peoples in culturally relevant ways

explain the relationship between Dreaming, Traditional beliefs, Ceremony and Sites

demonstrate application of conceptual Aboriginal worldview knowledge to practical Sites work under observation

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Competency requires the application of conceptual knowledge of traditional beliefs in work practices under work conditions. Selection and use of resources for some worksites may differ due to the regional or enterprise circumstances.

Assessment must ensure access to and observation by recognised cultural lore/law men and/or women who hold the Certificate III in Aboriginal-sites Work

Method of assessment

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess comprehension and the application of Aboriginal worldviews and beliefs to practical skills.

The following examples are appropriate for this unit:

assessment of written reports

direct questioning combined with review of portfolios of evidence and third-party workplace reports of on-the-job performance

verbal or written questioning

Observation of participation in Ceremony and/or Sites work related to the knowledge and skills outlined in this unit

Assessment methods should closely reflect workplace demands and the needs of particular client groups (consider the requirements of different age groups, clients with English as a second language, clients with disabilities, etc.).

Guidance information for assessment

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example:

AHCILM306A Follow Aboriginal cultural protocols

AHCASW308A Apply cultural significance to Aboriginal-sites and landscapes

Assessment for this unit should comprise a combination of theory and practical application. Both aspects of assessment are best conducted on Country for this unit.


Submission Requirements

List each assessment task's title, type (eg project, observation/demonstration, essay, assingnment, checklist) and due date here

Assessment task 1: [title]      Due date:

(add new lines for each of the assessment tasks)


Assessment Tasks

Copy and paste from the following data to produce each assessment task. Write these in plain English and spell out how, when and where the task is to be carried out, under what conditions, and what resources are needed. Include guidelines about how well the candidate has to perform a task for it to be judged satisfactory.

Required skills include:

Ability to:

interconnect diverse elements of Aboriginal culture and societies

relate and recount Aboriginal spirituality

recognise and apply Aboriginal beliefs and protocols

use oral communication skills/language competence to question, actively listen, ask for clarification and seek advice from Traditional Owners, and/or Elders

use interpersonal skills to relate to people from a range of social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds and with a range of physical and mental abilities

research skills to source information orally from Elders, from records in archives, archival programs, archival principles and processes

Required knowledge includes:

Knowledge of:

how to source appropriate cultural and lore/law authority for specific Country and/or sites

protocols and customs relating to disclosure of knowledge about Country

Aboriginal cultural and social frameworks

ancestral beliefs

genealogy

kinship names, sections and networks

totems, moieties, skin names

Dreaming

rules and access to cultural knowledge limitations

indigenous communities and social structures

indigenous cultural customs and heritage

history of Aboriginal dispossession in Australia

dispossession and land rights legislation

Community guidelines and protocols

information collection and documentation procedures

Cultural and Heritage Legislation or relevant NPWS legislation

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Aboriginal objects may include:

physical objects such as stone tools, Aboriginal-built fences and stockyards, scarred trees, the remains of fringe camps

material deposited on the land, such as middens

the ancestral remains of Aboriginal people

art and artworks

shells

non-human bones and organic materials

cultural landscapes may include:

places and areas made up of living stories that have connections to the past and can include natural resources, objects, customs and traditions (and their contexts)

places of land, sea and air where cultural and natural elements are considered together

Aboriginal beliefs may refer to:

connection to Country

creation events

structure of Community such as lore/law men and women, elders and custodians

practicality and purpose

appropriate behaviour, protocols and restrictions

spiritual valueof knowledge and stories

communal ownership of some knowledge and material

intergenerational ownership of some knowledge and material

oral tradition of passing on knowledge and responsibilities

roles as custodians of specified knowledge, ceremony, designs, information

kinship and relationships

storytelling

Aboriginal-sites may include:

shelters with deposits

open camp site

midden

shelter with midden

shelter with art

isolated find

undefined sites

axe grinding grooves

bora/ceremonial ring

burial site

rock engraving

scarred tree

carved tree

natural mythological site

restricted site

quarry

ochre quarry

fish trap

stone arrangement

mound (oven)

mia mia

waterhole (well)

contact/mission

abraded grooves

Aboriginal Place (declared under NPW Act)

Aboriginal Area (declared under NPW Act)

protected archaeological site

conservation agreement

massacre

reserve

Dreaming and Creation Period may be described as:

This is a Western term. According to Aboriginal belief, all life as it is today - Human, Animal, Bird and Fish is part of one vast unchanging network of relationships which can be traced to the Great Spirit Ancestors of the Dreamtime. The Dreamtime is the Aboriginal understanding of the world, of its creation, and it's great stories. The Dreamtime is the beginning of knowledge, from which came the laws of existence. For survival these laws must be observed. The Dreaming world was the old time of the Ancestor Beings. They emerged from the earth at the time of the creation. Time began in the world the moment these supernatural beings were "born out of their own Eternity". The Dreamtime continues as the "Dreaming" in the spiritual lives of aboriginal people today. The events of the ancient era of creation are enacted in ceremonies and danced in mime form. Song lines and song chant relates the story of events of those early times and brings the power of the dreaming to bear of life today.

Aboriginal cultural protocols may include

gender roles in relation to knowledge and cultural practices

information sensitivity and access

appropriate information transfer

negotiations with local Aboriginal Community about information transfer

cultural diversity

natural resources and their importance for economy, religion, spirituality, art, environment, values, beliefs and lore/law

rights and responsibilities associated with cultural knowledge, story, song, Site, and ceremony

interpersonal ways of relating

the talking of Community politics

repatriation of objects and human remains

issues of ownership (clans/nations)

ownership of intellectual property

acknowledging participation and ownership

communicating about cultural material

displaying cultural material

handling cultural material

identifying appropriate people to be consulted

occasions when consultation is required

ways in which consultations should be conducted

Cultural knowledge may include:

aboriginal land, landscape features, rivers, lakes and sea resources and their uses, and the relationships between plants, animals and individuals, clans and Community

aboriginal beliefs, values, spirituality, language, lore/law, customs, gender roles, kinship networks, factions, moieties, and speaking rights

ceremonies, rituals, stories, song, dance and art

traditional and current land management practices

aboriginal-sites, places, objects, material and landscapes

names, locations and meanings

aboriginal cultural protocols

aboriginal cultural heritage

the cultural significance of Aboriginal knowledge

Cultural disintegration may include:

total loss of languages and/or cultural stories and ceremony for a specific area

non-existence of Aboriginal people groups who formerly lived and/or accessed specific lands

Cultural disconnection may include:

aboriginal people who have little or no cultural and/or language knowledge

aboriginal people who may experience varying levels of a lack of knowing of their cultural, language and skin group and associated cultural practices

Impacts of disintegration and disconnection may include:

social, cultural, religious, economic, spiritual, language factors and outcomes

aboriginal perspectives

Mainstream culture and heritage trends may be governed by:

all States and Territories

a range of industry sectors including non-specific sites sectors such as museums.

National Parks and Wildlife jurisdictions - state and federal

Catchment Management and Authority contexts

Office of Environment and Heritage contexts

Copy and paste from the following performance criteria to create an observation checklist for each task. When you have finished writing your assessment tool every one of these must have been addressed, preferably several times in a variety of contexts. To ensure this occurs download the assessment matrix for the unit; enter each assessment task as a column header and place check marks against each performance criteria that task addresses.

Observation Checklist

Tasks to be observed according to workplace/college/TAFE policy and procedures, relevant legislation and Codes of Practice Yes No Comments/feedback
Relationship to the land is integrated into daily work routines 
Relationships of Aboriginal objects, featuresand cultural landscapes to Aboriginal beliefs are determined 
The interrelationship of discrete Aboriginal-sites to cultural frameworks is determined 
Traditional knowledge, customs and cultural practices in managing Country are acknowledged and respected 
Language groups and general lore/laws and customs are shared 
Extended family structures and clans in physical and geographical locations are identified 
Totemic structures and associated stories that relate to ancestral beings from the Creation Period are related to landscape features and sites 
Social structures that define the social positions, behaviours and obligations are classified in kinship names, sections and networks 
The kinship system determining roles and responsibilities, marriage unions, ceremonial relationships, funeral roles and behaviour patterns with other kin are identified 
Marriage relationships resulting from the union of two moieties and/or skin names are determined 
Gender roles are recognised and respected 
Aboriginal beliefs that determine Aboriginal cultural protocols are acknowledged and recorded 
The connection between spirituality and the land is defined in local and trans-local terms of identity, culture and food 
The historical and present living environments are related to Dreaming stories and cultural knowledge 
Cultural language and customs embedded in the relationship to the land and Aboriginal-sites are recounted 
Creation stories, oral histories, kinship and totemic relationships to the cultural landscape are defined 
The sense of belonging to the land and culture embedded in landscape are recounted in culturally appropriate ways 
Elements of spirituality are expressed in ceremony, rituals, stories, dance, song, art and language 
Variable cultural disintegration in modern evolving cultural landscapes is identified 
The effects of cultural disconnection with the land, spirituality and ceremonial expressions of culture are recorded 
Impacts of disintegration and disconnection on Aboriginal-sites are recorded 
The evolving nature of Dreaming is acknowledged and respected 
Current trends in mainstream culture and heritage and opportunities and threats to the Aboriginal-sites work sector are identified and documented 

Forms

Assessment Cover Sheet

AHCASW302A - Relate Aboriginal culture to sites work
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Assessment Record Sheet

AHCASW302A - Relate Aboriginal culture to sites work

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