CULTURE
GOVERNMENT/ HISTORY
There are different views in concern to the subject of Australia’s culture and the relations to the government and history. Many claim that Australia’s blend of global influences-the cross-fertilisation of cultures by the dominant political powers of Great Britain, the United States, and emerging neighbours in Asia.
Others argue that separate and distinct Australian cultures have existed for a long time, as an example, Aborigines. Aboriginal cultures dating back thousands of years took many forms, with over 100 separate languages, and with widespread social networks making it necessary for Aboriginal people to be multilingual to communicate. A separate British-influenced Australian culture is also said to have existed since the mid-1800s.Commonly recognised examples of Australian culture include;
• Poets: Henry Lawson, Banjo Paterson, C.J. Dennis
• Authors: Miles Franklin, Mary Grant Bruce, Rolf Boldrewood
• Painters and artists: Arthur Streeton, Frederick McCubbin, Sidney Nolan
• Architecture: Federation style, Queenslander style
• Music: Waltzing Matilda, Slim Dusty, The Seekers
• Heroes and heroines: Ned Kelly, Don Bradman, the ANZACs
• Australian way of life: Bush barbeques, Australian Rules Football, Surf Lifesaving Clubs
• Cultural icons: Vegemite, Akubra hats, gold prospectors, shearers, swagmen
• Entertainers and Characters: Ginger Meggs, Paul Hogan, Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson (Barry Humphries), Mick Molloy
It could be argued that both of the above views are valid-that there are unique Aboriginal and Australian cultures and that Australia has ongoing cultural links with other countries that have a significant impact on Australia and the rest of the world. It could fu...
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• Also many sports have been taken from other countries at various times in Australia’s history eg. cricket from England
Types of Sport and Countries Australia is Linked with Through This Sport
• Cricket (originally English sport brought over with colonisation)- Indian Premier League(India as well as world class players from all over the world), Ashes (England), 20-20 Cricket (India, West Indies, Sri Lanka, South Africa)
• Tennis- Wimbledon( England), US Open, Roland Garros (French open), Australian Open, ATP Masters Series (all over the world)
• Swimming- World Championships, Pan Pacifics (Asia Pacific Regions), Many meets in countries such as Mexico, France, Italy, Serbia, Canada, China, South Africa, Sweden, Germany
• Rugby League- Tri Nations series (South Africa, New Zealand, Australia), Bledisloe Cup (New Zealand), World Cup (all around the world).
stage for the development of Australian cultural identity and the values, attitudes and beliefs of
Dr. Marcia Langton, an anthropologist from Australia of Australian Aborigines descent, spoke at the Berndt’s lecture in 2011. Her article, Anthropology, Politics and the Changing World of Aboriginal Australians, focuses primarily on the works of an anthropologist couple Robert and Catherine Berndt. They had completed many ethnographic studies in various areas around Australia. Langton states that their work has been crucial in order to have a complete understanding of the Australian Aborigines’ society. The indigenous Australian’s society has been thoroughly researched by many social sciences through the decades. Artworks, religion, rituals, economy, politics, and even claims of UFO sightings have been recorded by a multitude of scholars. It could be argued that the Australian Aborigines’ culture has been better documented than any other non-western society. I would like to capture the movement of Australian Aboriginal tradition to a more modern society by incorporating Dr.Langton’s works as well as the work of National Geographic Journalist, Michael Finkel. By researching the society as it is today in the 21st century, I will to analyze how they relate to Australians of European descent.
The contributions and achievements of Indigenous role models continue to make substantial impacts upon our history in areas such as the arts, sport, education, science and more increasingly; the world of Politics. Modern Australia is recognising and celebrating the achievements of Aboriginal people more than ever before, where the social landscape is changing (albeit slowly) as a result. The gradual change of peoples ingrained preconceptions, unfounded ideas and prejudiced notions are being challenged and ultimately transformed.
Maestro by Peter Goldsworthy provides an insight into 1960s/70s Australia and helps reinforce common conceptions about Australian culture. One common conception Goldsworthy reinforces in this text is Australia’s increasing acceptance of multiculturalism. Maestro, set in the 1960s to 1970s, shows Australians growing more accepting and tolerant of other cultures. This shift in perspective was occurring near the end of the White Australia/Assimilation Policy, which was phased out in the late 1970s/early 1980s. An example of this shifted perspective in Maestro is Paul’s father’s opinion about living in Darwin:
According to Keefe (1992:53) “Aboriginality is a complex social reality, only artificially explained by the abstract divisions of resistance and persistence’ and modern history demonstrates the connections between official education policies (or attitudes used by the dominant group) and key events in Aboriginal Australian history.
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.
In the nineteenth century, the “History wars” became the fight between the most prominent historians revolving around the deception of frontier conflict between the labor and coalition. The debate aroused from the different interpretations of the violence that took place during the European colonization and to what degree. It became a crisis in history, emerging from the dispossession of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (ATSI) that resulted in exclusion of their traditions and culture. The ATSI were the first people of Australia that brought along a different culture, language, kinship structures and a different way of life (Face the Facts, 2012). Post European colonization was a time where the ATSI people experienced disadvantage in the land they called home. With the paramount role as future educators, it demands proficient knowledge on the Australian history and one of the most influential moments in our history started from the first European settlers.
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).
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...
Australian indigenous culture is the world’s oldest surviving culture, dating back sixty-thousand years. Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders have been represented in a myriad of ways through various channels such as poetry, articles, and images, in both fiction and non-fiction. Over the years, they have been portrayed as inferior, oppressed, isolated, principled and admirable. Three such texts that portray them in these ways are poems Circles and Squares and Grade One Primary by Ali Cobby Eckermann, James Packer slams booing; joins three cheers for footballer and the accompanying visual text and Heywire article Family is the most important thing to an islander by Richard Barba. Even though the texts are different as ….. is/are …., while
Olympic Games: the Olympic Games leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games are considered the world’s foremost sports competition with than 200 nations participating. During this events, there were 26.5 million people worldwide who viewed in this year’s opening ceremony.
recognized as the most popular sport. They also play the most games which is a
In America, it all began in the industrial age, which brought long work weeks and boring jobs. The employees across the nation were in need of a break. Ever since the mid-nineteenth century, white American settlers began to participate in organized sports such as baseball, football, basketball, curling, and bowling. In as early as 1820, a game involving a bat, bases, and a ball was evolving in the
'The Australian Legend', in itself is an acurate portrayal and recount of one part of society, from a specific era, ie. the Australian bushman of the 1890s. Its exaggerations, however, such as the romanticism of the bush ethos by Australian writers, the unbalanced use of evidence, and the neglect to acknowledge the contribution to our national identity from certain sections of society, ie. aboriginal people, city-dwellers, women, and non-British immigrants, render this book to be flawed. For these reasons, it cannot be regarded as a complete and balanced account of Australian history.
(Commonwealth Games Australia, 2018) Finally the Confederation of Australian sport whose role is the development of society to which participation in sport is recognised in the country and valued through economic, social and health benefits. (Confederation of Australian Sport 2018)