Four conditions for co-designing for First Nations leadership

By Jessica Wegener, Barry Williams, Jacqueline Gothe and Sarah Jane Jones.

How can research effectively strengthen Indigenous leadership and incorporate respectful design to support Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination? 

We retrospectively reflected on our experience of working together in a project focused on land and fire management in a specific region in Australia, a project that involved Indigenous Cultural Fire Practitioners, Elders, and community members, as well as Local Aboriginal Land Councils, local councils and government agencies (Gothe et al., 2025). This reflexive analysis aimed to understand and share what we have learned as participants in this Indigenous project as a contribution to the complex work of ensuring meaningful ways to support Indigenous sovereignty, self-determination, and the use of co-design in Indigenous-led land-based projects situated in urban contexts.

Here we focus on four conditions for effective co-design in Indigenous led projects. They are:

1. Indigenous leadership, ethics, and reciprocity
2. Respect and time
3. Design, storytelling and cultural responsibility
4. Respectful and appropriate sharing.

Indigenous leadership, ethics, and reciprocity

Particularly important are foresight informed by care; respect and reciprocity in all aspects of a project; the importance of listening; and of dedicating time for trust to develop. Also vital is ensuring protocols are respected so that there is responsible sharing of Indigenous Ecological Knowledge (IEK) with consent and approvals to uphold Indigenous Cultural Intellectual Property (ICIP).

In our case, the processes of co-design provided structures that bring the plurality of the voices of participants (Cultural Fire Practitioners, Elders and communities) to the design project outcomes (the guided walks, interpretive signs, a book, and videos).

Further, in our case, the relinquishing of leadership by the (non-Indigenous) design team was seen as a gift to the community that enabled shared decision-making by the Cultural Fire Practitioners and created the condition of possibility for the Fire Practitioners to take leadership in the development of content and the form of the designed outcomes.

Respect and time

An essential consideration is the recognition of the time and resources needed to undertake the process in a respectful and considered way that ensures shared leadership, empowerment, trust, and mutual benefit.

In our case, the conceptualisation of the funding application was informed by Indigenous values and the vision of our goal in supporting Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination. Most important is that funding supports full participation and learning for all participants to bring the vision of Indigenous leadership, guided by Indigenous knowledge, into reality.

In our case, attention was paid to everyone’s life circumstances, including ensuring employers supported the time that the Indigenous Cultural Fire Practitioners would commit to the project and ensuring the grant provided funds to enable attendance at all the events for these practitioners, as well as Elders and the community.

Design, storytelling and cultural responsibility

The design processes need to be connected and guided by Indigenous cultural practices and protocols building on embodied experience in the field and the integrity of the translation of oral storytelling. This integrity is dependent on the legitimacy of the approval processes undertaken by the Cultural Fire Practitioners with Elders and community. These consultations are often shared in and with community and require time for discussion and approval. This brings a level of personal connection and cultural responsibility for community approval of processes and content.

In our case, key issues included:

• Ensuring respectful relations in complex hybrid contexts (face to face, remotely across large distances on different landscapes and on Country)
• Supporting the storytelling that highlights First Nations leadership embodied in the Indigenous Cultural Fire Practitioners’ experience in various landscapes, knowledge of Country and of 4 years of mentoring focussed through practices of reading Country, respect for people and protocol, and connections to spirit and practice through kinship affiliations.

Respectful and appropriate sharing

Key here is how much should be shared in an impersonal manner (eg., on a sign or in a printed form) versus what should be reserved for sharing on Country by a Knowledge Holder. Sharing of traditional ecological and cultural knowledge by a Knowledge Holder on Country allows attention to be directed, for example, to the plant, its fibre use, its medicine, and allows the Knowledge Holders to do all of those things on Country to ensure an embodied form of practice and traditional knowledge transfer.

Conclusion

This project aimed to support contemporary Indigenous cultural leadership, in the face of the continuing impact of colonisation, and built on a long-term relationship between the design team (Jacqueline and Sarah Jane), the practitioners (Jessia and Barry) and the community.

What has your experience been of co-designing research in meaningful ways to support Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination? Do the conditions we have identified resonate with you? Are there others that you would add?

To find out more:

Gothe, J., Jones, S. J., Wegener, J. and Williams, B. (2025). Co-designing for First Nations leadership in land management: Listening to stories, designing for experience, and advocating for change. CoDesign: International Journal of CoCreation in Design and the Arts. (Online – open access) (DOI): https://doi.org/10.1080/15710882.2025.2505925
Much of this i2Insights contribution is taken verbatim from this paper.

Reference:

Australia State of the Environment. (2021). Indigenous. In, Australia State of the Environment Report, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Commonwealth of Australia: Canberra, Australia. (Online – open access): https://soe.dcceew.gov.au/indigenous/introduction

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Statement: Generative artificial intelligence was not used in the development of this i2Insights contribution. (For i2Insights policy on generative artificial intelligence please see https://i2insights.org/contributing-to-i2insights/guidelines-for-authors/#artificial-intelligence.)

Biography: Jessica Wegener is Ngiyampaa Wangaaypuwan Pilaarrkiyalu Mayi and a practitioner of Traditional Knowledge with a lifetime of experience in Traditional Water, Fire and Medicinal Knowledge. Jessica considers Country as her teacher and her most proud achievements have been integrated with Country, Family and Community.

Biography: Barry Williams MA (Wehlubal Clan of the Bundjalung Nation) is a Lecturer in Cultural Landscape at the School of Architecture and Built Environment, College of Engineering, Science and Environment at the University of Newcastle, Australia. He aims to help strengthen connections to Country within the built environment centred on building meaningful relationships and partnerships to drive positive outcomes for community and Country. His diverse professional background across cultural heritage, Aboriginal community engagement, community development, capacity building, consultation and negotiation, strategic planning, cultural competence in both vocational and higher education provides a deep foundation for his contribution.

Biography: Jacqueline Gothe PhD is a design researcher in visual communication design, information design and practices of critical visualisation in the Faculty of Design and Society, University of Technology Sydney, Australia. Her research approach foregrounds research through design as a knowledge creating paradigm. She has widely researched the application of communication and design principles in land management investigating transdisciplinary approaches in environmental projects.

Biography: Sarah Jane Jones PhD is a Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication at the University of Technology Sydney, Australia. She examines ways to incorporate storytelling into urban wayfinding design; central to this is exploring the relationship between physical signage and digital wayfinding.