History Matters: Through the Eyes of European Invaders

Lecture Overview

• Focus: History of Aboriginal politics and health
• Key Topics:
  • Cultural competence
  • Cultural safety
  • Key terminology introduction

Learning Outcomes

• Knowing: Understanding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and history
  • Reflect on personal cultural knowledge
• Being: Awareness of barriers and facilitators in healthcare access
• Doing: Implementing culturally safe environments for Aboriginal health

Sensitive Materials in Curriculum

• Topics covered may involve sensitive issues:
  • Illness and disease
  • Mental health
  • Death and dying
  • Discrimination
• Alternative materials available upon request

Acknowledgment of Country

• Respect for traditional custodians: Jervis Bay, Yuin Nation

Insights from Indigenous Perspectives

• Boe Rambaldini: Story of living under colonial policies as an Aboriginal Elder
• British settlers' perspective on land (Melbourne 1847):
  • Described as 'picturesque and park-like'

Aboriginal Cultural Practices

• Wiradjuri Observation of Colonization:
  • Cultural ceremonies included dances and storytelling of discovery
• Colonial views of the land:
  • Misattribution of land management to settlers rather than Aboriginal people

Aboriginal Agriculture and Resource Management

• Descriptions of land management (Yam fields, Grain Belt):
  • Sustainable practices that were disrupted by European settlement
• Aquaculture and large fish traps demonstrated complex societies

Cultural Heritage and Security

• Sending cultural knowledge such as sacred sites (Guluga Mountain)
• Turbulent relationship with European settlers led to land dispossession

Policy Eras of Colonization

• Protective Policies (1788-1890s):
  • Exclusion from Anglo-Australian society, smallpox impact, forcible removals
  • Myall Creek massacre sites highlighted
• Segregation (1890s-1950s):
  • Legal restrictions on Aboriginal interactions and languages
• Assimilation and Integration (1950-1980s):
  • Protests against unfair labor conditions (Wave Hill Walkout)

Aboriginal Human Rights Movement

• Growth from the 1960s due to street marches and activism
• Freedom Rides led by Charles Perkins

Self-Determination Policies (1970-1990s)

• Under Whitlam Government, emphasis on self-determining Aboriginal affairs
  • International movements recognized through UN declarations
  • Establishment of community health organizations

Achievements in Reconciliation

• Significant milestones:
  • Mabo case recognition of Aboriginal peoples
  • Official government apologies for Stolen Generations

Contemporary Post-Colonial Issues

• Debates over the Northern Territory Intervention diverging solutions imposed from above
• Discussion around the systemic disadvantages in Indigenous communities

Progress and Achievements in Indigenous Communities

• Positive attributes of communities:
  • Leadership, cultural resilience, improved education completion, and reduced infant mortality rates
• Recognition of community achievements against pervasive stereotypes of deficit

Closing Remarks

• The ongoing call for acknowledgment of historical injustices and cultural revitalization
• Educational links for further reading and understanding cultural competency in practice.

Suggested Readings

• Pascoe, B. (2014). Dark Emu Black Seed
• Gammage, B. (2011). The Biggest Estate on Earth
• Rolls, E. (1981). A Million Wild Acres
• Sutton, P., & Walshe, K. (2021). Farmers or Hunter-Gatherers? The Dark Emu Debate