Weaving Stories: A Reparative Truth‐Telling Agenda

There is much debate around how to “do” truth‐telling in nations where settler‐colonisers have never left. In so‐called Australia, past truth‐telling processes have drawn criticism for failing to bring about necessary changes to society. In this paper, we put forward an approach to truth‐telling as a practice of connection, learnt from Country and through the age‐old practice of weaving. “We” are a collaboration of Ngalakgan and Ritharrŋu and settler‐colonial women researching with Ngalakgan Country, in the Northern Territory, Australia. This paper weaves predominantly Indigenous‐authored literature into a reparative truth‐telling—or truth‐doing—agenda, advocating for humility, responsibility, and love in future truth‐telling initiatives. We invite you to pick up a thread and weave yourself in as you read.