Case Study: Torres Strait Islanders

Describe and explain Australian Indigenous people’s historical and contemporary connections to land and sea and the resources derived from them. How have settler discourses associated with colonization affected these connections to country?

Archibald Meston 1851-1924 – newspaper editor/writer – lived with aboriginal communities and learnt their languages and customs. Rascist – exotic others – although he wants good for indigenous peoples. The architect of the aboriginals protection and prohibition of the sale of opium act 1897 qld. Right to remove aboriginal peoples to reserves. In effect till 1970’s. employment, wages, - clear guidelines.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have faced disadvantages in various areas, particularly housing. The disadvantages these people face now are the result of policies introduced by the European settlers, then the government. The policies introduced were protection, assimilation, integration and self-determination. It is hard to understand the housing disadvantages faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people if their history is not known.

Aboriginal Studies and Torres Strait Islander Studies include histories, cultures, values, beliefs, languages, lifestyles and roles of Aboriginal societies or Torres Strait Islander societies before and after invasion. This study of Torres Strait Islander people and Aboriginal people presents an accurate history of Australia.

The majority of Torres Strait Islanders live in Queensland, including the Torres Strait Islands (64%), with 15% living in New South Wales and 6% in Victoria.

Hence, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander spirituality is defined as at the core of their being and identity Grant (cited in Muller, 2014). It originates from the deep sense of belonging to one’s country, and it gives meaning to all aspects of life, including relationship with one another (Poroch et al., 2009). Country “refers to everything, including land, air, water, stories of ‘dreaming’, being dynamic and multilayer, forming rules, norms and beliefs of existence between species and humans and ancestral beliefs” (Kingsley Townsend, Hender-Wilson & Bolam, p.683). Past policies and colonisation have displacement many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People from the connection to their country, language, culture, communities which has created social and health inequalities Gee et al (cited in Dudgeon et al, 2014). In addition has caused significant distress, powerless, integrational grief and trauma for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People to this day (Kingsley et al., 2013). Therefore the service delivery should aim to incorporate a holistic approach in addressing social-emotional wellbeing, as it knowledge’s the psychological distress impacted by colonisation (AIHW, 2009). Also, it addresses the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People meaning of health by providing services for social, emotional, spirituality and physical (NACCHO, 2016). Thus by providing a

One of the great untold truths of Australian history has been the courageous contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to the Australian Defence Force. For decades this contribution was unacknowledged and their sacrifices were unmentioned at official ceremonies.” Alistair Nicholson, Reconciliation Australia (2014).

Introduction of new temptations into Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people’s lives such as alcohol, drugs, processed foods or un-natural to their culture, technology (more in the 20th century plus), clustered living environments, un-organization (within the community, family), money and greed

the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students as the original custodians of this land. Some of the key issues which need to be considered when working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, are the impact of their culture and their identity, and to ensure that they are given equal opportunities to the other students.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a long and rich history in Australia. In the community in which I live, and hopefully will be working, many programs and events have been set up to support, encourage and maintain the qualities and efforts of the original owners of this land. Browsing through the council website, I was able to find information relating to the Aboriginal people who once lived in the western parts of Melbourne, they were the ‘Yalukit Wilum, a name meaning 'river camp' or 'river dwellers'.’ The council has provided links to a book written about their lives which details their cultural practices, their religious beliefs, their customs, key events in their calendar and other important information.

Indigenous Australian and Torres Strait Island cultures have the oldest living history in the world. They trace back at least 50,000 years and some argue closer to 65,000 years. Events, policies and attitudes of the past have impacted this rich and diverse culture. Through progressive movements and other agencies of social, cultural and political change, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have been inspired by hope for change to respond to challenges in ways that promote wellbeing, with varying degrees of success.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, language and culture are part of who we are as Australians. It is important for me as a pre-service teacher to be aware of how my personal background, experiences and ideas about identity will influence my teaching philosophy to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. My ability to understand the cultural identities of all students in my class is necessary for addressing their individual needs. We all bring our own perspectives and ways of seeing the world into the classroom. The following journal entries make up my reflective journey into understanding my own cultural capacity.

An indigenous person is a term used to describe the original inhabitants of a land, the people who were there before any settlers of a different land came and took over. Indigenous people will have generally retained their cultural practices and traditions that will differ greatly from that of the settlers. The term ‘Indigenous person’ is used to describe Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. (Australian Human Rights Commission, n.d.)

We split up the article into parts and divided the sections equally so that we each covered a different main point during the presentation. I spoke about the role of ecological calendars in traditional ecological knowledge. These calendars help us identity the crossovers from indigenous ecological knowledge and western findings or beliefs. Ecological calendars created by Aboriginal people played a role beyond just organizing biological knowledge- they formed a belief system that was relevant to customary livelihood, culture, and spirituality.

Not only is the massive array of species recognised as special, the opportunities that the marine park offer to get into the water with the marine wonderland and its inhabitants are one of the reasons that Ningaloo has gained such considerable attention. People can swim with whale sharks, watch whales and see turtles laying eggs, then the eggs hatching. The people who live, venture and experience Ningaloo Marine Park recognise the value, beauty and rarity of the location and continue to research and preserve the reef. In contrast to tourism, the local aboriginal people have been living on the land for the last 35,000 years and hold the earliest know records of marine resource use in