Respectful Collaborations: Working with First Nations Peoples and Businesses
Building respectful and meaningful collaborations with First Nations peoples and businesses is not only vital for cultural understanding but also essential for creating impactful outcomes. Whether you're a business, a government entity, or part of a project team, if you're working to deliver First Nations-specific services or engage in a project that seeks to represent First Nations voices, cultures, and lived experiences, adopting best practices is crucial.
This blog outlines key guidelines to help ensure your collaboration is culturally appropriate, respectful, and impactful.
Why Respectful Collaboration Matters
Collaborating with First Nations peoples goes beyond ticking a box; it’s about fostering partnerships built on understanding, mutual respect, and shared value. First Nations culture is deeply rooted in tradition, storytelling, and complex social systems, and these elements must be at the forefront when working together. Missteps in cultural engagement can risk perpetuating harm, stereotypes, or the erasure of voices. Respectful collaboration ensures the authentic representation of First Nations cultures while also creating reciprocal benefits.
Best Practices for Respectful Collaborations
1. Acknowledge Cultural Expertise
First Nations peoples are the experts on their own culture and lived experiences. As a collaborator, it’s important to recognise that you are not the authority on their heritage or traditions. Listen actively and give complete deference to their knowledge.
How to implement this in practice:
Begin engagements with an open mind and a commitment to listen.
Avoid imposing external interpretations of culture, identity, or tradition.
Trust their expertise and follow their guidance when making key decisions about culturally significant elements.
Why it’s important: By recognising their cultural expertise, you ensure that their voices and perspectives remain central to the work.
2. Understand Cultural Diversity and Uniqueness
First Nations culture varies greatly across different Countries (Nations) and communities. This diversity means that each First Nations person you engage with may bring unique cultural perspectives and expressions to the work. Avoid making assumptions based on previous interactions with other First Nations communities or individuals.
How to implement this in practice:
Take the time to understand the specific Country and community that your project relates to and the First Nations person you are engaging with.
Acknowledge that cultural expressions, traditions, and storytelling methods differ across First Nations peoples.
Tailor your approach to align with the unique identity of the people you are working with and representing.
Why it’s important: Assuming a "one-size-fits-all" approach risks undermining the rich cultural diversity that exists within First Nations communities.
3. Allow Creative Freedom and Cultural Integrity
When collaborating on creative projects such as artwork or storytelling, ensure you allow space for authentic cultural expression. While it’s important to provide a brief, avoid dictating specific elements or designs, as this can compromise cultural integrity. Aboriginal artists, for example, create based on cultural knowledge, storytelling traditions, and personal experience.
How to implement this in practice:
Communicate the theme or goal of the project, but refrain from prescribing specific creative directions.
Provide artists or creators with the freedom to embed cultural significance in their work.
Regularly check in with the artist for guidance and understanding, rather than control.
Why it’s important: Creative freedom ensures that cultural integrity remains intact, allowing the work to authentically reflect its roots.
4. Keep First Nations Voices at the Centre
Stay clear about the purpose behind your project—highlighting and amplifying First Nations voices, cultures, and lived experiences. Project planning, design and decisions should prioritise these elements to ensure the collaboration remains genuine and impactful.
How to implement this in practice:
Always return to the "why" of your project at every meeting and milestone.
Depersonalise your preferences or organisation’s agenda to make space for First Nations voices.
Use storytelling methods that respect and preserve the authenticity of their experiences.
Why it’s important: By focusing on the “why,” you avoid the risk of your own perspective and corporate agendas overshadowing First Nations narratives.
5. Be Trauma-Aware and Culturally Safe
The lasting impacts of colonisation, racism, the Stolen Generations, and the suppression of cultural identity means trauma continues to exist within First Nations communities. Your collaboration must actively provide positive and emotionally safe experiences for all participants.
How to implement this in practice:
Educate teams internally about the historical and contemporary issues faced by First Nations peoples.
Collaborate with cultural safety officers or community leaders to establish safe practices.
Allow individuals to set their own boundaries and timelines as they navigate sensitive topics.
Why it’s important: Trauma-aware practices ensure your engagement is respectful, empathetic, and free from causing further harm.
6. View Engagement as a Partnership, Not a Transaction
Collaboration with First Nations peoples should go beyond a one-off project; it should be established as a reciprocal partnership. This means ensuring that benefits, resources, and learning opportunities are shared equitably, and that both parties remain accountable for the impact of the work.
How to implement this in practice:
Build long-term relationships with the individuals and communities you work with.
Invest in capacity-building initiatives within the community, such as skills development or financial compensation.
Be transparent about the expected outcomes of the work, and how they will benefit First Nations communities.
Why it’s important: Partnerships built on reciprocity and accountability foster trust and create meaningful, lasting relationships.
Final Thoughts on Creating Respectful Collaborations
Effective and respectful collaborations with First Nations peoples and businesses begin with a commitment to learn, listen, and engage authentically. By acknowledging cultural expertise, celebrating diversity, enabling creative freedom, and prioritising cultural safety, you can create partnerships that truly honour First Nations voices.
Take the Next Step
If your organisation is ready to make a meaningful impact, start by educating yourself and your team on First Nations cultural protocols, historical injustices and lived experiences. Reach out to communities or cultural advisors for guidance, and ensure that your approach is rooted in genuine respect and accountability.
Together, we can build a future where First Nations-led collaboration thrives in every sector—one respectful step at a time.
