Aboriginal and non-aboriginal people are un-intentionally separated by many means. One such example would be the way each use their land and how they manage it, and different land uses stem from different values and morals. The biggest difference is that aborigines think of their environment and its inhabitants no lower than themselves, they live with the environment, take care of it, preserving the balance of ecosystems. Non-aboriginal people, however, think less about everything else and are more centred on their own wellbeing, comfort, and wealth.
Non-aboriginal people live apart from the natural world, not in it. They take advantage of the available resources, thinking less about fellow humans and even less about the potential damage it may bring about. Science in their world evolves to fit the needs and comforts of their own lives, and so European science expanded in every direction which could exploit the physical world for personal wellbeing and health.
Humans, like every other living organism, needs energy to survive. This source of energy can be consumed in many ways, but ingesting food is the main way to stay alive. Since humans are at the top of the food chain, Europeans seem to have taken great advantage over this and has harmed the environment and its inhabitants greatly over thousands of years. The biggest misconception that many people think that it’s quite okay to use up all the coal in the world, that we won’t taking the toll anyway, or, it doesn’t matter about global warming, leave that up to the next generation to deal with. As a result of this, these older generations have made life a lot harder for generations to come, thinking that it’s not their problem by choosing to leave them for next generations t...
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...cs prompt individuals to co-operate with fellow members with their community.
As such, Europeans manage their land less thoughtfully than Aboriginals do, simply because they seek ultimate comfort and wellbeing. Europeans should remember that our environment should not be sacrificed for personal wellbeing on such a large scale as to the whole world. This is why some people think aborigines way of living is primitive, when in fact they have a very complex way of thinking, just a way where environment comes first, nature must be considered before any action on land development takes place. Humans can still live in peace and balance with the environment while not making any significant sacrifices in wellbeing and comfort. This is something we must take on board to ensure our world is maintained in a physically stable and healthy state for future generations to occupy.
The Aboriginal people of Australia were here thousands of years before European settlement and we forced them to adapt to the changes of environment around them. This change might be for better or worse, but we will never find out. But with the European settlement came the birth of industry, agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, manufacture, electricity, gas and water just to name a few.
In conclusion Non-Aboriginal Australia was and still is ethnocentric towards Aboriginal people. On the surface there have been many steps forward for Aboriginal rights but Non-Aboriginal Australia is still very reluctant to have Aboriginal people as part of their community.
Another issue which commonly affects the Aboriginal population, inhibiting the experience of good health, is culture clash which consistently lead to social exclusion and societal assimilation. Urquhart (2009) identifies social exclusion as the fourth of ten social determinants of health and is often a result of culture clash. It is very important to recognise that culture clash is a cultural issue which gives rise to certain discrepancies that highly influence Aboriginal health. These discrepancies are complex and interspersed factors such as ethnocentrism, segregation and oppression, which all result in the social exclusion and societal assimilation of Aboriginals. Ethnocentrism is described as the tendency to view one’s own culture as superior to all other cultures (Cooper, 2012). Crisp and Taylor (2008) endow that “All people are inclined towards ethnocentrism” and this was reiterated by the Storti (2012) who stated that “Not only is judging natural, it is essential to function effectively in society”. Although, whilst it is a common issue, ethnocentrism becomes a problem when it is exhibited by people whom hold a position of power and who also have the ability to overrule those with lesser power (Crisp & Taylor, 2008). Ethnocentrism is an important factor because it has the potential to develop into such social exclusions as segregation and oppression, especially when it is exhibited by people who hold such positions of power as community or Government leaders. Such was the case when the Aboriginal population began to raise at the beginning of the 20th century (Crisp & Taylor, 2008). The Government powers, influenced by ethnocentrism, developed the policy of segregation which ultimately impacted on many facets of Aborigina...
Many of the inequalities in the health of the Aboriginal people can be attributed to the
The issue of aboriginal people in Canada is not new. For a long time, it has been heatedly debated by academic scholars and by the general public as well. By no means does this issue have a straightforward solution to it. RCAP (Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples) is one of the institutions largely responsible for the aboriginal issue. Unfortunately, the problems RCAP faces are too intractable to settle in a relatively short time, due to which there are some unresolved problems intimately related with the life of aboriginal people awaiting to be dealt with soon in an effective and politically sound way. The complexity of the issue calls for more intellectual discussion beyond the scope of the immediate present aboriginal reality.
With the population of about 23 million, Australia stands as one of the most developed nations in the world. While a major proportion of the Australians are non-natives, Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders accounts for a much smaller proportion. According to Australian Bureau of Statics, they accounted for 729,048 in 2015. There are 32% of indigenous people living in major cities, 43% in regional areas and 25% in remote areas according to Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Although this is their native place, indigenous people still face social disadvantages, poor socioeconomic status, education, employment which leads to high rate of mortality and morbidity.
The period termed the “cultural transition” that happened soon after Aboriginal peoples made contact with the colonizers, was when they were initially stripped of their cultural authority and social power. Once Aboriginal peoples realized they had minimal control over the devastating events, they began to display behavioural patterns of helplessness and giving up (Wesley-Esquimaux & Smolewski, 2004). These behaviours of helplessness led to many of the Aboriginal peoples choosing to withdraw socially, reduce their cultural and spiritual activities, and engage in repetitive cycles of conflict. The continued acts of conflict in turn led to profound psychological problems (drug addiction, sexual abuse, alcoho...
Throughout this course, I have experienced many different forms of personal growth, but I would say the two major areas were open-mindedness and research skills. Before this course, I alway thought my lifestyle was the correct way to live because it seemed to work very well for me. However, after learning more about the Aboriginal way of life, I have become much more open-minded to other lifestyles and cultures. I no longer think of my lifestyle as being correct, but I recognize this lifestyle is fulfilling and best for me, while another culture or way of life can make someone else just as happy and be just as fulfilling for them. Therefore, I’ve grown to be more open minded and
In saying this, Aboriginal communities feel the need to be independent and seclude themselves from the rest of society as they proclaim and habituate on “their land” in the search for recognition and hierarchal treatment. Aboriginal peoples are constantly being stereotyped, ridiculed for their way of living, and essentially dismissed as human beings contributing to our society. These individuals get treated unfairly due to their upbringings and ways of living, leaving an unpleasant disconnect between Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals, still today, many years
The first Europeans to settle Australia treated the Aboriginals in a brutal, unfair manor. They downgraded Aboriginals to a lower status as human beings. They tried to force the Aboriginals to conform to the western way of life for more than 200 years. It is only fairly recently that the Aboriginals have finally been able to gain back some of their indigenous rights and traditions.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander refers to persons of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent, who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and are accepted as such by the community in which they live.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders were hunters and gatherers back to the time of the Dreaming. The concept of land ownership as it was not a part of their world view. The reason why, is because the land is the Aboriginal peoples ‘Mother’, who has supported and protected the people for many tens of thousands of years. To the indigenous peoples, arguing over who owns the land, was like two fleas arguing over who owns the kangaroo they were living on. The ‘Mother’ or land, was something that cannot be owned. If anything the ‘Mother’ owns the people, and the Aboriginal people are obligated to maintain the lands natural balance.
As Europeans colonized newly discovered parts of the world,—operations, which originated in 1492 C.E.— they quickly placed the natives into a slavelike system where they were forced to mine and work for the benefit of the colonists and their nations (Kagan, Ozment, and Turner 343-345). It has been since then that their lands have been invaded and claimed by the foreign inhabitants; hence, their economic situations in modern day are dramatically severe, due to a serious decline in a source for economic prosperity. Additionally, tourism, immigration, industrial development, and many other factors contribute to the disadvantages Aborigines face in their lives. As a result, indigenous peoples are often involved in criminal acts to accommodate for their low-wage payments, which barely suffice. Diseases thrive among the indigenous populations around the world as illnesses such as diabetes, tuberculosis, and maternal and infant mortality affect the majority of the communities, especially the women and children (“UN Report”). These situations have devastated many of the various indigenous cultures; consequently, numerous cultures and traditional practices cease to exist as a result of the unfortunate
Overpopulation can be seen as one of the key factors responsible for the state of our rapidly decaying earth. Developments in medicine, agriculture and technology have allowed for the human race to take over all other species and be excluded from the natural food chain. Humans, particularly westerners, lead lives of extreme consumption that take huge tolls not only on the earth but also on certain groups within society. A great division has developed between the western world and the third world.
...dearly-held, unconscious collective assumptions may impede our chances for survival. Or, as Poliakoff, et. al., noted, “fundamental changes in technology are adopted… only when they provide real advantage” (810). Are human beings inherently selfish, or are they capable of rising above that? Will we use this power we have developed to help ourselves, or to attempt to help the world? “Why can’t we achieve a better balance between people, resources, and the environment? … The complete answers to these questions lie deeply within the complex realms of science, philosophy, religion, economics, and politics.” (170). The answers may be complicated. The truth is, industrialization has changed our relationship to the environment. It has enabled us to hurt it far more than any other species, but it has also given us the ability to help. The power of choice now lies with us.