3: Reading the Patterns

For First Nation peoples, this could be an internal voice that says "sit down and stay quiet" or questions over who can speak for community and country.

For non-Indigenous Australians, it could be around expertise, qualifications or formal leadership roles in organisations.

When gatekeepers are allowed to take over, nothing moves forward because no-one has permission to suggest and create anything new.

The pressure that this places on one person is immense and it is based on a false fantasy that every First Nations person understands everything about all Indigenous culture, history and society. It also presumes they have the authority to speak about and represent all First Nation peoples and communities. This is based on false ideas of all First Nations cultures being homogenous.

Other fantasy leaders may be non-Indigenous people who are well connected or have built up trust within an Indigenous community.

Ultimately, the fantasy leader role can easily be criticised from all sides and it removes the focus on finding real representatives to bring into the group. No-one can carry this pressure and the group will fail to get what it needs.

Putting others in the role of the fantasy leader ultimately stops us from collaborating directly with each other as we outsource the work of collaboration to the fantasy leader and expect them to do the work of translating and bridging the two worldviews rather than us building the skills to collaborate directly.

Non-Indigenous people can accuse First Nation peoples of being ‘too sensitive’ or ‘difficult to engage’ when they challenge accepted ideas and worldviews.

First Nation peoples can also accuse non-Indigenous people of being ‘insensitive’ or ‘acting like colonialists’ when they challenge their ways of doing things.

‘Playing the Culture Card’ stops the discussion and prevents further exploration. When cultural objections are raised, this is an opportunity to understand and explore, rather than as a way of ending the conversation.

The killer critic can stop progress and silence the group. This role can come out when people are threatened or feel vulnerable about change. It can also come out when we lack hope or level of trust in ourselves and the process.

The key is to not let it stop us. What exactly is its feedback? Take on board any learning and wisdom from the critic to provide the courage and skill to continue to move forward. Sometimes, revisiting shared values, purpose and language can help break the impasse.

Sometimes this is when we fall back onto our old views, assumptions and worldviews. Sometimes it is useful, knowing when it is time to recharge, a tactic so we can feel safe again.

If you find this has happened, ask yourself why and how did we get here? What does the group need to venture out again and re-engage in the collaboration?

Reconnecting to purpose and common ground may be required to re-establish safety.