Today, the Indigenous people of Australia speak less than 20 languages. The exact number of Indigenous languages throughout the 60,000 years they are said to of inhabit Australia is unknown, but it was thought when the colonists arrived, there were over 250 different languages. In more recent times, 100 of these languages have become unspoken, and the rest are all highly endangered. Most of these languages are not considered as ‘dead’ or ‘extinct’, even though they no longer have any living speakers. These languages are better referred to as ‘sleeping’ or ‘dormant’ languages in Aboriginal societies. “Without intervention, Indigenous language knowledge will cease to exist in Australia in the next 10 to 30 years”. – Tom Calma, Aboriginal and …show more content…
With Australia being announced Terra Nullius (‘land without owners’) the Indigenous people were referred to as squatters – even through this was their own tribal land. In many cases when land was to be developed for farming, the Aboriginal’s were moved away and sent to settlements. The history of forced resettlement on reserves, the placing of many thousands of children in institutions, and the loss of land and culture were evident disadvantages. Even without forcible removal, the people still had little but no choice but to go to the ‘big cities’, rural centers or pastoral stations. The coming together of different Aboriginal tribes (all of whom had different languages and customs) in settlements and missions created new tensions. The availability of Western medical skills, education and technology increased degree of contact. Television, satellite communication, alcohol, government payments were also the reason of many people moving off of their native land. This must have been a devastating effect, as the Aboriginal people were entwined with the land, and they all believed that their very being depended on the land. As they moved away from the land, the Dreamtime stories and ways of living that had been passed down verbally through generations had become …show more content…
Over the past several decades, many linguistic experts and descendants of speakers have been putting in their hard efforts to revive the linguistic heritage of Indigenous Australian’s. Reviving languages in Aboriginal communities can also lower suicide rates and improve mental health. Research into the Indigenous people of Australia has showed links between loss of language with self-loathing and higher rates of
Jeff Lambert also explains the European attitudes towards Aboriginal and Torres islander sovereignty. Jeff Lambert states Europeans perceived Torres Islanders and Aboriginals as ‘inferior’ (Lambert 2012. pg.12). Lambert (2012. pg13) suggests that “There were some who asserted that terra nullius implied that unoccupied land was not the only meaning of the phrase and that it could also be interpreted as an absence of civilised society.”. The principle of terra nullius means no-man’s land, therefore after the Governor Bourke Proclamation Aboriginals had no legal ownership of land.
Wigglesworth, G., Simpson, J., Loakes, D. (2011). NAPLAN language assessments for Indigenous children in remote communities: Issues and problems. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, 34(3), 320-343.
Bourke, E and Edwards, B. 1994. Aboriginal Australia. St Lucia, Queensland: University of Queensland Press.
...nt of impact upon Aboriginal family life in relation to lost cultural links and family members roles, there is evidence to suggest that the policy of assimilation, thus the removal of children had a far longer lasting affect. The assimilation policies not only contributed to the separation of families and whole communities, but also affected both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples and is the result of many inter-generational problems among Aboriginals, such as parenting, thus overall has had a greater impact on Aboriginal family life.
This essay will discuss the Aboriginal Education policies in Victoria and Federally and how these policies impacted upon the children of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. This essay will further analyse the impact these past policies had on the Aboriginal and Torres strait Islanders’ families and children’s education and how current policies were put in place to assist indigenous students’ access to education. Further to this an analysis of how teachers can implement these changes in the curriculum and classroom.
To begin with, once the policy of assimilation came into effect, Aboriginals were subject to a new environment, resulting in the loss of their culture. It is due to this, that the rates of suicide for First Na...
Ancient Aboriginals were the first people to set foot on the Australian continent, over 40,000 years or more before Colonization (Eckermann, 2010). They survived by hunting and gathering their food, worshipping the land to protect its resources, and ensuring their survival. The aboriginal community had adapted to the environment, building a strong framework of social, cultural, and spiritual beliefs (Eckermann, 2010).
In 1788 when the European settlers “colonised” Australia, the Australian land was known as “terra nullius” which means “land belonging to no-one”. This decision set the stage for the problems and disadvantages faced by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for 216 years. The protection policy was meant to disperse tribes and force Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people off their traditional land so the “white Australian’s” could have more control. The protection policy enforced by the British colonies drove the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander onto reserves.
The importance of the acknowledgement between land, language and Aboriginal identity (NSW BOS 2003, p.6) can be seen through past historical events and present Government policies. Keeffe (1992) suggests belonging to the land and possessing cultural traits unifies the Aboriginal people on a whole, language being a major factor in maintaining their cultural identity. Keeffe (1992) found that Aboriginal language is treasured, due to the opinion it was stolen but in a variety of ways identified as being both examples of persistence and resistance, was reclaimed. Language is symbolic of the hardship and strength of the Aboriginal people and culture. The inclusion of AE, within the context of learning languages, improves mental functions due to the concentration on systems and patterns found in linguistics. Therefore AE, with justification on numerous accounts, has been included in government and education policies and programming such as the creation of the AETP (NSW DET 2008) and Working with Aboriginal communities’ consultation and protocol document (NSW BOS
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...
Within Australia, beginning from approximately the time of European settlement to late 1969, the Aboriginal population of Australia experienced the detrimental effects of the stolen generation. A majority of the abducted children were ’half-castes’, in which they had one white parent and the other of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent. Following the government policies, the European police and government continued the assimilation of Aboriginal children into ‘white’ society. Oblivious to the destruction and devastation they were causing, the British had believed that they were doing this for “their [Aborigines] own good”, that they were “protecting” them as their families and culture were deemed unfit to raise them. These beliefs caused ...
The assimilation policy was a policy that existed between the 1940’s and the 1970’s, and replaced that of protectionism. Its purpose was to have all persons of aboriginal blood and mixed blood living like ‘white’ Australians, this established practice of removing Aboriginal children (generally half-bloods) from their homes was to bring them up without their culture, and they were encouraged to forget their aboriginal heritage. Children were placed in institutions where they could be 'trained' to take their place in white society. During the time of assimilation Aboriginal people were to be educated for full citizenship, and have access to public education, housing and services. However, most commonly aboriginal people did not receive equal rights and opportunities, for example, their wages were usually less than that paid to the white workers and they often did not receive recognition for the roles they played in the defence of Australia and their contribution to the cattle industry. It wasn’t until the early 1960’s that expendi...
In order to understand the impact of colonisation on Aboriginal health; it is important to recognize their worldview or set of beliefs on health (Tilburt, 2010). They practice a “holistic” approach unlike the Western Biomedical model where health is centred on biological functioning (Lock, 2007). According to this model the essence of being healthy relies on the mental, spiritual and social well-being rather than the absence of an illness (Hampton & Toombs, 2013). It is closely linked to spiritual and environmental factors; the heart of which is country, tradition and kinship. Land is a source of identity and spirituality for indigenous people (Hampton & Toombs, 2013). Kinship manages connection to land as well as ceremonial obligations and interpersonal relationships (Hampton & Toombs, 2013). For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders a healthy person consists of physical and spiritual elements. It’s evident that colonisation eroded the structures upon which Indige...
Another impact of the Stolen Generations was that they were unable to establish their genealogy and this was a great hindrance to them being able to establish any Land Rights claim. Central to Aboriginal spirituality is their ‘Country’ also known as the land to which they belong or ‘Mother Earth’. Because all cultural links had been broken, there was no connection to their ‘country’ at all.
...s a way of coping with bad memories and changes in culture (Reser, 1991). Many Indigenous are still being affected by the events which unfolded long ago. Alcohol is consumed by many who are known to have mental disorders. Depression is a major issue within the aboriginal population with many suffering with factors like grief, shame, worry, homesickness, and anger due to the colonization and the way it has changed their everyday life, culture and environment (Reser).