A Charles Darwin University researcher is working with elders to address intergenerational trauma in Nauiyu, about 270km north-west of Katherine. 

The grassroots project is the first of its kind in the NT, and one of only four Australian studies to explore Indigenous trauma and healing from a community perspective.

PhD candidate Gavin Morris will interview about 20 adults from the small community on the Daly River about their life stories.

Mr Morris said research indicated that past events, including the arrival of Jesuit missionaries, the 1884 Copper Mine Massacre, and Australian Government policies – including Stolen Generations and the NT Intervention – still affects the people of Nauiyu.

“Six generations on from European colonisation, trauma has resulted in a loss of connection to identity and culture, which can manifest in many ways, including substance abuse, violence and increased child, parent and family risk factors,” Mr Morris said.

“The primary purpose of this study is to empower Indigenous people and promote healing.”

Mr Morris said the community designed the research to hear people’s stories, privileging Indigenous voice and world views.

“We will explore the potential benefits of constructing positive new life stories through collective sharing of the past,” he said.

Mr Morris said educating people about what happened before their time could help them understand why they felt and behaved a certain way, and be part of the healing process.

His research uses the spiritual practice of “Dadirri”, or deep listening, which is specific to the Daly River tribes and was distinguished globally by one of his research supervisors, Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann.

Ms Ungunmerr-Baumann was the first qualified Indigenous teacher to work in the NT, in 1975, and is a dedicated champion for young Indigenous people learning to balance life in traditional and Western worlds.