Australian Indigenous Worldviews

2833 Words12 Pages
One of the significant characteristics of Australian Indigenous worldviews is a specific relationship to land or ‘country’. Aboriginal people say, “The country needs its people. Healthy country means healthy people”. Discuss in relation to social and emotional wellbeing. The Australian Indigenous people have time and time again attempted to educate non-Indigenous Australians in relation to their connection with the land, but still many fail to fully understand the complexity and significance of this connection. To the Aboriginal people the land or country is life (Dodson & Ellwood, 1988), and evidence that their belief system is true. Pat Dodson (1996) asserts Our identity as human beings remains tied to our land, to our cultural practices,…show more content…
Furthermore, imperative to the wellbeing of the whole community is the relationship between land and people. Dodson and Ellwood in ‘Giant Jigsaw Puzzle’ (1988) explain that for the land to be healthy, it has to be cared for by its people, and for the people to be healthy, they need to be connected, protected and guided by the land. This essay will explore the statement “the country needs its people. Healthy country means healthy people” in relation to the social and emotional wellbeing of Indigenous…show more content…
Improving the health status of people has been an enduring challenge for governments in Australia. Although there have been a number of advances since the 1970"s in the areas of education attainment and participation in employment, on the whole, progress has been gradual and spasmodic. The inequality gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians remains wide with Indigenous Australians continuing to live disadvantaged lives (NATSIHC, 2004). A key area of concern is the current pattern of alcohol abuse amongst Indigenous Australians, and this can only be fully understood by looking at the historical context from which it transpired. Before the European colonisation, Indigenous Australians had very little exposure to alcohol, but from that time on, alcohol became easily accessible and was reportedly exploited as payment for manual work and sex with Indigenous Australians (Langton, 1993). Alcohol has now become a readily accessible drug of chose used to alleviate their pain. Pascal, Chikritzhs, &Gray (2009)

More about Australian Indigenous Worldviews

Open Document