Australian Aboriginal History - Essay Example

AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL HISTORY By (Name) Course: Tutor: Institution: City: Date: Australian Aboriginal History Introduction The Aborigines in Australia represent an indigenous race of the country, especially discovered after the British invasion and colonization in the year 1788. The name refers to the present members who were in the country at the time as well as the descendants later on. Historical attributes and injustices have been documented about the Aborigines with their criterion inclusion taking on legal and administrative intervention. Majority of the attributes in the colonial era as well as post-colonial governance were distinguished based on the race. They affected the human rights of the people with restrictions on paternity, living spaces, representation, and approval for marriage amongst others (Barrett 2011, p.27). The article will discuss the representation of the indigenous people in Shepparton Barmah Region of the country with a view to expressing the impact from the observed and learned issues regarding the aboriginal people. Culture Culture among the aboriginal people in Shepparton Barmah Region is varied and descriptive in terms of their ways of life, activities, and diverse nature. The Yorta Yorta occupation under the historical timeline is offered as sixty thousand years BP with the occupation and possession back to the Blami and Dreamtime. Between periods of Lake Mungo Mungo to the Cadell Fault and recent 2001 buildup, archaeological evidences showed their presence (Watts and Carlson 2009, p.277). The people are largely subsistence individuals with the amounts of cooking mounds in their dwellings a testament to the same. Part of the evidence obtained form the area included the sharp rocks. They were responsible for the domestication and derivation of majority of the functions within the homestead. Economic activities like foraging for foods as well as tool and equipment formation were all made possible with the help of rocks and their splinters. Part of the culture of the people was identified by the necessity to socialize and inhabit according to the social spaces. From the identification of the Yorta Yorta and their settlement patterns, close proximities were a mark of the culture. The families and preservation had to follow the protocol of the nucleated and formed membership. The connection to the cultural upbringing distinguished the people as an emphasis. It made me realize that the people relied on each other for various issue in life, despite the common functionalities of co-existence, interaction and intermarriage (Jacobs 2012, p. 171). The role of the men in the people’s culture was significant to the longevity and resonance of their deliberate perpetuation. They were tasked with the provision and security of the communities as a sign of respect to their abilities while the women were entitled to the domestic positions. Another dimension of the aboriginal culture is the culmination of the different effects suffered from the prejudiced nature of the aboriginal existence in the country. The aborigine people were discriminated against and faced expulsion from the society from the historical viewpoint. They were not even allowed to marry without permission or interact within the social spaces. However, their culture identification and need for emotional release helped propel their heritage and derived important to this day (Watts and Carlson 2009, p.277). With the visit to Shepparton Barmah Region, the different activities and relayed communication terms ensured that there was an identification of the aborigine culture by the people in order to extend their representation and existence. The non-tolerance to denials and culture of mistreatment is banished amongst the people as they encourage peaceful co-existence and recognition. Stolen Generation With the devastation and disease attack on the aboriginal people, generational gaps appeared with the loss of people at various times. Historically, the occurrence of diseases in Europe and Asia like influenza, smallpox and syphilis had created significant rages throughout populations. When the same was experienced in the lands of Aborigines from the arrival of convicts and sailors, the resultant effects caused massive deaths. There was no available cure at the time, apart from reliance on the traditional medication (Anon 2016). Within periods like a year or half, entire generations and populations had been wiped out almost to half the numbers. The once vibrant region with the aborigines in Yorta Yorta settlements fell silent with lost souls in the region. The mounting of the guerilla wars against the British forces also contributed to the loss of lives and generational gaps within the community. Aboriginal Art Aboriginal art used the distinction of readily available materials to express different forms of creativity. For example, the use of didgeridoo as an instrument expressed artistic forms of musical knowledge and delivery. It enhanced the wind playing instrumentation abilities as well as meaningful depiction through attachments to songs and cultural festivities (Haebich 2008, p. 33). Another form of art was through the basketry within the community. It symbolized the particular work handed over to an individual without concession of defeat or delay. Its impact required the expression of responsibility throughout the period in order to fulfill its significance all along. Methods of dealing with the cattle and horses also showed the artistic abilities of the people as the creativity in control and managing them was symbolic. It was a sampling identification of the population. It influenced the various artistic impressions that the people had. Life in the bush Life in the bush by the aborigine communities indicated the traditional setup as well as lifestyle choices. For example, the depiction of mounds in the Barmah State Park indicated the subsistence forms of food acquisition and living patterns (Chamberlain-Creangã 2006, p. 377). The lagoon and natural food storage system showed a unique form of preservation while the stratigraphy concerns are also present. Within the forest, promotion of small-scale commercial ventures also was influential to the people. The presence of traditional fish trap systems at the different catchments locations signified lifestyle choices. At the Yorta Yorta site protection, evidence of the traditional stone tod working site is responsible for the simple economic undertakings that the population displayed. The locations and size generated the required measures for taking care of the population numbers according to the tribal sizes. Adjacent catchments areas provided for territorial inhabitance of the different communal numbers. The Murray River The Yorta Yorta land claim sites show that the land division had an impact on the living measures of the aborigine people. Murray River formed part of the extensive land acreage in which the people settled in when the communities were in formative stages (Anon 2016). The tributaries and conjoining streams to the river were responsible for the assembly points and planned farming activities. At the site registers, the river indicated the direction towards the population distribution. Towards the direction of down flow, concentrated numbers can be described as the extent of migratory patterns of the communities. Some of the vegetation cover characterized the animal husbandry like cattle and the keeping of horses. Scattered trees, mounds, mittens, and the presence of open forestry all contributed to the distribution and density of the settlement concerns. They are all spread through New South Wales and Victoria counties. Yorta Yorta The Yorta Yorta language has undergone various challenges, especially with the prospect of being phased out from the community. Various efforts have been put forward in order to preserve and revive the language among the persons in Shepparton Barmah Region. According to (Haebich 2008, p. 33), one of the volunteers in the region, Aunty Sharon, has been instrumental in trying to ensure that her taught programs are ideal preservatives and continuity of the language to the people. The people have responded in a positive manner in order to remain relevant with the proceeds as well as being an important identity to their culture. It also ensures that there is a sense of ownership despite the efforts from all quarters to diminish the representation of the people. It also helps in distinguishing the age differences between the people as only some can talk of certain words and meanings due to their age. Health and Education Health in the aboriginal community and populations symbolized the kid of life lived within the environmental conditions and dependency for livelihood. The devastation and disease occurrence in the Shepparton Barmah Region was representative of the historical infiltration of the disease from the immigrant sailors and convicts (Jacobs 2012, p. 171). The populations suffered from the attack of influenza, smallpox and syphilis as the rages affected the population numbers. In turn, several lives were lost and the region faced the scattering of settlement representations. The addiction to alcohol and other reliance stimulants in the population is also a health concern for the aboriginal people. The men in particular suffer from the continued use of alcohol, with the implemented forms of dealing with the addictions in the community. It leads to minimal and proficient living standards of the people within the social spaces as others get to deal with the same problems. Much of the education in Shepparton Barmah Region is through self-acquired means as opposed to the institutional delivery from governmental jurisdiction. Through the segregation and distancing nature of the people, education is transferred from the older members of the community to the younger according to generational utility (Barrett 2011, p. 42). For example, the few members make the teaching of ethnic language in the region available in a voluntary manner. Their concern is the primary development and attainment of the mechanism to the younger generation. The education is based on various aspects of living among the peoples. Like the cultural heritage and means of knowledge acquisition. The responsible persons of the teachings include individuals who have struggled on their own to achieve the means possible of passing on the knowledge to others. Aboriginal Elderly Culture The elderly culture amongst the aboriginal people in Shepparton Barmah Region is that of respect and upheld values according to the communal responsibilities. For example, the elderly men who had addiction problems with alcohol as a means of self-release were all under the care and transformation efforts from rehabilitation centers (Chamberlain-Creangã 2006, p. 377). On the other hand, the closeness associated with the family membership ensured that the elderly were still part of the setup despite their ages and failing systems. They derided respect accorded to them in the society, as they were significant to the historical existence and struggles of the aboriginal community. In addition, concerns on advice, propositions and momentary decision-making procedures had to be made with their input in the community. Reference Anon, (2016). [online] Available at: http://yorta yorts nation aboriginal corporation [Accessed 9 Feb. 2016]. Barrett, C. (2011.). Australia's aboriginal people. Melbourne, Vic.: H.J. Paynter & Son. Chamberlain-Creangã, R. (2006). The “Transnistrian People”: Citizenship and Imaginings of “the State” in an Unrecognized Country. Ab Imperio, 2006(4), pp.371-399. Haebich, A. (2008). Spinning the Dream. Chicago: Fremantle Press. Jacobs, M. (2012). Settler Sovereignty: Jurisdiction and Indigenous People in America and Australia, 1788-1836. Ethnohistory, 59(1), pp.171-172. Watts, E. and Carlson, G. (2009). Practical strategies for working with indigenous people living in Queensland, Australia. Occup. Ther. Int., 9(4), pp.277-293. Read More