ATSI Lecture 1
ATSI Lecture 1
ATSI Lecture 1
RMIT University acknowledges the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners of the land
on which the University stands. The University respectfully recognises Elders both past and present. RMIT also
acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of lands across Australia where it conducts its business, their Elders,
Ancestors, cultures and heritage.
Cultural protocols:
What are they and why do we need them?
Cultural protocols refer to principles and practices that guide the behaviour of a cultural group. For Aboriginal
people these protocols include historic and current customs, practices, traditional lore and codes that are part
of Aboriginal cultural observances. Protocols are present in all cultures and are an important part of ensuring
people interact and conduct their behaviour in an appropriate manner.
Question: What behaviour is acceptable in your culture, but not others?
Protocols
Protocols for welcoming visitors to country has always been part of Aboriginal culture.
Aboriginal tribes had designated boundaries separating the various groups. To enter another tribe, a
request had to be made for permission to enter. When permission was granted, the hosting group
would welcome the visitors and offer them safe passage.
Everyone we meet wants to and needs to be addressed correctly, properly and appropriately,
whether you are speaking directly to the person or speaking about a person.
Demonstrates respect and acknowledges the person.
Aboriginal Identity
Legal definition:
• A person who has Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent; who also
• Identifies as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person; and
• Is accepted as such by the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander community in which they live (or
come from).
Identity
Tribal/community identity is very important to the Aboriginal person. An individual will state the tribe they are
part of. If they are from the Stolen Generation, they will identify the institution or mission they grew up in.
Significance of Land
Land is more than a place to live for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
Land is:
A spiritual, physical, social and cultural connection for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Historical identity: their ancestors told stories of how to live with the land. Passed on their traditional
storytelling and artwork.
Law: the ancestral stories state how they must live to preserve the land.
Survival: they know the trees, plants, seeds, flowers, dirt and animals. This includes knowing how to
interact with the land to ensure survival.
Food: by only taking what they need, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders preserve the resources for
future generations.
Health: use of herbal medicines to cure illnesses.
Jobs: land management – lighting fires to create new undergrowth and trees.
Important: Remember this connection to land when discussing the stolen generation.
Flags
Aboriginal Flag
The Aboriginal flag is divided into 2 halves black and red. The black
stripe on the top half and red forms the bottom half. The sun sits in
the middle.
Meaning:
• Red represents the earth and the relationship to the land.
• Black represents The Aboriginal people.
• Yellow represents the sun as the giver of life.
Discussion
Questions:
Have you noticed the Aboriginal flag flying in many official buildings?
Why is it important that we have the Aboriginal flag and Torres Strait Islander Flags?
History
Class Discussion
Questions:
What do you know about the history and culture of Indigenous Australians?
Discuss your ideas and share them with a classmate.
What did you learn at school?
Why is there such an emphasis on knowing and understanding the past?
Pre-Western Settlement
Longest living culture
Before the arrival of the First Fleet and the introduction of Western Medicine, Aboriginal peoples
enjoyed better health in 1788 than most people living in Europe.
They did not suffer from smallpox, measles, influenza, tuberculosis, or venereal disease that were
common in 18th century Europe.
What is colonisation?
• Australia was colonised in 1788 by the British Government.
• Colonisation is the settlement by a group of people who seek to take
control of territories or countries illegally.
• The British never signed a treaty, leaving the Aboriginal culture exposed
to illegal and unlawful behaviour.
Historical Perspectives
• Between 1788 and 1900, the Aboriginal population was reduced by 90%.
During this time, saw the introduction of new diseases. The most significant and most detrimental
was the emergence of European diseases.
• Diseases such as chickenpox, smallpox, influenza and measles were common. These diseases were
infectious: They spread very quickly and killed many Aboriginal people, especially young children.
• In large Aboriginal communities, the diseases spread even more quickly.
• Another consequence of British settlement was the loss and access to land and water resources. The
settlers took the view that Aboriginal people, with a nomadic lifestyle, could easily be driven away
from their lands.
• By the 1870s, all the fertile areas of Australia had been taken from Aboriginal people and given to the
white settlers. The loss of land and other essential resources, such as food and water, posed great
danger to Aboriginal people who were left with no place to live and nowhere to hunt food.
• As a result, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ occupation of and unique connection with
the land was not recognised, and the British took the land without agreement or payment.
Effects of Colonisation
Denial of Status
• Aboriginal people took on various community roles. The status of each individual role was dependent
on gender, age and knowledge.
• This changed with colonisation and Aboriginal people were denied their status in society by the
colonising power.
Example: The role of women in society
Traditional Aboriginal society:
• Women in traditional Aboriginal culture were respected for their role as life givers.
They often carried out healing ceremonies and dances and told stories to carry on
social traditions. Women generally looked after children, cooked, and took on the
role of gatherers, collecting vegetables, eggs, shellfish, and small animals. In many
cases, they were the primary providers of food, since chances were great that men
who went hunting would be unsuccessful. Women also made hand tools and
clothing.
Western colonisation:
• The patriarchal society that Europeans brought to Australia diminished the
prominent role Aboriginal women traditionally held, and they began to lose rights as
they became second-class citizens even to Aboriginal men.
Poor Health
• With the introduction of tobacco and alcohol new diseases were introduced.
• Aboriginal people were suspicious of the new medical treatment proposed by the new settlers and
often they were denied proper care.
Loss of History and Knowledge
• Continuing the history and knowledge that had been passed down was disrupted and, in most cases,
completely lost, especially the practical application of this knowledge.
• Aboriginal people were not allowed to speak in their own language this had enormous implications
for the passing down of knowledge as Aboriginal history is verbal.
Loss of Economic Substantiality
• Due to the loss of land; and
• The removal of men and women from their own communities.
Loss of Spiritual Freedom and Identity
• Ceremonies, rituals and dance was prohibited, and Aboriginal people were forced to learn about
other religious beliefs – i.e. Christianity.
• Aboriginal cultural practices were seen as primitive and heathen.
• Were forced to live in missions that were considered civilized and follow
Christianity.
Forced Dependence and Introduction of Food
• Diet changed to include foods that were high in sugar, fats and carbohydrates.
• This lack of essential nutrients resulted in higher prevalence of health
deficiencies.
• The effects are seen today in the Aboriginal community with an increase of
diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Loss of Land and Control of Management of Land
• Aboriginal people managed the land in a sustainable way.
• They hunted for enough food needed for the tribe to survive, then moved on
from that part of the land. This strategy allowed for the land to be renewed and
restored over time.
• Land was stolen and the forcible removal of Aboriginal people from their own
land led to conflict, loss of environmental knowledge, and disruption of the
ecosystem.
Terra Nullius
• Although, Captain Cook observed that there were people on the Island, he did not seek consent for
the takeover.
• British Law became the law of the land. Consequently, all land automatically came within the
possession of the Crown.
• Historically, Australia is illegally referred to as ‘Terra Nullius’.
• Terra Nullius:
• Is a Latin term from Roman Law meaning “nobody’s land”.
• Is described under International Law as “a country or territory that nobody owns so
that the first nation to discover it is entitled to take it over, as “finders keepers”.
1788
If uninhabited land was discovered by the British it was declared “Terra Nullius” – land belonging to
no one.
Captain James Cook did this when he landed in Eastern Australia in 1770.
Captain Arthur Phillip accepted the idea in 1788
Terra Nullius meant:
No treaty had to be signed
Natives could not claim common law rights over their land
It legalised the steady dispossession over the next century
Apology
• On 13 February 2008, the then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologised to the ‘Stolen Generations’
acknowledging their suffering and grief.
Historical Perspectives
• Australia was colonised in the late 18th century and the Crown claimed unoccupied land.
• 200 years followed of Indigenous dispossession and dislocation.
• Laws and policies applicable to Indigenous Australians were racist and aimed at segregating,
assimilating and controlling.
• Non-human treatment in every aspect of life including family, organisation, employment, education,
recreation and religion were strictly government-controlled.
Continuing Impact…
This history has left its mark on Australian identity and attitudes towards the country’s traditional owners, as
well as the life chances of today’s Indigenous Australians.
Discussion
Many Aboriginal people have been acknowledged and have had a positive impact on society and have broken
the barriers and stereotypes of the Aboriginal person.
Activity:
Working in small groups, identify three Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait islander people that have made positive
changes in society? What positive changes have each of these individuals made?
David Unapion
• Made important contributions to science and literature,
and significant improvements in the conditions of
Aboriginal people.
• Lectured and wrote about Aboriginal legends and stories
• Amongst his many inventions - Developed a modified
headpiece for shearing
• In 1909 he patented an improved handpiece for sheep-
shearing.