...Indigenous Australian Cultures The Dreaming The Dreaming is the essence of understanding for Indigenous Australians, deeply rooted in the land and all it encompasses; people, flora, fauna and so on. “The Dreaming mythology provides Aboriginal people with answers to the great universal religious questions of humankind- concerning the origin, meaning, purpose and destiny of life” (Clark, 2003, p. 16). Constructions within the Dreaming are as varied as there are language groups, demonstrated in the varying name ascribed to the Dreaming itself, “Ngarinyin people in the north-west of Western Australia refer to it as Ungud, the Aranda of Central Australia as Aldjerinya, the Pitjantjaljara of north-west South Australia as Tjukurpa, the Yolngu of north-east Arnhem Land as Wongar, while in the Broome region it is referred to as Bugari.” (Edwards, 1998, p. 79). (McKay, McLeod, Jones, & Barker, 2001) identify up to twenty or more lessons can be conveyed in one story, including; customs, animal behaviour, land maps, hunting and gathering skills, cultural norms, moral behaviours and survival skills. For example; ‘Alinga the Lizard Man’, a story from Uluru in the Northern Territory, explains the use of the boomerang; or ‘Pikuw, the Crocodile’, from the Cape York Area of Northern Queensland conveys the offence of extra-marital affairs. The Dreaming is as much about informing the history of Creation as it is informing the structure for life itself. “The Dreaming ancestors provided...
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...Indigenous Australian Cultures The Dreaming The Dreaming is a time before now, long ago, where spirits that lay dormant under the flat desolate plains of the earth's crust, rose up and took the form of humans and animals. These spirits then roamed the earth performing tasks such as hunting, fighting, building and grazing. Through their roaming and tasks they created and became the current formations, animals, stars, humans and things around us that we see in our world today (Bourke, Bourke & Edwards, 1998). This idea leads the Aboriginals to believe they are tethered to everything in existence. For the Aboriginal groups to gain a further knowledge on what happened during "The Dreaming" Goddard & Wierzbicka (2015) state the Aboriginals must rely on the dreams of the elders. No dream can be changed. Groups of Aboriginals all over Australia speak a different languages. Stories record that this is because the spirits they descend from appointed them their current dialect, meaning every group comes from a certain part of Australia and has their own stories about The Dreaming spirits they descend from that is spoken in their tongue (Bourke, Bourke & Edwards, 1998). Over all, The Dreaming at it's very core is the foundation that the Aboriginals draw upon to create law and rules to abide by, kinships which will determine things like what land you own, obligations, friends and so on, along with giving cultural value and a belief system to Aboriginal groups across Australia...
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...E. Social Organization. 1. Group behavior: Australians practice numerous behaviors that are perceived to be polite. These behaviors are being punctual to events, maintain eye contact during a meeting/conversation, bring gift to the host of the party, pay for things only when it is your turn, and do not liter in public places, etc. 2. Social Classes: Just like any other country, Australia has three social classes: Upper class, middle class, and lower class. The upper class is composed of the top 5 – 10 % of the wealthiest; the middle class consists of people who have nonmanual jobs, professional jobs such as doctors, accountants, bankers, etc. The lower class is regarded as people who have low paying manual jobs. 3. Clubs, other organizations: Australia is home to ample amounts of humanitarian organizations, especially non-government organizations (NGOs). These organizations include, but not limited to, Amnesty International, Australian Red Cross, Defense for Children International, International Women's Development Agency, Salvation Army, Brotherhood of Saint Lawrence, and Care Australia. NGOs provide need-based community service, promote change in the government, and create solutions to specific needs. 4. Race, ethnicity, and subcultures: Australia is home to many race, ethnicity, and subcultures. Though more than 90 percent of Australians are of predominantly European (white) ancestry, 6 percent of the population are Asians, and 2 percent is indigenous—Aborigines...
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...The Australian Aborigines are an adapting society, a culture built upon a great migration from South East Asia to the quiet continent to call their own. Most scientists, based on artifacts and carbon dating, believe that the Aborigines were probably coastal people, having to adapt as land of continent was altered over time by sea level movements, volcanoes and by climatic changes. Thus for over 2000 generations, the Aborigines continually changed and perfected their hunter-gatherer lifestyle by having to adapt to new food supplies and climates, making the necessary technological and cultural changes. All Aboriginal groups were semi-nomadic hunters and gatherers which implied that every tribe searched for sustenance over its own particular characterized domain. There were various tribes around Australia, all imparting the...
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...article from The Australian in relation to assimilation and Australian culture. Rintoul (2012) reported in the article that there was support from leaders of multiple faiths in Victoria to install prayer rooms in Australian Rules Football (AFL) venues. However, a former Victorian premier (Jeff Kennett) was against the move, positioning Muslim culture at odds with Australian culture and identity, deeming it incompatible with an iconic part of ‘traditional’ Australian culture. Therefore, this newspaper article may raise the question of whether migrants or Australians of faiths other than Christianity, particularly Muslims, are still expected to assimilate into a “traditional” Australian culture. This is...
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...Australia is a continent with a rich history and incredible diversity. It has been home to one of the most ancient populations of people, rather appropriately known as the Aborigines, or “first ones.” These people lived in harmony with the land, resourcefully adapting to and drawing sustenance from the arid landscape. The isolated nature of the continent allowed the Aborigines to thrive, undisturbed, for tens of thousands of years, but the limited contact with outsiders left them unprepared for the arrival of European settlers that first appeared in the 19th century. Unfortunately, the Aboriginal culture and nomadic lifestyle was thoroughly misunderstood by the Europeans. The ensuing European colonization had a profoundly negative effect on the Aboriginal population of Australia, nearly destroying their culture and almost eradicating the entire native population. It is believed that during the last ice age, some 50,000-60,000 years ago, the sea level was much lower with a large portion of the Earth’s water tied up in glacial ice. A land bridge existed between Australia, New Guinea and the continent of Asia that provided a means of ground transportation for ancient travelers. This land bridge was subsequently submerged when the climate warmed, isolating Australia’s inhabitants. This is the one of the leading theories for the means by which Aborigines came to the oceanic continent (Grabowski 27). The Aborigines were a hunter-gatherer population that learned to live in...
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...has Australian culture become Americanised and what are the different influences? Today’s Australian culture has been slowly over the last few decades become more and more Americanised in its ways. Australian culture has been influenced repeatedly by the American culture, which has seeped its way into Australia as the world has become smaller because of advantages in technology. Australia has been influenced greatly by the Media, language and sport, which America offers to people in Australia. The three main areas of media in Australia are literature music and television. All three of these areas have slowly been Americanised since after World War Two ended. With travel becoming more common and easier during the 20th century...
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...loss confidence of their future behavior; the change of laws may limit its expansion; and the unethical employment may lead to social issue in the long term. The phone-hacking scandal of one of the News Corporation subsidiaries- News of the World reflects the whole entire business. One of Murdoch’s former top executive said Murdoch invented and established this culture in the newsroom, where you do whatever it takes to get the story, take no prisoners, destroy the competition, and the end will justify the means. As being Australian arm of News Corporation, News Limited tends to be suspected that they share the same underlying value and belief as all the other subsidiaries of Murdoch’s media empire, which drives them to behave similarly. Professor Rolph, from faculty of Law at University of Sydney, said even though there is no evidence that this conduct has occurred in Australia, what mostly like to occur is an enforceable act to privacy as a result. People will defend the news that is sourced unethically. However, the Former chairman and CEO of News Ltd, John Hartigan said, the culture in News Limited is so different from that in UK. People refer a lot of the media as “red tops’ in the UK. They are very aggressive newspaper; they are very sensational,...
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...Summary Leigh Dayton argues about the risk of using cannabis in her article “Dope Head” which was published in The Weekend Australia on November 5-6, 2005. She states that cannabis leads to an increased risk of mental health problems and provides some research and evidence to proof her points of view. First, the author supports her argument by referring two academic experts’ opinions to blame cannabis. Second, the author outlines some research findings which support more evidence and concludes that regular cannabis use may increase risks of psychosis. Moreover, she states out another finding that cannabis can be used to relieve distress. Third, the author notes that young brains have higher potential being damaged from cannabis and the age at which people start to use cannabis is decreasing. According to a professional journal provides by the author, the cannabis is stronger than before. Next, the author demonstrates the reason why young brains are particularly at risk. She states that is because adolescent brains are still growing and they are subject to extensive internal change. Also, she refers an expert’s research to support that reason. At the end, she outlines more findings that drug and alcohol use affects growing brains, especially parts of the brain at the front of the skull are particularly affected. Further, the author states some possible reasons that why dope smoking may impair the formation of healthy wiring in brain. Last, the author gives...
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...Australia - a Land for Men 2 3. Women in Australia 2 3.1 The “Bush-Woman“ in “The Drover‘s Wife“ 2 3.2 The role of Australian Women 2 3.3 Australian Feminism 2 4.Conclusion 2 5.Bibliography 3 6. Declaration of Authenticity 1. Introduction “[...] she fought a bad bullock that besieged the house for a day“ (Lawson 6). This would probably be a challenge for a man not for a woman. But in Henry Lawson‘s point of view this and fighting snakes and diseases are things women in the Australian bush are capable of doing as presented in The Drover‘s Wife. Henry Lawson (1867-1922) is the finest author and poet in Australia's colonial period and had a big focus on the Australian bush and life. He is famous for his works such as The Drover‘s Wife which got first published 1892 in The Bulletin - an Australian magazine of great importance. In his short story The Drover‘s Wife Lawson presents a mother with her children in a dangerous living situation in the Australian bush, “Lawson‘s story created the archetype of the pioneer bush-woman, a heroic mother left on her own by the drover husband, resigned to her fate, battling against the elements and winning“ (Carrera-Suarez, 140). Lawson, who lived in the Australian-Bush himself is able to judge which attributes are important to survive in it and so created the image of the drover‘s wife. His view of women...
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...AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINALS Dana Weaver Ant101 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology Prof. Steven Sager Sept 2, 2012 In this paper, I will explain in detail how the kinship system works with the Australian Aboriginals. I will also explain how this system relates to how the live and interact in their society. I also want to compare their kinship system with ours here in America. The Aboriginals culture is a very complex and diverse culture. The Indigenous cultures of Australia are the oldest living culture in the world. “They go back at 50,000 years. ( http://australia.gov.au) They survived that long because of their ability to adapt to their environment and change over time. The Aboriginals are divided into small groups called clans. The clan’s usually had a common ancestor and they all considered themselves related.”(Australian.gov.au) Members of tribes distinguished themselves from each other through their dialects.” There were probably about 600 tribes within Australia in 1788, when the first Europeans arrived.” (indigenousaustralia.info)Tribes that spoke closely related dialects often grouped themselves together under the term of being a nation. “Australian Aboriginal kinship is the system of law governing social interaction, particularly marriage, in traditional Australian Aboriginal culture.”( wikipedia.org ) It is an integral part of the culture of every Aboriginal group across Australia. “The system of kinship put everybody in a specific relationship...
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...Assessment 2: “Culture influences an individual’s perception of illness and health.” 1000 wrds There are many definitions for 'culture' with the anthropologist Sir Edward Tylor (1871) cited by Ravalico (2006) defining it to mean 'that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom and any other capabilities and habits acquired by a member of society.' Culture also influences how one perceives their health and the idea of what it means to have ‘good health.’ One community group whose culture strongly impacts on individual’s perception of illness and health is the Australian Aboriginal community. Aboriginal Australians have a shorter life expectancy than others (ABS 2008, Shaouli et al 2011) which threatens Aboriginal culture as ‘elders’are the transmitters of Aboriginal culture. Aboriginal people experience worse health and more disease with the latter being three times more than that for the total Australian population (NATSIS 2008 cited by ABS 2008). Culture is one of the many social determinants of health and affects health (Carson, Dunbar, Chenhall and Bailie, 2007). Some indigenous people are fatalistic about their health (Thackrah and Scott 2011) although most can access medical help when needed providing they trusted their medical practitioners (ABS 2008, DATSIPD 2009). Other obstacles include language, lack of public transport and telecommunications (Shaouli et al 2011). Therefore, the impact of culture on individuals’ health is crucial to...
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...cruel nature of colonisation, its impact on Aboriginals and how this colonial mentality is perpetuated through discrimination to the Indigenous Australian disadvantage. It states why the policy introduced by the government does not sound promising, what the Aboriginals wants and human rights implications in the issues facing the Aboriginals. Definition of belonging Belonging is the connection and relationship of individual with the world around him/her. (Jacques Dufresne….) Even though belonging has physical components, it can be felt individually, and develops to diverse stages with time and circumstances. This means that human state of belonging is not permanent. The status of belonging can be explicated by the choices that people make. The concept of belonging Analysing and reviewing sense of belonging I approached it by applying to my own being-that I belong to a family, my mother and fatherland, an ethnic/cultural group, a religious, professional and community groups. Within these groups I have forged good relations. The thrives that keep this profound affiliation going for me is the values we share, that include honesty, caring, sharing, participation, inclusion and respect. (The individual sense of belonging may differ and have the potential to fade away with time and experience. ) Ashanti family and culture In Ghana where I come from we have different tribes. Each tribe has it’s own cultural way of doing things that generate their sense of belonging...
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...Strait Islander people and how the effects can be seen today. This paper aims to discuss how the assimilation policy and forced separation of Indigenous children from their families and culture has affected the mental health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. A significant undertone of the assimilation policy is racial discrimination (Haebich 2001), which is an additional theme explored in this discussion. Racial discrimination is built on a belief of superiority that one race is better than the other (Khalafzai 2009, p.10), which is relevant to the actions of the assimilation policy; the Aboriginal culture was devalued and considered barbaric and inappropriate to the modern colonist nation (Haebich 2001). Victims of the forced separation suffered severe psychological consequences (Petchkovsky et al. 2004), which to this day, haunt and affect the lives of many Indigenous Australians (Koolmatrie & Williams 2000). Furthermore, remnants of the past are still seen present time, through the discriminating treatment of Indigenous Australians, adversely impacting on their health, mentally and physically (Khalafzai 2009, pp.10-11). The forced removal of Aboriginal children from their families derived from an underlying racist judgment that Aboriginal culture was ‘inappropriate’ to the colonial attitude (Haebich 2001, pp.75-76). Aboriginal families were denigrated and deemed to be ‘bad environments’, neglecting the children’s welfare and teaching...
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...The Australian legal system has not given the first land owners fair and just human rights but recently Indigenous Australian customary laws have started to be acknowledged. When the British Empire colonised Australia, the sovereignty of Native Australians were not recognised (Mabo v Queensland [1992]). Along with land rights, their right to hunt and fish have also been restricted which could account for the overrepresentation of Indigenous Australians in prison. “[Their] right to pursue a traditional lifestyle, a right recognised by the Commission’s Term of Reference, [which] implies a right to use the land to forage and gather food for consumption,” (Recognition of Aboriginal Customary Laws, 1986) has been overlooked. Aboriginal Australians...
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