5.4 Premise, methodology and project development of this Native Title Project (a) Methodology This Report follows the Wiyi Yani U Thangani project in elevating the voices of First Nations women in a specific policy and legislative area that is often viewed as male-dominated.51 This native title project complements and builds upon Wiyi Yani U Thangani in one particular, very technical and complex area of our lives that no other Australians experience. In order to present a holistic picture of the native title system as it plays out in real life for First Nations people – that is, to view it from a person-centred perspective – we designed the project around narrative-based inquiry and storytelling. This Report had similar methodological principles as Wiyi Yani U Thangani – valuing storytelling and prioritising a gendered lens. We approached it with the same commitment to deep listening. The data that informed this Report includes: ƒ existing publications, media reports, case law ƒ informal conversations with personal and professional contacts in native title ƒ a survey of First Nations women with extensive involvement in the native title system ƒ written submissions by women with extensive involvement in the native title system ƒ women’s views expressed in a group format at the 2021 AIATSIS Summit Indigenous women‑only workshop, which I hosted �� in‑depth ‘interviews’ with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who have had extensive involvement in the native title system. From my own experience in the native title system and my team’s human rights‑based research background in the native title system, we were able to interpret initial desk-based research and use that to design an iterative process, with each step informing the next. 1. We conducted desktop research and spoke with existing professional and personal contacts in the native title space. 2. We then invited First Nations women with experience in native title to tell us their experiences and opinions through a survey. This survey collected some limited quantitative data, but also steered the next stage through the development of a guided submission form. 3. We designed a guided submission form and accepted submissions in that form and any other format through which women with experience in the native title system wished to contribute. Submissions were specifically sought from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, in addition to other individuals and organisations, with expertise and experience in the native title system. These submissions offered an opportunity for respondents to tell their stories in greater detail. 4. The third consultation forum was at the AIATSIS Summit in 2021, at which my team and I facilitated a First Nations women‑only workshop on experiences of the native title system. This provided us with the unique opportunity to listen to women’s views and experiences, not simply in isolation, but as a collective and collaborative voice. 5. The final phase of this committed listening process was the in‑depth, semi-structured and unstructured interviews of First Nations women with extensive experience in native title. Their stories are at the centre of this Report. 34 Women in Native Title: Native Title Report 2024