Living in this country for more then 60,000 years, Australia’s aborigines are the oldest continuous culture on earth. They follow traditions of ceremony, music, song, performance and dance, which date back over thousands of years and have created enduring works of art, worshipping the land and the mysterious ancestral beings that created it. The purpose of this research task is to take an in depth look at their musical traditions, covering the aspects from instrumentation to the history which shaped the culture, and beliefs which influenced the spiritualistic music. Like many religions, Aboriginal religion is characterized by having a god or gods who created the environment and people through a certain creation period marking the beginning …show more content…
Thought to have had the longest continuous cultural history on earth, the traditional aboriginal people of the land faced near extinction of the their culture and identity when European settlers arrived in the late 1700’s. Officially founded in the late 18th century by the first British settlement, Australia is the sixth largest country in the world located in the southern part of the Pacific Ocean. It has been home to the traditional inhabitants of the land for thousands of years, with scientific research continually changing the ancient history that lies within the …show more content…
The European world tarnished and diminished aboriginal culture, with aboriginals today trying to regain an understanding of their cultural identity. The most notable being the ‘stolen generation’. The stolen generation was the removal of aboriginal children from their original families, to be brought up in institutions or fostered to white families. Although this became official government policy in 1969, the early days of European settlement saw the likes of the same policies as well as children being used as servants, guides and farm laborers. A statement of regret was passed in 1999 however the damage had already being done with a high number of depression and mental illness within the community. Former high court judge, Ronald Wilson said that ‘”Children were removed because the Aboriginal race was seen as an embarrassment to white Australia. The aim was to strip the children of their Aboriginality, and accustom them to live in a white Australia. The tragedy was compounded when the children, as they grew up, encountered the racism which shaped the policy, and found themselves rejected by the very society for which they were being prepared” (National sorry day website) For thousands of years aboriginals have constantly adapted and co-evolved to sustain life in the harsh Australian environment. One of the most important aspects of understanding
The Australian Aborigines society is relatively well known in Western society. They have been portrayed accurately and inaccurately in media and film. Dr. Langton has attempted to disprove common myths about the infamous Australian society, as has her predecessors, the Berndt’s, and National Geographic author, Michael Finkel; I will attempt to do the same.
What is the connection between official education policies and key events in Aboriginal Australian history? How have Aboriginal people responded to these policies?
Australia is a very unique place, along with our multiculturalism there is also a strong heritage surrounding us. At first thought of Australian heritage we think about such landmarks as Uluru, The Sydney harbour bridge and The Sydney opera house, The Great Barrier reef and other internationally recognised places. But our heritage goes much deeper than that; it is far more than outstanding icons. Along with these icons there are also unsung places like the old cattle stations, Aboriginal missions, migrant hostels, War memorials, our unique wetlands and the towns and cities we have built. Adding all of these things together, helps to tell the story of who we are and how we have shaped this land in the unique identity it has today.
ties that Aboriginal people have with the land. Thus insuring that The Dreaming is not separated from the physical world or hinged on the past, but existent in the present. It is not only believed that the Ancestral beings gave Aboriginals their physical surroundings but were also responsible for establishing the social and cultural patterns to be emulated. Demonstrating human qualities the Ancestor Spirits established the Aboriginal way of life. including kinship systems, customs and moral lessons represented by both good and bad behaviour.
Reynolds, H. (1990). With The White People: The crucial role of Aborigines in the exploration and development of Australia. Australia: Penguin Books
The indigenous Australian culture is one of the world’s oldest living cultures. Despite the negligence and the misunderstanding from the Europeans, Aboriginals were able to keep their culture alive by passing their knowledge by arts, rituals, performances and stories from one generation to another. Each tribe has its own language and way of using certain tools; however the sharing of knowledge with other tribes helps them survive with a bit easier with the usage of efficient yet primitive tools which helps a culture stay alive. Speaking and teaching the language as well as the protection of sacred sites and objects helps the culture stay...
The Stolen Generation has left devastating impacts upon the Aboriginal culture and heritage, Australian history and the presence of equality experienced today. The ‘Stolen Generation’ refers to the children of Aboriginal descent being forcefully abducted by government officials of Australia and placed within institutions and catholic orphanages, being forced to assimilate into ‘white society’. These dehumanising acts placed these stolen children to experience desecration of culture, loss of identity and the extinction of their race. The destructive consequences that followed were effects of corruption including attempted suicide, depression and drug and alcohol abuse. The indigenous peoples affected by this have endured solitude for many years, this has only been expressed to the public recently and a proper apology has been issued, for the years of ignorance to the implementation of destruction of culture. The Stolen Generation has dramatically shaped Australian history and culture.
“Today we honour the Indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in human History. We reflect on their past mistreatment. We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were Stolen Generations—this blemished chapter in our nation’s history. The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia’s history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future. We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians” (apology by Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, 16th November 2009, Parliament House, Canberra.)
The Stolen Generations refers to the forcible removal of Aboriginal, mostly those who were not full blooded taken between the 1830’s and the 1970’s. They were removed due to their mixed heritage, consisting of Indigenous mothers and European fathers. The Stolen Generations have had a damaging effect on the native owners of Australia, their culture, their identity and most importantly, their sense of belonging,
Watson, I 2002, Looking at you looking at me: Aboriginal culture and the history of the South-east of South Australia, vol. 1, Nairne, South Australia.
Australia’s Indigenous people are thought to have reached the continent between 60 000 and 80 000 years ago. Over the thousands of years since then, a complex customary legal system have developed, strongly linked to the notion of kinship and based on oral tradition. The indigenous people were not seen as have a political culture or system for law. They were denied the access to basic human right e.g., the right to land ownership. Their cultural values of indigenous people became lost. They lost their traditional lifestyle and became disconnected socially. This means that they were unable to pass down their heritage and also were disconnected from the new occupants of the land.
• Amnesty International: Australia- governments dismissal of UN criticism undermines hard earned credibility in human rights diplomacy.
The Stolen Generation is seen as a grave chapter in our countries history and in Aboriginal History. Stolen Generation didn’t come to light until the 1960s and early 1970s with public shock and anger. The rights of Aboriginal peoples during this point were increasingly low as many were forced to live on reserves or missions and their children were taken at a young age. The rights of the stolen generation were somewhat better than their previous generation as they had a right to have a good job, health care and have and raise children as their parents had none of these rights. The assimilation program was a way to turn these Aboriginal children and essential “turn them white”; this can be seen as a violation of human rights and international law. The Aboriginals had virtually no rights when it came to starting a family and the stolen generation was used to show Australia the atrocities that have been happening in this country for two hundred year...
The Stolen Generations was a time period roughly between 1910 and 1970, in which countless Indigenous Australian children were forcibly removed from their families and homes under the implementation of government policies. Thus, many have been separated from their origins, and have sought to understand their identity, despite their estranged relationship with their Aboriginal history. The struggle to understand one’s Aboriginal identity has been one of the most prominent results of Australia’s colonial history, especially as the Australian government at the time, primarily deemed Aboriginality to be defined
The colonisation of Australia occurred throughout 1788-1990. During this time, Great Britain discovered Australia and decided that it would become a new British colony (“Australian History: Colonisation 17-88-1990”, 2014.). It was decided that convicts would be sent to Australia and used for labour to build the new colony. There are many health determinants that are effecting the health of Indigenous Australians including; poor living conditions, risk behaviours and low socioeconomic status. Many of these determinants have an effect on the Indigenous Australians due to the colonisation of Australia.