'Aussie' gifts?

The 'odds and ends' gift stall in Carilah oleh-oleh is stocked with quintessentially Indonesian merchandise for sale to tourists - batik clothing, bamboo musical instruments, sports equipment for traditional and popular sports, artworks such as masks and puppets, and shoes representing a burgeoning manufacturing industry for global companies.

Have students look closely at this stall and read the fact files for each item on sale. Have them list what they think they learn about Indonesian society and culture by looking at the items on sale. Introduce the concept of stereotypes. Ask students to consider:
Why would these items be valued by tourists? Do you think that Indonesian people would buy / value those things? What influence (positive and negative) might tourism have on Indonesian culture? Share ideas and discuss.

Travellers often want to buy something as 'oleh-oleh' that will represent the place they are visiting. Do typical tourist gifts represent the culture of a country? Why or why not?
If we wanted to represent our own idea of the 'real' Australia, what would we choose to stock an Aussie gift stall? Could we avoid being stereotypical or not?
Have students work in groups to brainstorm possible items and then select a final list (one per student). In their learning journals have them list their finalists with reasons why they were chosen and what they might contribute to a representation of Australian culture.

Students could represent their stall pictorially in some way, and create 'fact files' like those in this learning object, to describe the gifts on their stall. They may use the scripts from Carilah oleh-oleh if you think they need that support or create their own headings. (View the scripts in Word or PDF.)

In their learning journals or in discussion, have students consider:

What is culture? What is national identity and how do people develop their ideas about national identity? Consider Indonesia and Australia in your reflections.

Assessment for learning:

Assess the extent to which students:

• clearly explain their concept of 'culture' and 'national identity'
• analyse and understand the connections between culture, values and national identity
• give examples from both Indonesia and Australia
• justify their ideas.