Aboriginal People Communication Essay

Over the past decades, Aboriginal people (the original people or indigenous occupants of a particular country), have been oppressed by the Canadian society and continue to live under racism resulting in gender/ class oppression. The history of Colonialism, and Capitalism has played a significant role in the construction and impact of how Aborignal people are treated and viewed presently in the Canadian society. The struggles, injustices, prejudice, and discrimination that have plagued Aboriginal peoples for more than three centuries are still grim realities today. The failures of Canada's racist policies toward Aboriginal peoples are reflected in the high levels of unemployment and poor education.

Indigenous Australians make up 2.6% of Australia's population; however they experience health and social problems resulting from alcohol use at a rate disproportionate to non-Indigenous Australians.

On the 13th February 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, offered an Apology to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People by way of a speech that he presented to the 42nd parliament of the Commonwealth. His speech outlined the past oppression of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who had to endure pain and suffering. Children were forcibly removed from their families.

Aboriginal people represent less than 3% of the total population in BC. Yet, they account for more than 9% of all suicides in BC (Chandler). The numbers of suicides amongst aboriginal youth are even more alarming – nearly one-fourth of all youth suicides in BC are committed by aboriginals and more than half of all aboriginal suicides are committed by youth (Chandler). The fact that indigenous communities in Canada have the highest rate of suicide of any culturally identifiable group in the world implies that these alarming statistics may not solely be a result of aboriginal communities belonging to a minority cultural group. I will attempt to build a speculative hypothesis behind the significantly high suicide rates amongst aboriginal

The role of elders in today’s society is to pass down cultural and spiritual information as well as make decisions for their communities and provide support to their families and communities. Elders are addressed as “aunty” and “uncle” as a sign of respect, however “Aunty” and “uncle” is not exclusively used to address elders. From my experience Elders of Aboriginal communities are quite different from elders of other communities for example to be known as an elder in an Aboriginal community is not entirely based on age, but rather long and dedicated service to the community. Aboriginal Elders also tend to have say over what happens within their communities and are often relied on by government agencies and bodies as sources of information

Over the past 230 years, Aboriginals have protested in many different ways to gain rights, which they believe they are deserving of. Through aims of what they wanted to achieve, the processes they went through brought them disappointment over the poor results of some actions and pleasure over the success of others. Over those years, very few periods of protest have been as revelational or effective as the protests occurring between 1938 and 1972. During this period many different groups of Aboriginals have fought for the common cause of being recognised as people rather than interferences caught in the midst of Australians expansion as a nation.

Through my life, I have seen several different approaches to Indigenous people’s rights and importance in Australia. I have been fortunate enough to visit Ayers Rock and undertake a tour which allowed me to see Aboriginal culture in art and drawings as well as hearing Dreamtime stories from guides. I have also witnessed family friends who have been severely racist and disrespectful of Indigenous heritage and history. I also was lucky to work with some Indigenous students who were in Reception during my Professional Experience 1, and I was able to see first-hand how a culture clash can affect a student’s behaviour. I feel that even before entering this course, I have had the privilege of being able to observe both positives and negatives

The Dreaming: Aboriginal spirituality relies on the dreaming to describe the "fundamental reality" of aboriginals past, present and future. Aboriginals concept of time was and is different to the modern western society. They believe the concept of dreaming began at the beginning of creation and repeats through every generation- "the dreaming began at the dawn of time, remains bound up in the present, and will endure forever." As the dreaming is still present today in Aboriginal spirituality, it shows how the dreaming connecting adherents to their law, customs, spirituality through the paradigms of song, dance, art and rituals. For example, The 'Be' story that comes from the Dalabon country explains the connection between animals and humans

The ‘colonisation' of Australia by Europeans has caused a lot of problem for the local Aborigines. It drastically reduced their population, damaged ancient family ties, and removed thousands of Aboriginal people from the land they had lived on for centuries. In many cases, the loss of land can mean more than just physical displacement. Because land is so much connected to history and spirituality, the loss of it can lead to a loss of identity. This paper will examine the works of Tim Rowse and Jeremy Beckett as well as other symbols of identity that are available to modern Aborigines in post colonial Australia.

Speeches are an iconic and widely used means of expression for our political leaders, particularly when discussing issues of importance such as Indigenous Australia. Paul Keating’s ‘Redfern Speech’ and Kevin Rudd’s ‘Apology to Australia’s Indigenous Peoples’ are the two political speeches which I will be analysing in this paper.

Introduction Aboriginal people have been historically disadvantaged within society especially when it comes to the Canadian justice system. Derrick Bell, is known for originating critical race theory. Although an American based theory, it can also be applied to Canadian society due to similar situations. Theories are important in understanding the way society functions and ways in which society can be bettered.

Inequality, specifically income inequality is all over the world and affects the most disadvantaged people. This paper will argue that gender, level of education, location and Aboriginal identity are the causes of the income inequality that exists among Aboriginal men and women in Canada. Gender is a big factor in income inequality, because the hierarchy that is subliminally created in society plays a big role in “Aboriginal/non-Aboriginal relations” (Gerber 122). Education is also a main issue because they cannot make enough money with the high level of education they possess (McDonald and Wilson 3). Knowing this, Aboriginal identity relates to gender and education because certain Aboriginal groups are affected more than the other. Lastly, location affects income because if there are no good jobs around a certain geographical area, then the income an individual earns will be lower. The theoretical lens that I will use to analyze this social problem is an Intersectional lens, because it will demonstrate how these factors are interconnected on many levels and that these cannot be examined by itself. Income inequality in itself is an important issue because we live in a world where so many opportunities are available and it is a shame that individuals who work just as hard do not receive the same rewards. I believe that income inequality is ignored in western society, and is especially ignored in the case of Aboriginal women.

The Aboriginals also known as the Indigenous people are the first people’s inhabitants of mainland Australia (WIKIPEDIA). Historically, Aboriginals enjoyed better health before any invasions from non-Indigenous peoples. They didn’t suffer from any major illnesses though they did have other type of health issues, but their life was happier and content. Everything started to change after 1788 when non-Indigenous people introduced illnesses where the mortality rate of Aboriginals population started to increase, and this affected their life and the community (http://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/health-facts/overviews/the-context-of-indigenous-health). There are various factors that contribute to the poor health status of Indigenous people, and this is part of the social determinants of health which should been seen in a broader context (1)(2). Factors such as employment, income, stress, gender, education, behavioral aspects, working and living conditions, social networks and support, are interrelated and complex, and are part of the social

I believe it isn’t fair for the Aboriginal tribe to have their right to kill the western spiky-tailed possum just because of their culture. As the possum has already previously been a critically threatened species and has had hard work put towards bring them back, it would be unfair to allow aborigines have the right to hunt them. There are many other species that are not protected that they can hunt for the purpose of bringing back their culture and for food.

Understanding how Aboriginal people communicate. Being silent is very important in their culture. We must understand that when they are being silent, it if a form of prayer or connection and not a sign of rudeness. Another communication strategy is when Aboriginal people take a break from everyday communication. This is just their way of reflecting and getting back in tune with themselves. It is not something we need to be offended by. Understanding that the Aborigines are just trying to catch up and that they may need assistance and a helping hand to understand and catch up to the Western world, which was forced upon them