Written Assignment II

Reflections

Name: Samana Sainju

Student number: 220195204

Unit Code: OORA 200

Unit coordinators: Darin Gorry

Due date: 27th April 2020

Word count: 823

Introduction

After going through five weeks, I have learned a deeper understanding of Aboriginals and
Torres Strait Islanders. It’s my honor to remark on Aboriginals through this assignment. They
lived in their sovereign nations and all of sudden their lands were invaded by the British
Colonization (Australian Human Rights Commission [AHRC], 2017). With due respect to all
Australians, I express my gratitude to all Indigenous people for their endurance and
specification in the history of Australia.

Description:

After Colonization, land, and language loss has dramatically taken empowerment and
sovereignty away from Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders (Perkins, R. 2008). Governors
sanctioned violence against them by settlers and troopers in appropriating lands for farming
and in retaliation to Aboriginal resistance (Perkins, R. 2008). The NSW Protection Board
took control over the Lives of Aboriginal people which included forced assimilation,
separation of children from their families (Read, P., 2014). Thousands of Aboriginal children
were officially kidnapped in the name of training and were set up for domestic servants and
farm laborers (Read, P., 2014). Out of numerous unlawful acts, I was deeply touched by
stolen generations, where children were taken away from their families by governments,
churches and welfare bodies to be brought up in institutions or fostered out to white families
(Read, P., 2014).

Feelings:

I was crestfallen because, Aboriginals and Torres Strait islanders were shattered, and not
even treated as human beings. The post effect of stolen generations happened to be an
unremovable scar throughout their life (Hogan, M., 2009). Children who are separated from
mothers exhibit depressed behavior and agitation (Field & Reite.,1984) which has negative
impact on the future of the child, parents and community. Separating children from parents is
one of the cruel acts they had ever done. No matter how well they developed the country, I
regard them as cruel as it was disrespectful to humankind. After watching the videos of
testimonials of stolen generation, I had a mixture of feelings, sadness, anguish. I cried and
felt extremely sorry for them.
Evaluation:
I was touched as Indigenous people fell under the disadvantaged group due to past
government laws and practices imposed on them (NSW Department of Community Services [
NDCS], 2009). Despite native owners of this land, they were not privileged and indeed
prejudiced (Blair et al.,2017). The issue was resolved now but it had left a scar as evidenced
by loss of language culture, mental instability etc (McKeich, 2010). Furthermore, the post-
effects have produced identity crisis, physical and mental abuse, displacement from
community, land and language, lost employment and education opportunities (McKeich,
2010). The positive experience from these learning was it showed me the strength of
Indigenous people and their capability of regaining their identity and culture despite
colonization. Similarly, signing treaty had helped to some extent for the preservation and
flourish the future generation (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2017). Lastly, their
sufferings were addressed by Prime minister on Sorry Day with apology speech for the past
deeds by government (Rudd, K.,2008) which have somehow healed them.

Analysis:

I believe there were various factors behind my mixed feelings. Some Aboriginals were
treated in a better way but majority of them are still facing disparities. Many treaties were
signed, but still discrepancies exist, and the government is still lacking for their rights
(AHRC, 2017). Moreover, Indigenous people are still facing stigma for not being treated with
respect and dignity (TEDx Talks, 2016). The privilege given to certain population because of
their identity should be used in the right way to reduce social inequalities (McIntosh, 2012).
Similarly, PM Kevin Rudd addressed an apology speech which was a first step that can repair
good relationships (Roronjawi, 2014).

Conclusion:

From the study, I have learned that Indigenous people were very strong with a golden heart.
Despite all, they stand out for their rights. However, the depth of their painful past will
always intimidate them and hinder their wellbeing (NDCS, 2009). During my practice, I will
always be non-biased and respect their values cultures and traditions. Their contributions and
hardships for their land and community will always remain in deep corner of my heart.
Overall, provision of the best possible health service with best of my knowledge is the least I
will do for Non-Indigenous people by filling up the health inequalities gap between
Indigenous and non-indigenous people (Shepherd, Li, Cooper, Hopkins & Farrant, 2017).

Action Plan:

Health is the most neglected field amongst aboriginals, I will ensure by building up a healthy
atmosphere in health services irrespective of their race, culture, and background. I will go
through further readings in order to understand the customs, values and traditions of
Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders and implement my knowledge in practice that will
help as milestone for the better delivery of health services and focus them on wellness. For
better implementations of tactics, I will communicate with Indigenous people for their
convenience and try to assimilate the best possible practice in my work.
Appendix

week 1

List 10 things that you consider strengths when you reflect your personal life, your family,
your community, or social environment.

a. Optimistic
b. Happy
c. Patience
d. Understanding
e. Supportive
f. Unity
g. Religious
h. Respectful
i. Biodiversity
j. Resilience

List 10 things that you consider strengths when you reflect on Aboriginal people’s lives,
family, community, or social environment.

a. Traditional Kinship
b. Coverage of wide geographical area
c. An oldest continuous civilization on earth
d. Art as cultural pride and transmission of a message from generation to generation
e. Inheritance of cultural values
f. Good grip over cultural norms
g. Treating soil as god
h. Interdependence
i. Compassion and forgiveness
j. Endurance

My attitudes values and beliefs are entirely related to my upbringing. We have been told and
seeing that we have to respect our elders and love our juniors. Even though we can’t see god
but he is supreme. We have to believe in our karma which means we get what we give or
simply come around.

The things that I have listed were not identical however there are similarities in most of the
points as they were all grounded on my values

It was not difficult to find out strengths though there are only some. However, one has to
work hard in order to develop more strengths. I feel like we have limited strengths because
there is a huge gap between theory and practical issues. Even though we know what we must
do, we lose our balance when we find ourselves in that scenario.

Week 2

After going through the moodle, I came to realize that aboriginal people are rich in their
values, beliefs and culture. I used to think that all aboriginals were same, but there are 500
different aboriginal states in the country and each one is unique. They have matriarchal and
patriarchal trends in which each of them is structured under Kinship which consists of totems,
moiety and skin names through matriarchal and patriarchal lines. Each person has four totems
i.e. nation, clan and family group. Moiety states each group of society is divided into two
equal halves and skin names are like a surname that indicates a bloodline. People with same
moiety are regarded as siblings and thus they cannot marry even if they don’t have common
family tree. In case of totems there is a balance between animals and environment where one
group conserve the environment and others take care of animals in this way nature is
balanced. Thirdly, skin names show how generations are linked and how they should interact.

To sum up, Aboriginal people see the world through kinship. They are different from each
other. They have responsibility for one another. If one helps others, it is the responsibility of
the other to pay him back by helping him.

What implications might this have in your professional, personal, or educational practice?

Firstly, the term that we are using “Aboriginal” itself is something that could possibly be
taken as an offence since there are numbers of groups of people under aboriginals who would
appreciate it if we try to address them by their different groups.

Secondly, every state has a different level of dominance, for instance, matriarchal or
patriarchal. So, depending on it one must be wise enough to communicate with so that his or
her influence can last.
Lastly, Aboriginals are the ones who had been here since the very beginning so, we must
acknowledge them and do our best to maintain peace and harmony from our side. Apart from
that, since they are highly influenced by arts, we can use their arts in order to convey our
signs of gratitude and respect for them.

Week 3

Even if it seems that there are pages of constitutions that stand in favor of Aboriginals and
Torres Strait Islander it is still a pity to say that they are disadvantaged. It could be because
these laws were not revised and hence ended up in traditional views and ideas.

After going through week two and week three, it was crestfallen since the discrimination was
peaked in such a way that rescuing out from them was inevitable. Aboriginals were
underprivileged in various ways, after colonization they had a great impact on their health,
50-70% were killed only because of chickenpox. Similarly, they have shot dead during
massacres and conflicts. Likewise, in the name of Protection Period (1970 – 1930) Aboriginal
children were officially kidnapped and manipulated in the name of training.

Although, all colonizers were not like harsh on them, some stand out in favor of them which
helped Aboriginals to get their rights resulting all Aboriginals were expected to assimilate
into mainstream society.

Week 4

"Racism is a key social determinant of health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait people, and can
deter people from achieving their full capabilities, by debilitating confidence and self-worth
which in turn leads to poorer health outcomes." (NATSIHP, 2013)

Consider your own area of expertise, and how the notions contained in this statement may
impact your work with Aboriginal people in the future. What steps could you take to meet
potential challenges?

Write approximately 150 words and post your reflection to the “Weekly Reflection 4” Forum.

Racism can be defined as organized systems within societies that cause avoidable and unfair
inequalities in power, resources, capacities and opportunities across racial or ethnic groups.
Healthcare provider racism can lead to poorer self-reported health status, lower perceived
quality of care, underutilization of health services, delays in seeking care, failure to follow
recommendations, societal distrust, interruptions in care, mistrust of providers, and avoidance
of health care systems.

In order to overcome these challenges, “Racism” should be recognized as a barrier in order to

access health. Similarly, “Zero Tolerance” atmosphere towards racism should be adopted
across health sector. Moreover, actively pursuing a culturally safe health system for all.
Likewise, provision of culturally appropriate care to them. Lastly, encouraging Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander health professionals for improving cultural safety and health
outcomes for Indigenous Australians.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from areas of socioeconomic
disadvantage, people in rural and remote locations, and people with disabilities experience
more health disadvantages than other Australians. These disadvantages can include higher
rates of illness and shorter life expectancy. In 2014–15, an estimated 40% of Indigenous
Australians aged 15 and over rated their health as ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’, 35% as ‘good’
and 26% as ‘fair’ or ‘poor’(AIHW, 2018). Indigenous-specific primary health care services
provided 3.9 million episodes of care to around 461,500 clients in 2015–16 in 368 sites
throughout Australia. Social determinants are estimated to be responsible for more than one-
third (34%) of the health gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, and health
risk factors such as smoking and obesity are estimated to account for about one-fifth (19%) of
the health gap. Sadly, to date racism is still a common experience among health professionals
and within the health system. As result racism continues to have a substantial influence on the
unacceptably large health gap between Australia’s Indigenous and non-Indigenous
population.

Week 5

A privilege is a certain entitlement to immunity granted by the state or another authority to a

restricted group, either by birth or on a conditional basis. Being privileged is meant to capture
the unearned benefits and advantages that accrue to members of dominant groups as a result
of the ongoing exploitation and oppression of members of dominated groups.

Many people avoid these discussions because they fear that conversations about race, bias,
and racism lead to a feeling of anger, guilt, discomfort, sadness and at times disrespect. The
idea of being privileged is only fruitful for the one who is being privileged whereas the rest
are hampered physically, socially and emotionally. Various problems arise when it skews
personal interactions and judgments. Similarly, it binds to systemic barriers for those who do
not possess a certain privilege thereby creating or perpetuating inequity.

Therefore, one must be aware of personal perspectives and how these may not contribute to
biases that in turn may contribute even unintentionally, to prejudice, inequality, isolation
poverty and violence.
 References:

Australian Human Rights Commission. (AHRC). (2017). Australia’s human rights bodies tell
political leaders: Uluru Statement ‘cannot be ignored’. Retrieved from
https://www.humanrights.gov.au/news/stories/australia-s-human-rights-bodies-tell-political-
leaders-uluru-statement-cannot-be

Blair, K., Dunn, K., Kamp, A., & Alam, O. (2017). Challenging Racism Project 2015-16 National
Survey Report. Sydney: Western Sydney University. doi: 10.4225/35/58cb62d270392.
Available from:
https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/1201203/OMAC1694_Challe
n ging_Racism_Report_4_-_FINAL.pdf

Field, T., & Reite, M. (1984). Children's Responses to Separation from Mother during the Birth of
Another Child. Child Development, 55(4), 1308-1316. doi:10.2307/1130000

Hogan, Melanie (2009). Stolen Generations Testimonies. Retrieved from Stolen Generations
Testimonies website: http://www.stolengenerationstestimonies.com/

McKeich, A. (2010). Among Us: A Story of the Stolen Generations of Victoria. Retrieved 21 April
2020, from <https://search-informit-com-au.ezproxy.une.edu.au

McIntosh, P. (2012). White Privilege: Unpacking the invisible knapsack white privilege:

essential readings on the other side of racism (4th ed.). New York, NY: Worth

Publishers.

NSW Department of Community Services. (2009). Working with Aboriginal People and
Communities: A practice resource. Ashfield, Australia: NSW Department of Community
Services. Available at
http://www.community.nsw.gov.au/data/assets/pdf_file/0017/321308/working_with_aborigin
al.pdf

Perkins, R. (Director). (2008). First Australians Episode 5 - Unhealthy government experiment,

Sydney, Australia: Special Broadcasting Service. Available at
https://une.kanopy.com/video/first-australians.

Read, P. (2014). Reflecting on the Stolen Generations. [online]. Indigenous Law Bulletin; 8 (13) July
/ August: 3-6. Available at:
 http://ezproxy.une.edu.au/login?url=https://search.informit.com.au/fullText;dn=20151
047;res= AGISPT.

Roronjawi, W. (2014). Apology Strategies Used by Kevin Rudd in his stolen generation speech.
Retrieved from
http://jimbastrafib.studentjournal.ub.ac.id/index.php/jimbastrafib/article/view/345

Rudd, K. (2008). Apology to the Stolen Generations. Available at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKWfiFp24rA. (4’13’’)

Shepherd, C. C., Li, J., Cooper, M. N., Hopkins, K. D., & Farrant, B. M. (2017). The impact of racial
discrimination on the health of Australian Indigenous children aged 5–10 years: analysis of
national longitudinal data. International journal for equity in health, 16(1), 116.

[TEDx Talks]. (9 December 2016). Australia, We Need to Talk, Cally Jetta. [Video File]. Retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7FU8zuHaHg (9.48 mins)