Indigenous issues in Australia Land, Heritage & cultural identity A Holistic View Dr Wayne Atkinson Senior Lecturer, Indigenous Studies School of Social & Political Science University of Melbourne

Change & Indigenous Survival Last two centuries (non-Indigenous occupation) dominates the timeline and highlights the intensity of change that Indigenous society has endured. Adaption continuity and the survival of Indigenous culture is the outcome that is still to be fully recognised. Recent changes witnessed have been sudden with catastrophic consequences.

Holistic connections with the Land Indigenous people see the relationship between land culture and identity, as one, the heart of which ‘is deeply rooted in our traditions, our knowledge's, and the lands which we have inherited from our ancestors’. Take away land, and you take away our soul and identity as a people’ (Dodson, M. 1994: 7).

No Generic View of Indigenous Culture Indigenous communities are extremely diverse. Not one view but a diversity of views that articulate themselves in different ways. No one kind of Indigenous Australian or community which has an ’Indigenous culture’- real and not real myth. There are regions which can be characterised by reference to their histories, politics, cultures and demography's. These are:

Regions: Settled Australia Stretching south from Cairns around to Perth in a broad arc. This area is where most provincial towns and all major cities and institutions are located, and where a myriad of small indigenous communities and populations reside with a range of histories and cultures. The impact of the particular frontiers in this arc and the outcomes for Indigenous Australians are described in Mabo 1992 as the ‘darkest aspects’ of our history as a Nation (Mabo, 1992 175 CLR 1, Dean & Goudran,JJ.

Regions: Remote Australia Is where most of the tradition-oriented indigenous cultures are located. They likewise have responded to particular frontiers and now contend with various types of Australian settlement. In a very general sense, the cultural practices in these regions are quite different. They are grounded in different cultural bases, histories and socio-political conditions.

Understanding Indigenous culture Many non-Indigenous people have attempted to bridge the divide of cross-cultural understanding. In his portrait of the Dreaming, Professor Stanner argues that a greater appreciation can be achieved by unlocking ourselves from western categories of understanding and viewing Indigenous culture and land relations from the Indigenous perspective

The Holistic Approach to Understanding Indigenous Culture The holistic approach to understanding natural and cultural values is driven by a world view that sees everything being related and interdependent on each other. There is a need for a more holistic view in understanding land relations and health issues as one rather than separating them into separate categories and classifying them in order of their priority which is a western construct. Requires a paradigm shift in ideologies that have proven to be not working in land, water management practices and in general health care and well being- change is a slow a generational shift or a chipping away process.

Land & Identity is the bedrock of Aboriginal Culture The significance of land to Indigenous people is the belief in its creation which is described through the concept of the Dreaming. In the beginning, the spirit ancestors roamed the land creating the rivers, mountains and all other living entities. The spirit ancestors mapped the borders of the land and endowed it with the laws and customs that had to be followed. The spirit ancestors and their powers live today within the lands and are the essence of Indigenous identity and culture.

Images of Creation: In the Beginning

Lin Onus: Site where painting of Jimmy’s Billabong was created,1988

Key factors that need to be considered in understanding Indigenous Issues in Australia An awareness of the extent to which imported constructs have been used to categorise, and to create stereotypical notions of Indigenous identity and culture. Aboriginal culture in its proper time perspective-past & present as one holistic continuum The concept of change adaption & continuity - an evolving process familiar to any cultural system The existence of an ongoing-living culture that continues to survive and maintain its connections with the ancestral lands (Beattie,J. Other Cultures: Aims, Methods & Achievements, 1964:241-264).

Moving Forward with a Vision for a More Inclusive Future Pride, Respect, Cultural Integrity, Shared Identity & Solidarity.