Colonization Effects On Aboriginal People
Language
The impact of colonisation, government policies, and stereotypes about Aboriginality means that certain aspects of Aboriginal culture his been lost or significantly altered. Disconnection from cultural aspects hampered the identity of many Aboriginal people; one of these aspects being language. (Clark, 2000). Language carries cultural knowledge, so the loss of a language means the loss of culture, of Aboriginal people’s connection to their ancestors. This loss has the potential to impact on Aboriginal people’s health and well-being. The First Australians collectively spoke some 600-700 different dialects from at least 250 language groupings (Bourke, 1993). Many Aboriginal languages were lost because up until the 1970s, in an attempt to end Aboriginal culture, government policies banned and …show more content…
Sometimes Aboriginal parents also thought that their language would hold their kids back, so they wouldn’t use it; this resulted in many languages ceasing due to limited exposure through newer generations.
Place and Land
‘When people are removed from home environment they are not simply relocated but dislocated and that this has real and significant consequences for one’s identity, health and wellbeing (Garvey, 2007)’. Place plays a vital role in developing and maintaining the self and group identity of people. Before colonisation, the relationship between Aboriginal people and the land underpinned all other aspects of life for Indigenous people (Garvey, 2007). Today, the relationship with the land remains fundamental to the identity and way of life of many Aboriginal people. Non-Indigenous people and land owners usually consider land as something they own, a commodity to be bought and sold. For many Indigenous people, land is the centre of all aspects of existence - culture, spirituality,
The impact of colonisation, government policies, and stereotypes about Aboriginality means that certain aspects of Aboriginal culture his been lost or significantly altered. Disconnection from cultural aspects hampered the identity of many Aboriginal people; one of these aspects being language. (Clark, 2000). Language carries cultural knowledge, so the loss of a language means the loss of culture, of Aboriginal people’s connection to their ancestors. This loss has the potential to impact on Aboriginal people’s health and well-being. The First Australians collectively spoke some 600-700 different dialects from at least 250 language groupings (Bourke, 1993). Many Aboriginal languages were lost because up until the 1970s, in an attempt to end Aboriginal culture, government policies banned and …show more content…
Sometimes Aboriginal parents also thought that their language would hold their kids back, so they wouldn’t use it; this resulted in many languages ceasing due to limited exposure through newer generations.
Place and Land
‘When people are removed from home environment they are not simply relocated but dislocated and that this has real and significant consequences for one’s identity, health and wellbeing (Garvey, 2007)’. Place plays a vital role in developing and maintaining the self and group identity of people. Before colonisation, the relationship between Aboriginal people and the land underpinned all other aspects of life for Indigenous people (Garvey, 2007). Today, the relationship with the land remains fundamental to the identity and way of life of many Aboriginal people. Non-Indigenous people and land owners usually consider land as something they own, a commodity to be bought and sold. For many Indigenous people, land is the centre of all aspects of existence - culture, spirituality,