This postcolonial idea is emphasised when the indigenous people are considered sub-human and among the wildlife (“Government of Western Australia, Fisheries, Forestry, wildlife and Aborigines”). This categorisation of the Aboriginal people by the British settlers highlights their inner belief that they are the superior race. In addition to this, the Europeans assumed that the Aboriginals were unclean and uncivilised human beings which is seen when Mr Neville states “I was a little concerned to see so many dirty little noses” and forces them out of their homes to Moore River as a result of a false scabies epidemic. The irony in this movement is that the majority of Aboriginals were healthy and, through the colonising power handed over to the settlers, they also reduced the rations of soap given to the Aboriginals. The first Australians were labelled savages, less than human, by the colonising British settlers who forcibly took over
Through this confrontation Noonuccal force them to discover the loss of land to the industrialisation which ultimately changes the moral toward the aboriginal community. This notion is elucidated through the quote “Hard bitumen around your feet”. The quote creates a juxtaposition of two distinct cultures through the use of personification of the “tree” and the diction of the words “hard bitumen and around”. The effort of personifying “the tree” allows us to see how much the indigenous Australians value their ethnic and culture while the diction of the word “Hard and around” metaphorically reveals the Aboriginal connection to the land as being lost and trapped inside the modernised world of the white Europeans. It is this juxtaposition of the two cultures that allows the responders to see the loss of indigenous bond to nature to industrialisation.
Aisha Reed Professor Navarette Sociology 10, 11 February 2013 Nacirema is American It is very difficult to think outside the box and let go of one’s cultural norms. It is very easy to point the finger in disgust and fall victim of ethnocentrism when it comes to an unfamiliar culture. The article Body Ritual among the Nacirema, by Horace Miner, brings to light a group of North American people, named Nacirema, that culture includes the obsession over rituals that are done to the human body. These rituals might seem different but try and take a culturally relative perspective and ask yourself, “Why?” Nacirema’s culture is highly developed and they are extremely committed to reaching economic goals. A substantial amount of money and time are spent on ritual deeds that are suppose to improve the appearance and health of the body.
Loos, Noel, Invasion and Resistance, Canberra, ANU Press, 1982. Nettheim, Garth, Victims of the Law: Black Queenslanders Today, Sydney, George Allen & Unwin, 1982. Mellor, David, Contemporary Racism in Australia: The Experiences of Aborigines; Deakin University, Australia Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Vol. 29, No. 4, 474-486 (2003) Tatz, Colin, Race Politics in Australia: Aborigines, Politics and Law, Armidale, University of New England Publishing Unit, 1979.
What are the key issues in achieving social justice for Aboriginal people in Australia? “There is a strong and inescapable link between social justice for Indigenous peoples and the goal of reconciliation between indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians” [1] Indigenous people struggle to achieve access and equity in Australian society and they lack both ideological and economic bases of power. This essay outlines the concept of social justice and explores the key issues and problems in achieving social justice for Aboriginal people in Australia. Through statistics it becomes clear the lack of social justice for the Indigenous people and the plight that they are suffering in contemporary society. These problems are then addressed through
They need to have some knowledge of such elements as the European arrival in the Americas and their rise to dominance, Aboriginal land rights, the stolen generation (residential schools), and the growing degradation of the environment. The story shows a different perspective than the usual one about the arrival of Europeans in the Americas. Some people are upset by the apparent truths in the story, others say they feel responsible for the losses suffered by the Aboriginal people, yet others (non-Aboriginals) feel they are being blamed for something they didn’t do and still others feel that overall, the settling of the Americas by Europeans was good for both Europeans and Aboriginal people. Clearly, this very short story raises a lot of issues. It’s great for use with an older, more aware group of
World War II (1939-1945) led Australians to fight for their rights and freedom, and whilst the wars overseas were coming to an end, Aboriginal Australians were still denied basic rights and freedom, yet living in their own country. Although there were government policies that expressed that all Australians must be viewed alike in their attitudes and customs, aboriginal people were still discriminated in all levels. They were expected to assimilate and blend in with the new 'White' Australia. It was very difficult for the aboriginal people to blend into the British community, the reason being that both aboriginals and the British had not much in common, including: Cultures, values, way of living etc. In the other hand, there were also discrimination
This text was extremely interesting and raised very important questions about Australia’s legal system by pointing out unfortunate faults. Sheehan has succeeded in bringing this issue to the public and displaying the unjust actions of the brothers and their persuasion of punishment. It leaves me angry and disappointed with our system and their inability to protect our own, but life is unjust it is unfair and hopefully we make it
He also wonders “how she’d fit in” which describes widespread belief that black people could not mingle with white society. The text has demonstrated clearly that race can be an obstacle on the road to acceptance. Although set in the 1950s, I feel that this story of the alienation of the Aborigines is still relevant today. It infuriates me that despite the freedom rides of 1965 where Aborigines protested for equal rights and
Some people dismiss the Apology to the Stolen Generations as a symbolic gesture saying that inequality of the life experience of Indigenous Australians needs to be addressed with practical policy measures. Discuss the concept of symbolic political and practical policy measures. Do the two approaches conflict or relate? “We the Parliament of Australia respectfully request that this apology be received in the spirit in which it is offered as part of the healing of the nation,” (Rudd 2008). Whilst the parliamentary apology to the Stolen Generations is undeniably a symbolic political measure, it is only through demonstrating genuine and unfettered remorse for the mistreatment the Aboriginal people have suffered that the Government can hope to improve the quality of indigenous life experience.