Indigenous Australians in Contemporary Society - Essay Example

Diversity Issues and Disadvantages faced by Indigenous Australians in Contemporary Society Institution: Name Introduction The historical path of the Indigenous people changed radically after the 18th and 19th century, that is, after the White settlement, when they were displaced from the lands and forced to submit to White rule. They were later encouraged to assimilate Western cultures into their Indigenous cultures. The path of reconciliation between the non-Indigenous and the Indigenous Australia has, since the 1960s, followed the creation of European Australian-Indigenous Australian relations (Dudgeon et al., n.d.). The profound influence of the colonial invasion on the lives of the Indigenous Australian can to this end be understood in terms of the changes they were forced to assimilate into their lifestyles. Within this context and with focus on the disadvantages faced by the indigenous people, within the contemporary society, it can be argued that Westernisation of the indigenous Australian has increased their diversity in terms of lifestyles and opportunities. Diversity issues and problems facing Indigenous Australians Diverse populations Contrary to popular belief, Indigenous population is far from being homogenous. Thousands of indigenous people in Australia, many of whom had existed before the Annexation of Australia by Britain in 1788, are today still diverse due to ranging cultures, social attitudes and origin (Bourke & Edwards, n.d.). They face significant challenges to total enjoyment of their human rights due to discrimination and lack of access to healthcare, ancestral lands and education (Cordell & Judith, 1987). For instance, Indigenous women face range of discriminations on the basis of their ethnic origins and culture. As stated by ABS (2012), indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of Australia and the surrounding islands. They are identified as Torres Strait Islanders and the Aboriginal people. The diversity is illustrated by their heterogeneous population. The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that around 517,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people existed in Australia (ABS, 2012). In general, Indigenous Australian constitutes 2.5 percent of the entire Australian population. It is further estimated that Aboriginal people make up around 463,700 or 90 percent of the Indigenous population, while the Torres Strait Islander people make up 33,000 or 6 percent of the population, while 4 percent or 20,100 of the population are of both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin. Australian Bureau of Statistics further estimates that about 32 percent of the Indigenous people live in major cities, 22 percent in the outer regional areas while 21 percent live in the inner regional areas. Some 24 percent live in the remote regions (UNICEF, 2010). Language as forms of diversity Additionally, despite their common history, there is greater diversity between the varied indigenous communities and societies within Australia, each having own unique combination of customs, cultures and languages. In the modern-day Australia, the groups have further been divided into local communities (UNICEF, 2010). The comparatively simple lifestyle of the Indigenous Australians resulted into two additional misconceptions. First, the indigenous Australians were by nature culturally uniform. Second, they maintained little attachment to the land and made minimal use of it. In any case, diversity has often been a feature of Aboriginal people and has hence been manifested in a range of ways. Historically, they had over 400 distinct languages, two-thirds of which are today extinct. In the contemporary society, several Aboriginal Australians speak dialects of English, known as Aboriginal English. The dialects are spoken in familiar or domestic social environment. There are also forms of diversity issues when it comes to speaking Aboriginal English. The dialects comprise a continuum that ranges from those that are close to Standard English to those that are close to Aboriginal Kriol (Bourke & Edwards, n.d.). Additionally, the divergence between Aboriginal and Standard English exist in every aspect of language, such as vocabulary, grammar, accents and sounds, style and use. Similarly, the speech may vary from Aboriginal English to Standard English. While some Aboriginal people are regarded as being bi-culturally competent and capable of switching between Aboriginal English and standards English, other are only competent in the aboriginal English (Dousset, 2001). In any case, difficulties in speaking English have caused various issues, such as the effectiveness of communicating public policies to the Indigenous Australians (Calma, 2005). Diversities due to globalisation and development Issues of globalisation and development have also aggravated diversity issues. According to UNICEF (2010), economic liberalisation and globalisation have destroyed indigenous subsistence economies. They have also displaced indigenous people from their lands. For instance, indigenous women continue to lose their livelihoods because of the effects of globalisation on natural resources, since their homemade products have been replaced by manufactured goods (UNICEF, 2010). Histories of discriminations Despite the change in policy to ensure the partnership between the Indigenous Australians and the Government, since 1967, problems created by past Australian histories have not been erased (Austlii, 1999). According to the Australian Law Reform Commission (2014), most of the Indigenous Australians diversity issues have their origin in the country past histories. Histories of forced settlement on reserves and placement of thousands of children in institutions, combined with the loss of culture and land, form a cross-section of the disadvantages the Indigenous people face today. Due to the forcible removal, the Indigenous Australians were forced to go to the cities, resulting to urbanised and non-urbanised Aboriginals. At the same time, the mixing of the Indigenous Australians in mission and settlements created new languages and tensions. Indeed, this resulted to Indigenous Australians who form a 4 percent of their entire population (ABS, 2012). Diversities due to education Additionally, the availability of Western education, medical skills and technologies increased the degree of contact with the Anglo-Australian lifestyle and the outside world. This has worsened diversity scenarios between Indigenous Australians who are faithful to their cultures and those who have been assimilated into Western cultures. Similarly, internet penetration and increased access to television and Western-styled forms or entertainment have increased pressures for divergence. In the same way, indigenous Australians seeking education may realise that Western education undermines their traditional lifestyles (Australian Law Reform Commission, 2014). Issues of disparity due to Urbanisation The current diversity issues facing Indigenous Australians vary in many ways, as their cultures. Among the most important include geographical diversity in terms of urbanisation. The urban acculturation process has massively promoted diversity among the indigenous Australians. In the contemporary society, even as a larger proportion of Indigenous people live within the urban areas, their populations are much extensively dispersed across Australia, compared to the non-Indigenous population. A greater proportion exists in the Northern Australian regions. Essentially, the city life features education, materialism, and socio-economic status. At the same time, there is greater social fluidity and hence social classes are less static (Stanner, 1956). While most Indigenous Australians live in cities and country towns, a larger percentage still live in the remote areas of Australia. The remoteness causes many challenges for them, since it limits access to essential services such as educational institutions and health services. It also limits exposure to employment opportunities, resulting to high unemployment rates among the Indigenous population (UNICEF, 2010). Indeed, studies have indicated that higher levels of unemployment exist among the Indigenous people than non-Indigenous people. According to the 2006 Census, some 48 percent of the Indigenous people were employed compared to 72 percent of the non-Indigenous population (ABS, 2012). Health services In regards to health, Indigenous population is the most disadvantaged, as they have the highest mortality rates and poor health statuses. While they have increased access to healthcare among Indigenous Australians in urban places, lack of trust and negative attitudes towards the Western-styled healthcare industry has increased diversity issues. In 2005, a detailed study called National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSISHS) found that the Indigenous Australians aged 18 and older were twice as likely as their fellow Australians to experience extreme levels of psychological distress (Garvey, 2008). Education Education has been emphasised as a critical diversity issue that is a critical cause of the problems facing Australians. Despite improvements in the rate of educated Indigenous Australians, they are significantly low compared to other Australians, since a majority of those in the rural places are illiterate. Negative attitudes towards Western-style education have been blamed for promoting reluctance to seek education among the rural-based indigenous people. Further, numeracy and literacy skills are persistently below the national average, specifically in remote regions (Skwirk, 2014). Land ownership Proving land-ownership is also an issue that confronts the Indigenous Australians in the contemporary society. The Aboriginals believe that Ancestral land is an important aspect of maintaining indigenous culture. An analysis provided by Garvey (2008) noted that land indicates their economic worth in the society. Since land rights differ from state to state, proving land ownership has been problematic. Because of illiteracy and social lifestyles that negate Western-styled land governance, they have been reluctant to acquire land title deeds. A case in point is the land case of the Yanyuwa people, which took 30 years, from 1977 to 2006. Government Actions To reduce the diversity issues and problems facing the indigenous people, the Australian Government has applied the strategy of fostering partnerships with the Indigenous Australians, in order to reduce the limited opportunities and diversity issues. More than 4 decades, since the 1967 Referendum, the Government of Australia has established policies aimed at improving the Indigenous people’s socio-economic status and to beat the long history of poverty and marginalisation (Skwirk, 2014). In the remote areas, successive governments have not been able to effectively coordinate their efforts or fund them sufficiently. In the regional and urban areas, public or community services intended for the indigenous people have not been efficiently delivered to the Indigenous people, resulting to acute needs (Department of Social Services, 2009). In the recent times, the Australian government has taken initiatives to intervene in the indigenous communities to protect children from violence and to promote universal education, through the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER) initiative. While such actions have been relevant, minimal focus has been placed on the longer-terms tasks of establishing community and personal responsibility (Department of Social Services, 2009). The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) is the chief forum used by the Commonwealth, state and territory governments to advance collaboration towards closing the diversity issues. The Council uses seven key programs, namely schooling, safe communities, health, healthy home, economic participation, governance and self communities. Conclusion Histories of westernisation of the indigenous Australian have increased their diversity in terms of lifestyles and opportunities. Indeed, histories and cultures often shape contemporary lifestyles. This is particularly the case for Indigenous Australians. Since the British settlement in Australia in 1788, the Indigenous Australians have faced a range of diversity issues and displacements, which have often been the targets of discriminatory policies. These have profoundly affected the social and economic health of the Indigenous people. Such experiences have been resisted for many years, characterised by histories of resilience and resistance, which are part of the modern-day Indigenous identities and cultures. It is significant to note that Indigenous people and their culture are diverse. References ABS. (2012). Unity and Diversity: The History And Culture Of Aboriginal Australia. Retrieved from Australian Bureau of Statistics website: Austlii. (1999). Lingiari - Until The Chains Are Broken. Indigenous Law Resources. Retrieved: Australian Law Reform Commission. (2014). Aboriginal Societies: The Experience of Contact. Australian Government. Retrieved: Bourke, C. & Edwards, B. (n.d.). Family and Kin. Ch6 pp.85-101 Calma, T. (2005). The current challenges facing Indigenous people in Australia and the importance of rights. Retrieved from Australian Human Rights Commission website: Cordell, J. & Judith, F, (1987). Torres Strait: Cultural Identity and the Sea. Cultural Survival Quarterly. 11(2), 1-4 Department of Social Services. (2009). Closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage: the challenge for Australia - 2009. The Australian Government. retrieved: DOUSSET, L. (2002). Kinship: an introduction. Doussetm L. (2001). Part 2: Symbols used to represent kinship relations. Retrieved: Dudgeon, P., Wright, M., Paradies, Y., Garvey, D. & Walker, I. (n.d.). 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