New Media Influence in Indegenous Communities

Country is precious, vital, and considered home to Aboriginals. To them, country is family, as they often describe it as if shares similar human characteristics. They care for country as they would to their brother or sister, and hold a certain responsibility to nurture country as it provides a sustained, well-nourished life. Each community member plays a role in the protection of country. Every member embraces a different, unique skills and when combined offer a greater life for everyone. Country is key to learning the essential hunting and gathering skills to live, feed and thrive off the land which is embedded in Indigenous culture.

The implications for remote indigenous communities with the rise of the Internet and the digital divide.

There is recurrent tension between the maintenance of Indigenous culture and essentially assimilating to the rules and regulations of the predominantly white society in Australia (Dockrey, 2010). Australia’s Aboriginal culture represented the oldest surviving culture in the world (Aboriginal culture, 2017). The traditions include having at least 270 different language groups and 500 dialects in the indigenous community (Shareourpride.org.au, n.d). The vast amount of languages and dialects were present to represent the intellect of Indigenous Australians. Language is a strong aspect of Indigenous culture as it connects and influences many Indigenous tribes as it is their form of communication. The environment also connects aboriginal people spiritually to their land and provides them with a sense of identity (Jackson 1999). Although there were many different groups and clans in the past, the tribes fighting over the land was a rare occurrence (Treatyrepublic.net 1996). This showcases the connection and respect they exhibited for the land and maintaining structure was their main priority. Additionally common law was a way that Indigenous Australians could preserve the ecosystem and cultural integrity, through their spiritual and emotional connection with the land (Langton 1996, p.10). However due to the colonization, there was less formal acknowledgement for Indigenous

This Assessment will be my personal reflection and analysis of contemporary issues raised for post-colonial Indigenous Australians through two programs on the National Indigenous Television station (NITV), Living Black and NITV News. I will reflect on how these issues have impacted on the relationships between Indigenous Australians and non-Indigenous Australians, and how Indigenous culture impacts 21st century Australia. Through this I will also consider my own feelings and opinions on how these issues are raised and considered.

I have not had a lot of experience with the Aboriginal culture apart from viewing Welcome to Country ceremonies at community events and listening to Acknowledgment of Country within school assemblies and events spoken by non-Indigenous people. I have visited many significant landmarks and historical areas relating to the Aboriginal culture within my area but hope that this critical reflection journal will help me to develop a greater understanding, awareness and knowledge of the first and traditional custodians of the country in which I now live. This journal will analyse the topics of: Acknowledgement to Country, Introduction to the unit and Preparation to teach; Identity culture and stereotypes; and, Indigenous Australian Histories and Policy and how these may impact on my pedagogy and future

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

As a future educator, it will be my job to continue acknowledging, valuing and teaching Indigenous origins, histories and cultures using the Australian Institute for Teaching and School (AITSL) standard 2.4 and the Australian Curriculum. This will give my future students a better understanding that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were the first custodians of our Australian land and of their origins. They lived in Australia 60,000 years before the British settled in 1788. I will teach an Australian historical time line prior to 1788.

Aboriginal spirituality is a celebration of connectedness. The relationships which the Indigenous people form with their environment reflects that their spirituality is far more complex than a religion, rather, it is an identity. For theses ancient people there is no separation between the people, flora and fauna, and the land (Korff, What is Aboriginal Spirituality?, 2017). All of these elements are profoundly connected through song, dance, sacred stories and art, which are the pillars of Aboriginal spirituality. These traditions also allow the Indigenous people to connect with and understand the earth, therefor understanding ancestor spirits who are ever present within the land. Ancestors may have come to rest within specific land forms (Australian Museum, 2015). These connections create an inextricable relationship with the land; not only in a spiritual sense, but also as a way of understanding one’s history. “The land is our food, our culture, our spirit and identity” (Korff, What is Aboriginal Spirituality?, 2017). This report will explore the connection between Indigenous spirituality, land rights, European settlement and the impact colonisation had on the Australian Aboriginal peoples.

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 ‘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.

Noel Pearson’s speech ‘an Australian history for us all’ discusses his approach to trying to solve some of the most systemic problems facing Australian Aboriginals today. The speakers are successful in understanding the ideas and values of the speech. Through the uses of various language techniques and context, Pearson’s speech details the struggles of the relationship between the first European settlers and Aboriginal Australians.

The construction of Aboriginality in Australia has been achieved through a variety of processes, in various places and at various levels of society, giving rise to a complex interaction between the constructions. At the local level, the most striking line of tension may seem to lie between what Aboriginal people say about themselves and what others say about them. But crosscutting this is another field of tension between the ideas of Aboriginality (and non-Aboriginality) that people of all kinds construct and reproduce for themselves, and the constructions produced at the national level by the state in its various manifestations, the mass media, science, the arts and so on (Beckett, 1988).

R. Anthony Kugler defines globalization as “the ways in which technology and trade are making the world a smaller, more interconnected place than it used to be, and to the economic and social changes that are occurring as a result.” (Kugler, 2006). While this widespread ideals of speed and efficiency work in dominant, “first world” cultures, minority cultures and indigenous peoples often suffer from its results. It isn’t uncommon for indigenous cultures to be stripped of their traditions in the name of “development.” Because of this, the struggles these native peoples face often lead to a decrease in overall happiness and wellbeing. In order to improve the conditions these indigenous peoples face, action must be taken by dominant Western cultures to preserve and protect minority cultures and identities.

The media has always focused on the natural landscape, the beauty of aboriginal land that the people are almost seen as just an object. Aboriginals, being the real owner of the land are not seen as what they are, but considered as non-national or as they call,

Indigenous people have been oppressed since colonization in the 1500’s, which resulted in the Indian Act of 1876 and Residential Schools, that lasted many generations. As a result, this created negative outcomes such as sexual assault and psychological abuse, leading to substance abuse, mental health, and suicide problems. The Canadian government’s, overall goal, was to Westernize Indigenous people in different parts of Canada. Due to this, Aboriginal people feel disconnected, deprived, lost and traumatized. As well as, being stripped out of their identities, with the lasting effects of inter-generational trauma passed to generations, with its present effects on the 21st century. As Frideres (2008) stated, “the new generation of Aboriginal people has grown up without assigned roles or groups that anchor Aboriginality so that identity can no longer be granted.” Many of them feel that in order for true healing to start the identity catastrophe must be settled first. This has brought me to wonder if the creation of social media has helped revive the Indigenous identity (Frideres, 2008). Through social media’s present effects and strength in this current day and age, social media has given marginalized groups a voice to be heard, allowing Indigenous people to use social media towards their advantage. The main question of my research is how does social media affect the Indigenous Identity? More specifically, the paper will focus on the research question, has social