When refugee Elias Elias found out how Indigenous Australians were victims of genocide two centuries ago he understood the magnitude of the violence, as a survivor of ethnic cleansing.
In August 2014, militants from the terrorist group Islamic State surrounded the Sinjar mountains in northern Iraq for weeks systematically killing and kidnapping about 10,000 Ezidis.
People from the small religious minority were subjected to unspeakable atrocities, with women and girls as young as nine raped and sold into sexual slavery.
Mr Elias was one of the lucky ones who escaped with his family on the first day of the attack that horrified the world.
They lived as refugees in a squalid camp on the Iraqi-Turkish border for four years.
"I now know that what happened to Indigenous people is the same that what happened to us when ISIS attacked us," the 33-year-old told AAP.
"It was very difficult in the camp, it was very hot during summer and really cold in winter but I'm glad to be here and feel very safe in Australia now."
Now working in the refugee services sector, Mr Elias says welcome to country cultural protocols by local Aboriginal elders give a sense of safety to new Ezidi families.
Mr Elias resettled in Armidale in regional NSW five years ago, where hundreds of Ezidis families have laid down roots, and received his Australian citizenship last week.
He took part in a four-year research project with Settlement Services International and Western Sydney University into the refugee resettlement journey with the latest exploring how refugees understood Indigenous issues.
Led by Gadigal researcher Madison Shakespeare, the workshops recruited 44 refugee participants in regional and metropolitan NSW, Victoria and Queensland over five weeks, followed by online focus groups.
The report published on Monday found that knowledge of Indigenous history and its survival over thousands of years can imbue refugees and their children with a sense of safety to continue their own cultural traditions.
It also noted that both refugees and Indigenous people experiences were often characterised as "deficient, singular and sensationalised".
Even when these narratives are positive, they are typically framed through the lens of a heroic individual, ignoring the systemic and structural forces of communities that make individual success possible.
The study also found that most participants had little knowledge of the next month's voice referendum and seemed more interested in cultural practices and meeting with Aboriginal people rather than discussing political issues.
13YARN 13 92 76
Aboriginal Counselling Services 0410 539 905
