Why Do We Need Aboriginal Culture

It is known that the Indigenous culture of Australia is one of the oldest living cultural histories in the world. One reason in which the Aboriginal culture has survived so long is because of their ability to adapt and change over time while keeping their heritage, customs, habits and traditions alive. Over the past four decades, Aboriginal people have been living in remote and regional areas of Australia while being empowered by land rights and laws. The Indigenous have fought back in order to be able to declare back large areas of the inherited lands. It is said that today the Indigenous grounds covers over 20 percent of the continent. Aboriginal Country and Stories hold a very strong place to all Indigenous peoples. It signifies never ending
Aboriginal connection to the land has cultural significance and a role in the cultural, economic and spiritual wellbeing of an Aboriginal and it’s communities. The meaning of the land according to Indigenous people is not just soil and rocks, it is classified as the whole environment sustained by it’s people and culture. For Aboriginal Australians, the land is the center of all spirituality. As the earth developed so did Indigenous people, evolving and changing it as well as with it. A young Aboriginal child is taught to have relationships not only with people, but also with the environment such as the animals, plants, waters, spirits, skies, weather and the land. “Like a human mother the land gives us protection, enjoyment, and provides for our needs economic, social and religious. We have a human relationship with the land.” (Coombs & Dodson, 1994). Each group of families lives in a specific area that they own in relation to its own ancestral law. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, sea, land and spirituality are the core structure on which their culture and civilization has been constructed on. Land care, handling and management are vital for Aboriginal health