Digital Songlines

This is an initiative to conserve indigenous heritage using information and communication technologies (ICTs). Digital Songlines involves the development of a 3-D digital environment for the representation of indigenous cultural knowledge, practices and languages - mixing story, art, and cultural icons in an effort to present knowledge as nonlinear and multilayered stories as they were told (and sung) in traditional ways. The project explores the effective recording, content management, and virtual reality delivery of Indigenous cultural knowledge in ways that are culturally sensitive and involve the Indigenous custodians, leaders and communities. Traditionally, organisers explain, the Aboriginal heritage was transferred from generation to generation by rituals and storytellers through dance, stories, and artworks. Digital Songlines is an interactive immersive simulation experience that is designed to communicate this ancient heritage in an entertaining, exciting, and creative way using computer simulation technology.

Specifically, Digital Songlines as a toolkit is a platform-independent software developed in a number of formats to meet the divergent needs of the Indigenous communities, educational requirements, and stakeholders. Its purpose is to be a virtual heritage kit that addresses the needs of the Indigenous community, edutainment market, museums, science centres and homes for both national and international distribution. The kit can be customised according to community wishes, educational needs, and other requirements and can incorporate traditional language, oral histories, video, panoramic photography, and so on.

For example, through the technology that ACID is creating, users will be able to experience a virtual environment composed of Australian flora and fauna, topographical features that have been restored in high resolution 3D. Spatial audio can be used to reflect the ambient sounds and audio of the landscape, and to enable users of the website to see and hear virtual 3D avatars telling immersive Indigenous quests, stories, myths, and legends in Indigenous languages that are meant to reflect an experience and sense of actually being there. They can witness virtual representation of Aboriginal art, stories, and artifacts as well as the high definition 3D design and spatial representation of these within a 3D landscape based upon actual satellite topographical imagery. One focus area of interest to ACID in developing these websites is on cultural protocol and gender-based issues relating to Aboriginal heritage.

Digital Storylines strives to connect people through ICTs by integrating interactive aspects into the process, such as the possibility of recording in a relational database Dreaming* stories, myths, and legends. The user is thus set on an "exploration quest" involving tasks fulfilment, knowledge gathering, skills development, and character advancement based upon Aboriginal culture and heritage. Also, various discussion forums are available on the Digital Songlines website.

Indigenous Knowledge Preservation.

* Editor's note: Songlines (or "Yiri" in the Walpiri language) is a cultural concept in Australian Aboriginal mythology relating to Dreamtime (the Dreaming is a sacred time outside living memory when ancestors (in the form of humans or animals) wandered the earth, gave it shape and created all the living things out of their own essence). Oral lore and storytelling for the Indigenous Australian manifested in Songlines - an intricate series of song cycles that identified landmarks and other items and tracking (hunting) mechanisms for navigation. These songs often described how the features of the land were created and named during the Dreamtime. By singing the songs in the appropriate order, Indigenous Australians could navigate vast distances often travelling through the deserts of Australia's interiority. To the Indigenous Australians, songlines also confer a title and deed to the holder or the keeper of the song (or Dreamtime story) and entails an inherent obligation and reciprocity with the land. (Source: Wikipedia).

According to ACID, "with over 600 Aboriginal tribal groups across Australia and 250 different language groups, there are hundreds of diverse cultures each with their own stories to be told. However, even though the languages and stories vary across the nation, many have common themes, morals and knowledge."

The Digital Songlines product received an Award of Merit in the national AIIA iAwards in the Education & Training category in April 2006.