Indigenous Studies - Literature review Example

Indigenous Studies Name: Institute: Indigenous Studies Introduction The Australian Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander population was considerably reduced between 1788 and 1900, because of three key reasons; new diseases introduction, loss of people who were fighting with the colonisers, and loss of land. The most instant effect of British colonisation was the emergence of European diseases, mostly epidemic diseases like measles, influenza, smallpox, and chickenpox. Given that such diseases were communicable, they spread extremely fast killing scores of indigenous population (Coates, 2004). The colonisers’ assumed that since Aboriginal people were living a nomadic lifestyle, they were chased off without difficulty from their lands. All the productive lands in Australia had by 1870s been grabbed from Aboriginal population and offered to the white settlers. Land loss as well as other important resources like water and food posed enormous threat to indigenous population who were left without a land and with no place to hunt/search for food. Already destabilized by the spread of the new diseases brought by the colonisers, Aboriginal population had considerably lessened survival chances. Land was essential to Indigenous people, both collectively and individually, but aboriginal concepts of land ownership were distinct from that of European settlers who were motivated by greed for land. So the essay seeks to compare the effects of colonisation on Australian Aboriginal peoples as well as on Torres Strait Islander peoples. Main Body Before colonization, Australia Aboriginal peoples lived in small semi-nomadic family groups, with every group of the family staying in a defined land, carefully shifting across a defined locale after seasonal changes. Importantly, each groups had their own different culture as well as history and history. Sometime the family groups would meet for trade, ceremonial, and social reasons. According to Dudgeon et al. (2010), almost 500 people met at the one time, and membership in all language groups or families was founded on shared language, birthright, as well as cultural responsibilities and obligations. Groups’ relationships determined categories of obligations and responsibilities to family and to the group. Unlike bob-nomadic Torres Strait Islander peoples, Aboriginal people built semi-permanent dwellings; stressing on the relationships instead of the agrarian society development. Still, both indigenous groups placed much emphasis on the spiritual, religious and social activities. Their environment was manned by spiritual instead of physical means and religion was profoundly attached to their country. European first arrived at Botany Bay and later moved outwards, as settlers searched for land, mainly for economic purposes. According to Dwyer and Ryan (2012), the pastoral industry intensified the spreading out, prompting an increase in British immigrants. The European settlers as per Coates (2004) were a fast moving frontier, the most unbelievable land grabber who can never be matched. This forced scores of Aboriginal groups to steal livestock from European flocks, which was followed by retaliations that intensified to full war over land. Both Australian Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders used guerrilla tactics to fight killing livestock, attacking shepherds together with their homesteads and flocks. According to Dudgeon et al. (2010), small pitched clashes were frequent. European reprisal came afterwards, mostly through military but as well by civilians, with mass executions not just of Torres Strait Islanders warriors but as well of Australian Aboriginals women and children. The goal of the colonization in some Australian parts was to clear the Aboriginal people land so as to allow for land development. As a result, both groups were distributed with poisoned flour, and diseases were introduced (from time to time on purpose) like influenza, chicken pox, and measles, which had deadly effects on aboriginals with no immunity to these viruses widespread amongst Europeans. As mentioned by Dudgeon et al. (2010), smallpox was above all overwhelming; for instance, Smallpox epidemic wiped out almost half of Aboriginal population living in Sydney. Torres Strait Islanders warfare and fighting skills were less tactical for the reason that there had never taken part in military battle. Compared to Torres Strait Islanders and Australia, aboriginals’ traditional fighting tools such as bows and arrows, the Europeans had sophisticated weapons such as guns, and with their military forces and horses they undoubtedly had more advantage for winning the land war. According to Dwyer and Ryan (2012), historical accounts of colonization resistance by ingenious groups in Australia have just become known in recent times. As a result, there has been an increase of important texts including comprehensive reports of Aboriginal warfare and resistances. As their lands turned out to be more and more taken, the Torres Strait Islanders descended towards colonizers since their own supplies of food were cut off and due to the handiness of European implements as well as foods. They tried to make use of their own kinship systems to trade labour for food and other goods, bur colonizers saw the in a different way. They perceived labour as a personal exchange instead of a gift to be given back by offering food for the entire group. Exceedingly low birth rates and high mortality rates resulted in many deaths for both Australian Aboriginal as well as Torres Strait Islander population. Besides that, interferences to traditional life resulted in scores of groups of Australian Aboriginal people to become fringe dwellers to European settlers. The dominant society perceived them as desperate remnants; hanging on to what was left of their traditions as well as just trying to stay alive. In a number of states fairly high percentages of Aboriginal people survived the aggression of initial contact with the colonizers, and there are numerous cases of indigenous groups across Australia fruitfully becoming accustomed to colonization as well as making becoming undefended in spite of the immense change. Still, Aboriginal people were afterward exposed to government policies, which tried over time to relocate, change, disperse, and finally assimilate them (Wilson, 2005). Since colonisation, Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have stomached the burden of intense discrimination, prejudice as well as misinterpreting and their concerns, rights, and interests have time and again been ignored or dismissed. Colonisation as mentioned by Dudgeon et al. (2010) deeply impacted the self-perceptions and lives of Australian Aboriginal people. However, it is worth noting that indigenous group and supporters of the colonisers continued struggling for justice ever since colonisation. The Indigenous rights movement started early in 20th century, with creation of Aboriginal political organisations, especially the Aborigines Progressive Association and Australian Aborigines League. Eventually, a range of Indigenous support and political groups including both Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were instituted across Australia. Another effect of colonisation was the removal of both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families (Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, 1997). Nearly all indigenous families as mentioned by Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (1997) have experienced displacement of whole families or removal of children into reserves, missions or other organisations. During colonisation, indigenous children were taken from their families in order to civilise them, so they were placed into institutions for training as well as educating so as to work and live as menials in white society. This was and continues to be a widespread observable fact across Australia. Before 1950, 10% of Indigenous children were removed from their families as well as communities by force; this as a result has negatively impacted the aboriginal groups. After European colonisation, Torres Strait Islander and Australian Aboriginal peoples were repeatedly prohibited from talking their traditional languages. As a result, scores of languages suffered gargantuan erosion. English was utilised to communicate with and describe Australian Aboriginal as well as Torres Strait Islander peoples and resulted in the use of unsuitable and regularly biased language. Mass executions as well led to the decline of scores of languages. In general, language as mentioned by Leitner and Malcolm (2007) can be viewed as a direct manifestation of a certain culture as well as the beliefs that have yielded it. Therefore, English language is not completely able of exemplifying the cultural contexts, values as well as imperatives related to Australia Aboriginal as well as Torres Strait Islander languages. Given that European settlers did not comprehend indigenous language, they saw themselves superior to Australia Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lifestyles, do the language they utilised to describe and address both indigenous groups was often offensive as well as discriminatory. In the present day, while attitudes are changing towards Torres Strait Islander and Australian Aboriginal, terms to describe these indigenous groups are incessantly evolving. Therefore, comprehending differences between words, as well as to whom they are relevant, is hard, particularly in the health industry. Conclusion In conclusion, Australia colonisation begun as an incursion that started with the attempt of destroying Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as well as their lifestyle. Importantly, dispossession of land weakened the spiritual and cultural connections that Torres Strait Islander and Australian Aboriginal people had to their country. European settlers chose to disregard that truth that Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples had noteworthy bond to their sea and land. The enduring effect of colonisation, racial discrimination, land dispossession, and injustice has generated so much suffering and agony for the two indigenous group families as well as communities. They currently experience high risks of death, incarceration, joblessness, child removal, and scores of other emotional and social wellbeing indicators. References Coates, K. S. (2004). A Global History of Indigenous Peoples: Struggle and Survival. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. Dudgeon, P., Wright, M., Paradies, Y., & Garvey, D. (2010). The social, cultural and historical context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. In N. Purdie, P. Dudgeon, & R. Walker, Working together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and wellbeing principles and practice (pp. 25-42). Canberra: Department of Health's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, Department on Aging. Dwyer, P. G., & Ryan, L. (2012). Theatres of Violence: Massacre, Mass Killing and Atrocity Throughout History. Oxford: Berghahn Book. Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. (1997). Bringing them home: report of the National inquiry into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families: The effects. Commonwealth of Australia. Leitner, G., & Malcolm, I. G. (2007). The Habitat of Australia's Aboriginal Languages: Past, Present and Future. Northampton, MA: Walter de Gruyter. Wilson, E. (2005). Hidden agendas: The rhetoric of benevolence in Aboriginal policy in Queensland, 1900-1950. Journal of Australian studies, 29(85), 49-5. Read More