Protecting the Past and Present: Cultural Heritage - Research Paper Example

Institution : xxxxxxxxxxx Title : xxxxxxxxxxx Tutor : xxxxxxxxxxx Course : xxxxxxxxxxx @2013 Abstract Protection of cultural heritage of a people not only derives self-identity; it generates national pride. It is an established fact that the land on which sits the present day Commonwealth of Australia was occupied by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities for 40,000 years or more. These communities and their cultural heritage have faced constant threat for over 200 years spread from the colonial to the post-colonial era. The major threats originate mainly from political pressures, cultural integrity, social and economic pressures, territorial pressures, exploitation of traditional knowledge and development policy (Kelly, 2005). The subjugation of these cultures, however, was greatly reversed by the 1967 referendum which gave these communities greater constitutional recognition. Since then, several governmental and non-governmental initiatives have been emerged to protect the indigenous heritage. These initiatives have taken different formats majorly legislative, political, communal, cultural and institutional in design. The interventions have made reasonable gains in reviving national and international interest, awakening national conscience and preserving traditional knowledge and artefacts in the domain of indigenous culture. More, however, needs to be done in the areas of logistical and financial support; political goodwill, legal framework and intellectual infrastructure that will eventually integrate the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage into the seamless national social fabric of the Commonwealth of Australia. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Literature review 5 Political interventions 5 Legislative interventions 6 Policy interventions 7 Community and non-governmental initiatives 7 National and Cultural institutions 8 The media 8 Analysis 9 Conclusions 10 References 11 Introduction Culture heritage embodies a people’s spirit and no effort to improve the quality of life of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities would succeed if their cultural heritage takes a backseat. Section 3 of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act, 2010 broadens the term Aboriginal to include the Torres Islander communities. It then defines Aboriginal tradition as the ‘the body of traditions, observances, customs and beliefs of Aborigines generally or of a particular community or group of Aborigines, and includes such traditions observances customs or beliefs relating to persons, areas, objects or relationships’ (Heritage Division, 2010). The Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition of Indigenous Australians (EPCRIA, 2011) recognizes the fact that the state of Australia sits on the land that these indigenous communities tended for more than 40 000 years. As such, the oldest and the most authentic cultural practices and artifacts of the present day Australia trace their originality from the heritage of these ‘nations’. History mentions several attempts to diminish these cultures for the past 200 years putting them under constant threat (EPCRIA, 2011). It dates back to the colonial era. Things did not change much since the 1901 constitution still perpetuated negative citizenry of the indigenous people (Pearson, 2011). A report on threats to the practice and transmission of traditional knowledge in Australia cites political pressures, cultural integrity, social and economic pressures, territorial pressures, exploitation of traditional knowledge and development policy as the major threats to cultural preservation (Kelly,2005). Acts of discrimination and suppression of the indigenous communities continued in their different forms and magnitude till the 1967 referendum gave the communities some dignified constitutional recognition. Since then governmental and non-governmental programmes to preserve these cultures have been have been initiated. This study examines some of these initiatives in detail. This introduction will be followed by literature review on the protection initiatives. Analysis of the findings will then be followed by their discussions. A summary of conclusions and implications comprise the final part of this study. Literature review This study reviews relevant literature on the interventions for protecting the cultural heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Political interventions The national leaders and those of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have acted in the recent past to consolidate gains made in their peoples’ favour and championed for more recognition and protection. In the year 2008 for example, leaders from Eastern Arnhem gave the government a document entitled: Yolngu and Bininj Leaders Statement of Intent (Communiqué from Yolngu and Bininj Leaders at Yirrikala to the Australian Government, 2008). They stressed the need for the constitutional recognition for the right of clans in this region to practice their culture and live on their land. Earlier political statements on the protection of the original cultures are also taken in to account. They include the 1988 Barunga Statement (Diya Diya Productions, 1998) and the 1998 Kalkaringi Statement (Combined Aboriginal Nations of Central Australia at the Kalkaringi Constitutional Convention, 1998). These statements stressed the need for constitutional recognition of the indigenous people’s culture. The most pronounced political initiative to right the wrongs inflicted on the indigenous heritage was the National Apology to Australia’s Indigenous Peoples delivered by the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd on 13 February 2008 (AIATSIS, 2008) Legislative interventions Recognition of the original communities in the Constitution has an immense impact on their cultural, historical pride and self-esteem (Tomasic, 2010). The biggest constitutional milestone in the protection of the original communities’ heritage came with the 1967 referendum. It created laws that allowed the inclusion of the indigenous communities in the census and extended the races power to them. The most recent constitutional effort to entrench the cultural heritage of the indigenous cultures in the Australian constitution is the report of the Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition of Indigenous Australians (EPCRIA, 2012). The panel proposed legislations that touch on the preservation and continuity of the original heritage are threefold: Section 51A which provides for the respect of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples continuing cultures, languages and heritage; Section 116A (1) that cushions the laws protecting cultures, languages and heritage of groups in the Commonwealth and Section 127A that recognizes and entrenches the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages as the original Australian languages and a part of the national heritage. Other key legislations in section 5 (26) that promotes the protection of the indigenous Australians’ cultural heritage include section 51(xxvi) include: the World Heritage Properties Conservation Act 1983; 122 (8&1) which confers the protection of the important cultural sites to the Aboriginal community, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984; 123, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, the Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986 and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 2010 (EPCRIA, 2012). Policy interventions Several government and departments have been set up to oversee the protection of the Aboriginal and Torres Islanders communities. Frankland (1994) outlines a series of departments charged with the wellbeing of the original communities: the Office of the Director of Native Affairs (1939-1966), Department of Aboriginal and Island Affairs (1966-1975), Department of Aboriginal and Islander Advancement (1975-1984), Department of Community Services (1984-1987), Department of Community Services and Ethnic Affairs (1987-1989) and Department of Family Services and Aboriginal and Islander Affairs (1989 onwards). These departments play a major role in protecting and continuing the indigenous cultures. Community and non-governmental initiatives The communities play a central role in preserving and continuing endangered cultural heritage. A case in point is the elders and members of the original communities who have been involved in protecting their culture. These communities are assisted by the Traditional Knowledge Revival Pathways (TKRP), a non-governmental organization working with similar communities in other parts of the globe. The main objective of this project is to preserve and strengthen the traditional knowledge for environmental and communal wellbeing of the present and future generations (AHRC, 2008). The project employs contemporary methods for cultural preservation and recognition. With the mentorship of the Australian elders TKRP uses this methodology to record indigenous knowledge to achieve several goals three of which are stated here. Traditional knowledge is recorded using modern digital equipment. It is then stored into multi-media digital database. This knowledge is also transmitted from the old to the young generations through traditional methods approved by the elders. National and Cultural institutions Several music, artifact and arts institutions have also played important roles in cultural preservation and continuity of the Aboriginal and Torries Strait Islander communities in different states. There are several national institutions task with the preservation of the indigenous heritage. Key among these is the Australian Museum in Sydney which stocks several cultural artifacts from the original communities. Apart from being offered in several Australian universities, studies in indigenous heritage are predominantly offered in Wollotuka School of Aboriginal Studies A number of state libraries also have exhibitions for resources on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. According to Tanner (2005) digital libraries for Indigenous Australian resources are being developed by two bodies: AIATSIS and Awaba. Other cultural institutions engaged in indigenous cultural heritage preservation include the National Black Theatre Company, Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre, Aboriginal Dance Theatre, Redfern Boomalli, Aboriginal Artists Co-Operative, Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place and Armidale Bangarra Dance Theatre (Arts NSW, 2010). The media The Australian print and electronic media play a recognizable role in indigenous heritage protection. Barry (1998) observes that the Aboriginal communities have resorted to the media in preservation of their culture, language and identity. These efforts resulted into the inception of the Aboriginal national television and over 6 Aboriginal radio stations broadcasting in the indigenous languages in Canada. The media in Australia has made relative progress on this front but more needs to done. Analysis The initiatives for protecting the cultural heritage of the Indigenous Australians have met achievements and challenges. The political pronouncements by the community leaders to the government and government leaders to the communities create awareness and raise issues that were hitherto swept under the carpet. The 2008 national apology to the indigenous communities for example publicized the national conscience on the matter. According to (EPCRIA, 2012).the Indigenous Australians felt national pride for the first time while many Australians were bonded by this symbolic act to share the heritage of the indigenous communities. The 1967 referendum raised the nation’s awareness to the subjugation of the original traditions. This is evident in the flurry of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission reports, community leaders’ communiques and parliamentary reports and acts which followed the referendum. Notable ones are the Barunga, Kalkaringi, Yolngu and Bininj statements of 1988, 1998 and 2008 respectively; the 1997 Stolen generations report; the World Heritage Properties Conservation Act 1983, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984; the Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986 and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 2010. These legislative and political discourses have culminated in the present referendum debate based on Recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in the Constitution report of 2012. Community based initiatives for preserving; strengthening and continuing indigenous heritage have recorded some measure of success. The TKRP project in Australia for instance has elicited international interest and provided a model for similar projects in New Zealand (AHRC, 2008). The national museums, university faculties and libraries, digital libraries and cultural institutions have also generated reasonable enthusiasm in the protection and continuity of the indigenous heritage. The media in its multiplicity has also continued to do its share to this end. Conclusions Cultural heritage being an integral component of existence should be protected at all costs. The historical injustices borne by the Aboriginal and the Torres Strait Islander communities reflected greatly on their culture which suffered relegation initially based on the fictitious terra nullius. The cultural humiliation entrenched in the subsequent constitutional order have steadily been reversed by bold initiative from different institutions mainly political, legislative, communal, public and private entities. This commendable trend needs to continue till the indigenous heritage is intricately woven into a seamless national fabric of the Commonwealth of Australia. To achieve this noble goal, intellectual, logistic, politico-legislative and financial support needs to be channeled in the direction of protecting the once endangered Aboriginal tradition. References AHRC. (2008) Native Title Report 2008 . Retrieved From: . Retrieved 19/3/2013 AIATSIS.(2008) Apology to Australia's Indigenous peoples. Retrieved from: Retrieved 19/3/2013 Arts NSW. (2010) NSW Aboriginal Arts and Cultural Strategy 2010 to 2014 Background Paper: NSW Aboriginal Arts and Culture Snapshot 2009. Retrieved From: . Retrieved 19/3/2013 Combined Aboriginal Nations of Central Australia at the Kalkaringi Constitutional Convention (1998) The Kalkaringi Statement. Retrieved From: . Retrieved 19/3/2013 Communiqué from Yolngu and Bininj Leaders at Yirrikala to the Australian Government (2008) Yolngu and Bininj Leaders Statement of Intent, 23 July. Diya Diya Productions (1998) The Barunga Statement by Central and Northern Land Councils. Retrieved From:< http://www.barungafestival.com.au/statement.html>. Retrieved 19/3/2013 Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition of Indigenous Australians. (2011) A National Conversation about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Constitutional Recognition.Discussion Paper. Retrieved From: . Retrieved 19/3/2013 Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition of Indigenous Australians. (2012) Recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in the Constitution: Report of the Expert Panel. Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved From: Retrieved 19/3/2013 Frankland, K. (1994) A Brief History of Government Administration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in Queensland Heritage Division Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (2010) Introduction to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act. Retrieved From:. Retrieved 19/3/2013 Kelly, G.(2005) Report on Threats to the Practice and Transmission of Traditional Knowledge Regional Report: Asia and Australia, Phase II of the Composite Report on the Status and Trends Regarding the Knowledge, Innovation and Practices of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities relevant to the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity. UN Doc: UNEP/CBDWG8J/4/INF/4, p 25. Pearson, N. (2011). Aboriginal referendum a test of national maturity. The Australian. Retrieved From: < http://www.cyi.org.au/ Aboriginal/referendum/test/national/maturity.pdf>. Retrieved 19/3/2013. Tomasic, M. (2010). Constitution changes would improve Indigenous mental health, media release, 12 October. Retrieved From: Retrieved 19/3/2013. Read More

Literature review This study reviews relevant literature on the interventions for protecting the cultural heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Political interventions The national leaders and those of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have acted in the recent past to consolidate gains made in their peoples’ favour and championed for more recognition and protection. In the year 2008 for example, leaders from Eastern Arnhem gave the government a document entitled: Yolngu and Bininj Leaders Statement of Intent (Communiqué from Yolngu and Bininj Leaders at Yirrikala to the Australian Government, 2008).

They stressed the need for the constitutional recognition for the right of clans in this region to practice their culture and live on their land. Earlier political statements on the protection of the original cultures are also taken in to account. They include the 1988 Barunga Statement (Diya Diya Productions, 1998) and the 1998 Kalkaringi Statement (Combined Aboriginal Nations of Central Australia at the Kalkaringi Constitutional Convention, 1998). These statements stressed the need for constitutional recognition of the indigenous people’s culture.

The most pronounced political initiative to right the wrongs inflicted on the indigenous heritage was the National Apology to Australia’s Indigenous Peoples delivered by the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd on 13 February 2008 (AIATSIS, 2008) Legislative interventions Recognition of the original communities in the Constitution has an immense impact on their cultural, historical pride and self-esteem (Tomasic, 2010). The biggest constitutional milestone in the protection of the original communities’ heritage came with the 1967 referendum.

It created laws that allowed the inclusion of the indigenous communities in the census and extended the races power to them. The most recent constitutional effort to entrench the cultural heritage of the indigenous cultures in the Australian constitution is the report of the Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition of Indigenous Australians (EPCRIA, 2012). The panel proposed legislations that touch on the preservation and continuity of the original heritage are threefold: Section 51A which provides for the respect of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples continuing cultures, languages and heritage; Section 116A (1) that cushions the laws protecting cultures, languages and heritage of groups in the Commonwealth and Section 127A that recognizes and entrenches the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages as the original Australian languages and a part of the national heritage.

Other key legislations in section 5 (26) that promotes the protection of the indigenous Australians’ cultural heritage include section 51(xxvi) include: the World Heritage Properties Conservation Act 1983; 122 (8&1) which confers the protection of the important cultural sites to the Aboriginal community, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984; 123, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, the Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986 and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 2010 (EPCRIA, 2012).

Policy interventions Several government and departments have been set up to oversee the protection of the Aboriginal and Torres Islanders communities. Frankland (1994) outlines a series of departments charged with the wellbeing of the original communities: the Office of the Director of Native Affairs (1939-1966), Department of Aboriginal and Island Affairs (1966-1975), Department of Aboriginal and Islander Advancement (1975-1984), Department of Community Services (1984-1987), Department of Community Services and Ethnic Affairs (1987-1989) and Department of Family Services and Aboriginal and Islander Affairs (1989 onwards).

These departments play a major role in protecting and continuing the indigenous cultures. Community and non-governmental initiatives The communities play a central role in preserving and continuing endangered cultural heritage.

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