In the era of Indigenising the academy, health disciplines like nursing are required to teach Indigenous peoples' health, history and culture in their undergraduate programmes in order to meet national accreditation standards. This inclusion of Indigenous peoples' perspectives within nursing education towards registration thus qualifies respective Indigenous perspectives as legitimate parts of the Australian nursing profession's scope of practice, which may sound like a reason to celebrate. However, caution should be exercised. Indigenous and Western knowledge systems are incommensurable. The practice of defining Indigenous perspectives for placements within curricula could be likened to extractive colonialism. Thus, the commodifying of Indigenous perspectives in creating competitive education products is problematic. As a Meriam and Wuthathi man who grew up in the Zenadth Kes (Torres Straits) now living and working on Turrbul and Yuggera country, and as a nurse academic, being immersed in this space of contentions is my reality. In order to enhance the education preparation of nursing students I teach, while simultaneously protect my embodied Indigenous knowledges and the Indigenous perspectives included in the curricula I teach, I privilege Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing in my teaching practice. This yarn is about my experience in this cultural interface.

This editorial responds to a recent reminder from an Elder to acknowledge and respect First Nations ways of knowing, doing, and being as health professionals and researchers. This reminder asked us to critically reflect on our professional stance and practices as nurses, midwives and researchers in the light of the fire that still burns at the Aboriginal tent Embassy and recent dialogues for Australia Day. In light of the international Black Lives Matters movement in 2020, we discuss the importance of our shared roles and responsibilities to continue to challenge racism and oppressive practices in Australian health care. Decolonising nursing and midwifery practice, policy, research, and education approaches offer a clear transformational reform process to address oppressive practices and racism including attitudes, ignorance and bias, generalisations, assumptions, uninformed opinions and commit to developing and embedding cultural safety in the nursing and midwifery profession.

Aim: Explore the experiences of Indigenous academics teaching Indigenous peoples’ history, health and culture in Australian Bachelor of Nursing programs. Methodology: Theoretical framework comprises of Indigenous methodologies including Indigenous women’s standpoint theory and Indigenist research principles. Methods: One-on-one research yarns that were voice-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed through an assemblage approach. Findings: Participants of this study shared their doubts about the legitimacy afforded to them and Indigenous health curriculum by some of their colleagues and their school and faculty leaders. They highlighted that strategic and careful disruption of the status quo is a quality imperative. Participants identified the paradox of revisiting personal trauma as pedagogy and curriculum, suggesting a lack of preparedness of their schools to adequately support them. Relational engagement with other Indigenous peoples was emphasised, however, the implicit expectation for them to capitalise on personal relationships involved risking their reputation for their schools, who seemingly demand their resourcefulness as substitute for resources. Conclusion: Indigenous academics care for quality learning and teaching of Indigenous peoples’ history, health, and culture. This care extends to nursing students, fellow academics, as well as school and faculty leadership, despite the lack of care afforded to them. Realising relational and reciprocal care, through providing appropriate support and resources, would benefit them and their academic practice.

This thesis critically explores the experiences of Indigenous and non-Indigenous academics who develop and deliver Indigenous health curricula for nursing disciplines and universities, who are committed to better servicing Indigenous peoples. This thesis presents and interprets three central concepts . The notion of ‘never turning off’ highlights the additional expectations bestowed upon academics teaching Indigenous health. That of ‘white possession’ and its operation, considers standardised frameworks intended to support academics, but instead are weaponised against academics to enhance efficiencies. Finally, it interprets how the process of ‘relational engagements’ with Indigenous peoples gave strength and protection to the academics.

Context: The 2007 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples affirms Indigenous Peoples' right to maintain, control, protect and develop their knowledge systems, including knowledges of sciences and technologies of medicine and health. It could, however, be argued that this right is typically not upheld in health professions education (HPE), as the broader HPE community perceives dominant colonial ideologies as supreme. Yet, Indigenous Peoples' knowledges promote futurity. They can protect communities and promote healing for everyone from colonising harms. However, engaging with Indigenous Peoples' knowledges in HPE is not straightforward, as a contested cultural interface exists between knowledge systems. This article shares how Arts Informed Indigenous Research (AIIR) can illuminate ways to grow Indigenous knowledges into HPE. We outline the context and problem, describe AIIR's conceptual frame and praxis and share a praxis example. Approach: Informed by arts‐based research paradigms, AIIR embeds and embodies an Indigenist research agenda. AIIR also incorporates storywork drawing attention to storying complexity. Indigenous Peoples engage AIIR to deeply investigate research questions and solve complex issues often caused by colonisation. Importantly, AIIR is Indigenous Peoples led and engages knowledge holder diversity through sensory and symbolic forms that create reflection. For many research methods, researchers perform data analysis. However, in AIIR knowledge holders make meaning through creativity, searching for ideas and interrelated understanding. Researchers revere created knowledges with honour and show reciprocity by strengthening story impact. Conclusion: Incorporating Indigenous knowledge within HPE is not straightforward, as colonial ideologies continue to dominate the field. However, AIIR can support engagement between divergent western and Indigenous knowledge systems by creating ethical, critically reflective and relational spaces that promote anti‐colonial listening. Additionally, AIIR offers methods to generate insights into ways the broader HPE community can relinquish colonial power to make space in HPE for Indigenous Peoples' knowledges of futurity.