Torres Strait Islander People

The indigenous cultures of Australia are one of the oldest living cultures in the world. Indigenous groups across Australia have many oral stories about their past, which form part of a great tradition of knowledge. These stories explain the Aboriginal genesis in a different parts of the country and reveal the shaping of a formless land by great ancestors. Aboriginal people of Australia have suffered through many crises, when the British colonised Australia in 1788. Many Aboriginal people from different cultures died at hands of British colonial. There were not a lot of Aboriginal people in Australia in 19th century. Mostly, they inhabit in NSW, Queensland and Victoria. There are many cultures in NSW, one of the oldest culture in Sydney is the Darug, they are the traditional owners of Western and south Western areas of Sydney. The Darug nation is large in size and boasts many clans of Darug people. One of the clans called the Cabrogal. Cabramatta takes its name from the Cabrogal band of the Darug-speaking people that lived around Liverpool and Fairfield when the British first came to Australia.

To begin with, a clarification must be made. Although for the purposes of this assessment I will be using the term Indigenous Australians, it is not the most appropriate term to be using, as the technical definition of indigenous is ‘originating or occurring naturally in a particular place; native’ (‘Indigenous’, 1987). The more correct term would be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.

As health professionals, we must look beyond individual attributes of Indigenous Australians to gain a greater understanding and a possible explanation of why there are such high rates of ill health issues such as alcoholism, depression, abuse, shorter life expectancy and higher prevalence of diseases including diabetes, heart disease and obesity in our indigenous population. Looking at just the individual aspects and the biomedical health model, we don’t get the context of Aboriginal health. This is why we need to explore in further detail what events could have created such inequities in Aboriginal health. Other details that we should consider are the historical and cultural factors such as, ‘terra nullius’, dispossession and social

The introduction to the western/European way of living, loss of ancestral land, intolerance and the economic disadvantages that Indigenous Australians suffer fuels socially related conditions within their communities such as substance abuse, violence, increased degrees of infectious diseases and chronic diseases etc. culminating in higher mortality rates than non-Indigenous Australians (Duckett & Willcox, 2011, p. 34-35). Stephens, Porter, Nettleton and Willis (2006) state that “infectious disease burden persists for Indigenous communities with high rates of diseases such as tuberculosis, and inequality also exists in the prevalence of chronic disease, including diabetes and heart disease” (p.2022). Statistics show mortality for most age groups of the

“Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people have a greater amount of disadvantage and significantly more health problems than the non-Aboriginal & Torres strait Islander population in Australia”

Compare the effects of colonisation of Australia’s two Indigenous groupings: Australian Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Marmot, M. (2011). Social determinants and the health of Indigenous Australians. Med J Aust, 194(10),

Indigenous populations have been the carers and custodians of Australia and the Torres Strait for a period in excess of 60,000 years before being

- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples inhabited the land of Australia for many thousands of years

It is well studied by health authorities that the current health statistics of the Indigenous population today are clearly reflected on their health status, due to the impacts of the colonisation process. The relating problems associated with this have resulted in destructive families and communities. It is unquestionable that Indigenous Australians were adapted to the environment in which people lived and had control on every feature of their life during the colonisation period. According to ‘The Deplorable State of Aboriginal Ill Health, Chapter 1’ (2014), studies that show that numerous infectious diseases; such as, smallpox and the flu, were not present in the pre-invasion period. It is also shown that lifestyle diseases such as high BP, diabetes and heart diseases were not known to exist.

The Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander people are Australia’s first people. They’re the Indigenous and traditional owners of our beautiful land. However, until the last few decades, this hasn’t always been recognised. The Indigenous people of Australia have faced colonization, oppression, the Stolen Generation, and all kinds of disrespect to their cultural heritage.

As a people, our rate of chronic disease is still 2.5 times higher than that of other Australians, and Indigenous people in this country die 15 to 20 years younger than those in mainstream Australia. More than half of

(Reconciliation Australia, n.d) Major Australian events such as colonisation, the stolen generation, and past policies have caused marginalisation and oppression in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. (Mallard, 2016) Throughout history negative stereotypes have been cast upon Indigenous Australians, with myths of alcoholism and sexual abuse and domestic violence often linked to Indigenous Australians, however these myths are statistically incorrect and are not a true representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. (Reconciliation Australia, n.d) For Australia to close the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, all Australians must surrender previous beliefs and attitudes they hold of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. (Sarra,

The Australian Indigenous community hold extremely significant corrections to the land of Australia, of which they refer to as ‘Country.’ Indigenous people acquire deep meaning from the land, sea and the countless resources derived from them. This special relationship has formed for many centuries. To them ‘Country’ is paramount for overall wellbeing; the strong, significant, spiritual bonds embody their entire existence. Knowledge is continually passed down to create an unbroken connection of past,

Archaeologists believe that aboriginals first came to Australia about 45, 000 years ago and were the only population of humans in Australia until the British invasion. There are about 500 different aboriginal groups each with their own language and territory and usually made up of several separate clans. The aboriginals of Australia are marginalised in today society. This marginalisation began right back during the British invasion where they were evicted from their own country, the stolen generation occurred and their health care, education, employment and housing was severely limited. Aboriginals generally live in poor conditions and choose unhealthy lifestyle choices