Herbie Context

HERBIE * Herbie’s mum (Mrs Waranda) was to humble and afraid to hate the white kids who teased her and the white men who had put her oldest boy in jail on a false charge, and the white women who stared at her as though she was the filth of the nation. This shows that she didn’t belong to the white culture and she was a part of the minority group in the town. * “He was different and us kids don’t like anything different”- Davey Morne. The white people in the story don’t life different people- evidence of that is how Herbie is constantly bullied at school and how Aboriginals are treated in the community. * Kevin Andrews swearing and calling Herbie names- Davey Morne does the same. Kevin may have learnt from his family.

Possible Context Sentence based on this last example:

The narrator, Davey Morne, describes Herbie as an “Abo” and “boong”, racist terns that are also used by other white teenagers in the story, including Kevin Andrews. This demonstrates to the readers that beliefs and statements of those around us, which form part of our culture, can affect our own opinions and language. People are often influenced by culture without being aware of it. * Located evidence of individual behaviour * Located evidence of others’ similar behaviour or culture in the story * Made a link between the two to fashion an argument that “people are shaped by their culture”

In the text, Mrs Waranda was too scared to oppose the white people as she was a part of the minority group in the town. This was also the case as Herbie doesn’t speak up when the other kids bully him at school on a daily basis. This shows us that Herbie has been influenced by the culture around him to remain more reserved and to keep to himself. Herbie and Mrs Waranda did not strike back against the white people as they were influenced by their own culture, and starting a fight wasn’t always the right way to solve things. Every day at school, Herbie has been called many racism names such as ‘Abo’, ‘boong’ and ‘nigga’ by his fellow classmates. Other members of the Aboriginal community are also referred to in similar ways by the white people in the town. The white people in the town said: “Boong-man, boong-man; the Warandas are all boongs”. Through the opinions and behaviour of fellow peers and adults, people are influenced to think the same. This forms a part of our culture, and ultimately affects how we treat others. Also in the text “Herbie”, the white people in the town discriminated against the Aboriginal people as they were a different race, and couldn’t find a balance between the two cultures. The Aborigines lived differently to the whites, but the white people didn’t like people that were different, they didn’t want to accept the Aboriginal culture. This causes disputes between the Aboriginals and the white community, for example when the Morgans fight with the Warandas after Herbie was mistreated in school. This comes to show that two different cultures have troubles coexisting as their ways of living clashes with each other’s values and beliefs.

YOLNGU BOY

* Located evidence of individual behaviour * Located evidence of others’ similar behaviour or culture in the movie * Made a link between the two to fashion an argument that “people are shaped by their culture”

Evidence * The ceremonies when the boys were younger which * Botj turns his back on Aboriginal culture when he becomes addicted to sniffing petrol and smoking and stealing * Lorrpu and Milika are initiated into manhood by the ceremony held by the elders * The 3 boys free the crocodiles that have been captured * Botj becomes involved with white culture – jail * Lorrpu taking on traditional hunting and medicinal techniques when they are on their way to Darwin

The three main characters in the movie; Lorrpu, Milika and Botj set free some baby crocodiles that were captured by hunters. In Aboriginal culture, the crocodile man, Baru, looks over and protects the people in the tribe. Since Lorrpu, Milika and Botj all believe that the crocodile spirit is guarding and shielding them from danger, their actions reflect what they believe in from their culture. This demonstrates that the boys are all being influenced by their culture, in their thoughts, decisions and actions. Lorrpu and Milika were chosen to be initiated into manhood through a ceremony held by the elders. This ceremony is only held in the Aboriginal community when the tribal leader decides the boys are mature enough. Milika and Lorrpu change as they want to participate in the ceremony. They try to act more responsibly and learn more skills needed in life from the elders such as rope making. Both Lorrpu and Milika’s actions and thoughts are being influenced by their culture, which is evident after the ceremony. Milika, one of the main characters, aspires to become a football player or Essendon Football Club. Many Aboriginal boys also play football and their family comes and watches them play. Although football is not traditional to the Aboriginals, the Aboriginal community have taken up the sport. The boys have been influenced by the white Australian culture that surrounds them.

Poems * Located evidence of individual behaviour * Located evidence of others’ similar behaviour or culture in the poems * Made a link between the two to fashion an argument that “people are shaped by their culture”
Evidence:
* “How they fenced us in like sheep” * “Set us up on mission land. Taught us to read, to write and pray” * “We’ll give to them what you can’t give. Teach them how to really live” * “Told us what to do and say. Taught us all the white man’s ways.” * “As we grew up we felt alone. Cause we were acting white, yet feeling black.” * “Oh, we have been benefited; we have been lifted with new knowledge, a new world opened.” * “Suddenly caught up in white man ways, gladly and gratefully we accept.

In the poem “Civilisation” by Oodgeroo, it states that the Aboriginals were introduced to the white culture, and they found a way to make both traditional and white culture coexist. The Aboriginal people also accepted new ways of living such as using clocks, timetables, shoes etc. The poem says: “Oh, we have been benefited; we have been lifted with new knowledge, a new world opened.” This shows how the introduced white culture has played a major role in shaping how the native people of Australia live. Oodgeroo also discussed that although the Aboriginal people accepted the new way of life introduced by the white settlers; the Aborigines saw that the white men’s ways of living did not always bring happiness. The Aborigines adapted to a new way of living, being influenced by the totally new white culture. The poem “Took the Children Away” describes how the white culture dominated over the traditional Aboriginal culture. The white settlers forced the Aborigines to learn how to read, write and pray, gathering them on mission land. The Aborigines were introduced to a new culture that they had to accept. The Aborigines were affected by the white culture that surrounded them, as they were being forced to live by the white culture. In the same poem, Archie Roach discusses how Aboriginal children that were taken away to a mission land sometimes returned to their original culture. “Cause we were acting white yet feeling black. One sweet day all the children came back.” This demonstrates that even if you are separated from your original culture, you can eventually return to it, although the new culture imposed onto a person can never fully removed.