Aboriginals in Australia
ANTH1150 - THE ABORIGINAL PEOPLE OF AUSTRALIA
The Aboriginal people of Australia have been an ostracized ethnic group throughout their native land since being discovered by the English Captain James Cook on April 23 1770, which marked a dramatic turning point for the last significant land mass to be colonized by European settlers. The development of the Aborigines class status, welfare and rights have gradually evolved to a somewhat humane level over the past four decades, significant government amendments have been made to counteract what was a very ‘Un-Australian’ (Rudd. K, 2008) perception of its indigenous peoples. However the struggle of the Australian Aborigine in 21st century Australia is still riddled with prejudice and problems. In what follows a detailed analysis will describe the nature of what it means to be an Aboriginal in Australian society today and how that came to be. As well as exploring foreseeable outcomes for the future in terms of status, welfare, existence, recognition and possible impact and influence as a struggling indigenous community in it’s multicultural homeland.
To fully comprehend the problems deeply imbedded in today’s Australian Aboriginal culture, an understanding of their history is needed. Prior to white settlers discovering Australia, the countless indigenous tribes, spread all over the land with very minimal communication (each tribe had a very unique and different language) between one another were a very spiritual collective as a whole. The Aboriginal ‘Dreamtime’ is a homage to the ancestors who had previously occupied the land mixed with religious beliefs, a very sacred and varying set of rituals, stories, dances and paintings relevant geographically and culturally to each tribe still exists, however they are relatively mute in influencing the rest of Australian society. Most tribes abstained from any type of intoxicating drugs with the exception of alcohol in the form of fermented coconut in the far North of
The Aboriginal people of Australia have been an ostracized ethnic group throughout their native land since being discovered by the English Captain James Cook on April 23 1770, which marked a dramatic turning point for the last significant land mass to be colonized by European settlers. The development of the Aborigines class status, welfare and rights have gradually evolved to a somewhat humane level over the past four decades, significant government amendments have been made to counteract what was a very ‘Un-Australian’ (Rudd. K, 2008) perception of its indigenous peoples. However the struggle of the Australian Aborigine in 21st century Australia is still riddled with prejudice and problems. In what follows a detailed analysis will describe the nature of what it means to be an Aboriginal in Australian society today and how that came to be. As well as exploring foreseeable outcomes for the future in terms of status, welfare, existence, recognition and possible impact and influence as a struggling indigenous community in it’s multicultural homeland.
To fully comprehend the problems deeply imbedded in today’s Australian Aboriginal culture, an understanding of their history is needed. Prior to white settlers discovering Australia, the countless indigenous tribes, spread all over the land with very minimal communication (each tribe had a very unique and different language) between one another were a very spiritual collective as a whole. The Aboriginal ‘Dreamtime’ is a homage to the ancestors who had previously occupied the land mixed with religious beliefs, a very sacred and varying set of rituals, stories, dances and paintings relevant geographically and culturally to each tribe still exists, however they are relatively mute in influencing the rest of Australian society. Most tribes abstained from any type of intoxicating drugs with the exception of alcohol in the form of fermented coconut in the far North of
Bibliography: * Rudd, Kevin, Apology speech, government house, 2008 (http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/full-transcript-of-pms-speech/story-e6frg6nf-1111115543192) * * ABS, 2006. (Australian Bureau of Statistics) http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Products/59E53A47E670098FCA25762A001CB92A? * Noyce, Phillip * Manne, Robert (2001). "In Denial: The Stolen Generation and the Right."Australian Quarterly Essay 1 * http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/nothing-to-say-sorry-for-howard/2008/03/11/1205125911444.html * ABS, 2011 - http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/2075.0main+features32011 * http://travel.ninemsn.com/domesticinsiders/alicespringsandaround/682225/alice-springs-and-around-where-not-to-go * ‘people like us’ waleed aly. 2007, revised for Monash University. * UNEMPLOYMENT ABS 2006 http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/cashome.nsf/4a256353001af3ed4b2562bb00121564/3fa8ec177831c470ca25758b001232d2!OpenDocument * The Indigenous Education (Targeted Assistance) Act Annual Report, 2009