Aboriginal Intensive Journal
ENTRY 1 DATE: 09 January 2017
Since it was the first class of the semester, we commenced with an introductory session for most parts of the first half of the day. Here, the lecturer issued us with all the set subject requirements, rules, regulations, and academic tasks for the entire semester. All these were inclusive of matters on class attendance, participatory marks, and the overall student assessment. As for the second half of the day, it primarily entailed the exploration of all the concepts revolving around myths and dreaming. The scholar explained to us that even though myths are commonly termed as the indigenous systems of belief in different communities, people should not view them as being either untrue or unreal. Instead, individuals should start seeing them in another light as beliefs that guide both social and organizational behaviors perceived to be true as per different societies (Wolf, 2006). This is true because some myths even in modern contemporary societies are not entirely false.
On the contrary, dreaming also commonly referred to as the dreamtime is a controversial and intricate way of describing aboriginal systems of belief. In addition, dreaming also refers to a specified period in the past, which mainly consisted of the emergence of beings with special powers (Edwards, 2005). Moreover, the said period also provides details on how the beings engaged in several activities such as travelling around and engaging in specified and classified events before finally either going back to the earth or ascending into the heavens. As such, we gathered that the dreamtime essentially majored on the various activities and movements portrayed by the different special powered beings. Besides, Wolf (2006) also posits that these dreamtime beings apparently gave shape to the world which had been extremely formless, uninhabited and highly undifferentiated before. Therefore, it is the various characters and events engaged in the dreamtime that set relative trends and patterns for the indigenous individuals to follow. In other words, we learnt that Aboriginal people followed trends and patterns previously set by their ancestors who manifested themselves in either half- animal or half- human forms.
Furthermore, the said beings could also take different forms and they did not limit their life force. Essentially, this is true because a famous example of these ancestral spirits whose track cuts across a number of Aboriginal communities and societies in Australia is the Rainbow Serpent (Broome, 2010). Moreover, we were also able to learn about the establishment and inauguration of laws, different patterns of relationships and rituals in a bid for the natives to maintain good contact between them and the dreamtime beings after their ultimate departure (Briggs, 2008). Hence, we were also able to gather that the various identified places where the dreamtime beings came from and disappeared into tend to be immensely significant and sacred to all the Aboriginal people.
In addition, the lecturer also enlightened us on the periods before the invasion of the Europeans in Australia where more than one million people inhabited the area. However, as Edwards (2005) argue, even though the said inhabitants tend to be termed as being similar by current scholars such as historians and teachers, several Islander groups were slightly different. These distinct groups comprised the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islander who happened to be unique distinctly in terms of their customs, language and traditions (Broome, 2010). Essentially, most traditional aboriginal societies had specific structures inclusive of the local descent groups, clans and the band. Hence, this lecture essentially contained important information based on the historical issues, beliefs, cultures, social economic trends, governance and political trends of the Aboriginals. As a result, by the end of this lecture, we were familiar to the overall structure and composition of the Aboriginals.
ENTRY 2 DATE: 10 January 2017
For this lecture, we began by expounding a detailed exploration of the traditional Aboriginal community. Here, the two main areas of focus in the Aboriginal society were kinship and Totemism. As such, we gathered that kinship was, and still, is extremely important in Aboriginal societies (Wolf, 2006). This is because it entails the different unique networks of individuals related to a given person. Therefore, kinships tend to form concrete platforms for relationships socially thus regulating behavior within the entire community or society. Here, this means that as per the different levels of kin relations, people tend to act and behave in ways strictly in line with the status of the other individuals in the society. Hence, this may include certain taboos, special duties and rights, total avoidance, certain restraints, caution and certain ways of speech. In essence, this is true even in modern societies since kinships tend to form a kind of behavioral boundary that govern how far people can relate to each other (Manna, 2015). In other words, this means that people of the same kin have limits as per their behavioral contacts and relationships with each other.
However, the only difference amongst modern societies is that kinship systems and beliefs tend to be different in all the communities. Wolf (2006) also claims that in the same way but in a different measure, the Aboriginal society classifies every member as kin and as a result, the different kinship categories tend to define all kinds of roles within the society. This means that unlike the modern Western societies where kinships are highly differentiated and their effects only applicable to certain restricted places, the Aboriginal society entertains one homogeneous kinship system for the entire society (Mannan, 2015). Thus, the rules governing one tribe tend to be applicable to the entire Aboriginal society.
Nonetheless, even though the modern kinship systems and beliefs may not be as complicated as before, it would be right to point out that all cultures tend to be entirely vulnerable to subjections of influence from the past (Edwards, 2005). We continued to learn that in the modern world, the Australians strongly depict this claim since from their indigenous communities they have maintained a historical culture of several traits such as invasion and genocide with regard to culture and dispossession. Furthermore, we also came to terms with the word totemism, which refers to how a certain clan gets associated with particular flora or fauna species or even other existing natural phenomena (Broome, 2010). Essentially, an example such as the ancestors of the kangaroos and the current human beings of the kangaroo clan support this claim. In addition, the lecturer also clarified that the rituals and belief systems practiced by the Aboriginal people tended to be highly integrated.
All societies either modern or traditional believe in life- cycle rituals practiced during certain key points in individuals’ lives such as birth, marriage, initiation and death. Nevertheless, the various rituals practiced to mark different cycles in life may have other meanings according to cultures practiced in other societies and communities. As for the Aboriginal society in Australia, both stages of birth and death do not mean certain boundaries as in other communities whereby once an individual passes the stages then they cannot go back (Wolf, 2006). This is because the Aboriginals tend to be part of spiritual worlds, which come before their own existence. Hence, we came to understand that it is through rituals that the Aboriginals contact their ancestors, the dreaming spirits, who pioneered all current trends and patterns of behaviors, rituals and other relations socially.
ENTRY 3 DATE: 11 January 2017
In this lecture, the primary focus was on the protection period of the Aboriginals, inclusive of the history and policies revolving around the said period. In addition, the lecturer also majored on the issues that arose when the Aboriginals were exposed to the Europeans. Here, Broome (2010) claims that because of the British invasion in the indigenous Australian land with a single act of planting their flag and declaring their possession over Australia, the Europeans dispossessed the Aboriginals in their own land. The Europeans justified this heinous and inhumane act with claims that they attained ownership of the land through the basis of discovery, which the International Law of the Europeans incorporated. In spite of all the evidence against that cruelty, the Europeans insisted that they had acquired the land in legally since according to them, they had just discovered the vast place (Mannan, 2015). Therefore, as per their claims, Australia had been empty and unoccupied or rather ‘terra nullius’ before the Europeans apparently discovered the land.
The Australian High Court later on overruled this evident lie in the fall of 1992. This was because the court proved that the native inhabitants had a working system of governance before the British invasion. Furthermore, this pre-existing organized system of law together with all other rights would remain intact unless when amended or dissolved either executively or through legislature. As such, the positive response of the government towards the Europeans’ inhuman act of land grabbing and dispossession of the Aboriginals ensured that the indigenous title remained both recognized and protected. Moreover, the natives also acquired other benefits since their past grants of land, which normally were invalid previously due to native titles got verified thus resuming their validity (Broome, 2010). In addition, the displaced Aboriginals and Islanders of Torres Strait also attained a fund on land acquisition, which ensured the satisfaction of all their needs especially for those who would be unable to claim the native title.
We also learnt that later on in 1787, a captain by the name Arthur Phillip was instructed to lead the Europeans to hold a conversation with the indigenous people and merge with them as well as living in peace and harmony with them (Broome, 2010). Nonetheless, the result was a whole different sad case since it led to the eruption of a borderline warfare between the Aboriginals and the Europeans. In the beginning, the struggle took the form of a partisan warfare, which spread out rapidly all over the country. However, in some parts of Australia such as Victoria, the native attacks begun in the early1838 whereby the inhabitants were severely attacks and their livestock killed, maimed and stolen (Broome, 2010). As a result, the frontier war led to the emergence of many freedom warriors from the Aboriginal community who all wanted to fight for their land, peace and property, which the English had wrongfully taken away from them. However, bounty hunters and mercenaries who had greater skills and machineries used in war either killed or assassinated those brave resistance fighters. Therefore, the deadly combination of guns, lack of food hence starvation and breakouts ultimately led to the fall of all forms of resistance from the Aboriginals in Victoria (Clark, 2007).
Due to the great death toll seen from the natives, the British Government realized that if they failed to protect the remaining Aboriginal societies, then they would definitely become extinct. This is because the early inhabitants were significantly inferior as compared to the white settlers. As such, these deductions ceremoniously resulted to the next era of colonization commonly referred to as the protection period, which actualized through segregation of the natives from the English people (Broome, 2010). Segregation meant the building and construction of both missions and reserves by the British Government for the natives in an attempt to protect them from their colonizers and they were mandatory. However, the Aboriginals felt recolonized and dehumanized by the missions and reserves since through the introduction of Christianity and attempted civilization, the Europeans were literally stripping the natives off their cultures and beliefs. Besides, we also deduced that the disturbing cases of sexual violence and harassment against women and young girls rose significantly in the missions since they were completely vulnerable in the hands of those merciless soldiers.
ENTRY 4 DATE: 12 January 2017
Following the last lecture, the lecturer guided us in the exploration of the contemporary issues experienced by the Aboriginals in Australia in the first half of the day. In the remaining part of the day, we all visited the Contemporary Art Centre in Australia in order to view the exhibitions labeled as sovereign. As such, the scholar expounded on the Protection Board which grew short of funds with time. As a result, the board suggested a change in their offer whereby they were to shift their full attention only to the indigenous people who were seemingly slowly becoming extinct (Broome, 2010). In addition, the board also suggested the merging of all the half- castes into the non-indigenous societies.
Furthermore, we also learnt that the Board’s power subsequently increased in that it could now remove children from mixed races to the department of neglected children for improved care and custody. Nevertheless, this improved in 1957 when the Aborigines Act led to the establishment of a welfare board entirely supporting natives (Broome, 2010). Here, this welfare board obtained the mandate to upgrade and foster the Aborigines’ welfare intellectually, morally and physically with the aim of assimilating them into the main community. The driving force behind the whole idea was the fact that the only hope for the Aborigines was creating the mental picture that they were part of the larger part of the society of all the non- natives.
However, the act denied the board of all powers regarding the native children in that they now lacked the power to remove children. Essentially, this proved to be of high significance since children could now adapt in one area without the harsh ejection from the missionaries, which they had grown to familiarize themselves. Moreover, the previous removal from the missionaries and reserves meant complete separation from their parents and this could ultimately lead to their emotional and psychological stress, which could in turn affect their ability to cope later on (Broome, 2010). In addition, this could also cause serious adverse effects to the parents since sometimes the policemen and people in charge of the removal literally stripped the children off their parents’ arms. This was by practicing certain factors such as duress, compulsion and undue influence. Nonetheless, following the amendment of the act on Aboriginal affairs, the minister in charge of all the aboriginal affairs had his powers reinstated regarding the welfare and interests of the Aborigines. However, the ministry abused their newly reinstated powers and as a result, there was nullification of the same regained power and they now could not remove any native children from the missionaries.
Due to the nullification of the previously reinstated powers of the minister of aboriginal affairs regarding the removal of children from the missionary centers and reserves, there was an improvement in the protection of children’s rights since legal representation of the neglected children was by then now available in the children’s law courts (Prentis, 2009). Furthermore, we also learnt that the adoption act in Victoria made it possible for people to adopt children since the act allowed anyone to conduct the procedure. However, there were a few complaints regarding the entire adoption process in that some adoptive parents realized later on that they had been unwittingly engaged in the process while their only agenda was to offer minimal support either educationally or financially to the adopted children. On the contrary, other adoptive parents ended up losing their adopted children once their biological parents suddenly emerged unceremoniously later on. Finally, for the other half of the day, we all headed to the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art where we viewed the different sovereign exhibitions related to the Aboriginal society.
ENTRY 5 DATE 13 January 2017
Being the final day of our lectures about the Aboriginal communities, we explored all the issues that had risen throughout the entire intensive study and made a summary on the same. This we did on our own and even with the help of our lecturer where the need arose. As such, we first identified the various primary issues that had risen throughout the intensive and listed them down (Prentis, 2009). These issues arose from the different topics found such as introduction to the Aboriginal people together with their unique traditions, then the Aborigines of Victoria and their first encounter with the Europeans and the social and cultural organization of the Aboriginals including their kinship and ritual systems (Broome, 2010). After that, we ventured into how the Aboriginal societies lived after the invasion of the Europeans in their native land and finally, the era of protection followed hand in hand with the policies involved during the said period. Here, we concluded that different issues arose through the overall intensive. Issues such as the cultures, composition, beliefs, traditions, resistance to change and colonization, unity and continued hope of the Aboriginals of Australia all presented themselves.
We found that the Aboriginals were unique people who portrayed complete unity through the entire pre-colonization, colonization and even post- colonization periods. This is because throughout the pre-colonization period, the Aboriginals followed their culture, belief systems, rituals and kinship systems to the latter (Prentis, 2009). As seen in the intensive, these kinship systems determined their relationships just like in the western communities. However, in the modern world, people no longer pay much attention to the kinship systems even though the set rules are still existent. In other words, individuals just choose to ignore warnings related to committing certain things earlier on seen or viewed as taboos. In addition, modern people have either forgone or taken lightly some of the different rituals performed by the Aboriginal community to mark all the relevant stages of life (Prentis, 2009). For example, the marriage institution has taken a huge blow since people end up forgoing the ritual after engaging in pre-marital sex, early marriages or even forced marriages in modern contemporary societies.
In addition, for the Aboriginal community, they still portrayed elements of unity even during the colonization periods. This is so because after the Europeans dispossessed them and commenced colonizing the natives, various guerilla fighters emerged and started a forefront war in a bid to reclaim their possessions (Prentis, 2009). Even though they were eventually defeated and almost eliminated, the main idea is that they were willing to try to stand for what they legally owned. This shows unity, patriotism and loyalty to the Aboriginal society and their native motherland. Those are unique traits since in the modern societies, at times they tend to be elusive in that people end up being selfish and concerned only about their own well- being. Even during the reserve and missionary periods, even though the Aboriginals faced all kinds of evils ranging from sexual harassment to mental and physical torture, which surprisingly increased during the said period, the natives stayed strong and still pushed on for the amendments of certain laws as per their strength by then. As such, all these adverse issues that faced the Aboriginals were enough for them to simply quit and choose to give up.
However, these natives fought with their all even though their war tools were significantly inadequate in comparison to the Europeans’ sophisticated ones. Hence, from this intensive, it has not only been about the primary point of study. Instead, this study has been insightful, informative, and recreative. Impeccably, the entire intensive has been appealing because it explored and explained historical contents as well as amalgamated history with the various elements in the modern world such as the various political trends, social economic patterns as well as governance.
Bibliography
Briggs, C., 2008. The journey cycles of the Boonwurrung: Stories with Boonwurrung Language. Melbourne: VCAL.
Broome, R., 2010. Aboriginal Australians: A history since 1788. Crows Nest, N.S.W: Allen & Unwin.
Clark, I. D., 2007. The Abode of Malevolent Spirits and Creatures: Caves in Victorian Aboriginal Social Organization. Helictite, 40(1): 3-10
Edwards, W. H. 2005. An introduction to Aboriginal societies. South Melbourne, Vic: Thomson Social Science Press.
Mannan, K.A., 2015. Controversial issues of Aboriginals in Australia: An Analysis of Regulatory Perspectives. Asian Journal of Indigenous Studies, 1(1): 67-72.
Prentis, M. D. 2009. A study in black and white: The Aborigines in Australian history. Dural, N.S.W: Rosenberg.
Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages, 2014. Nyernila- Listening Continuously: Aboriginal Creation Stories of Victoria. Melbourne: VCAL.
Wolf, P., 2006. Settler Colonialism and the Elimination of the Native. Journal of Genocide Research, 8(4): 387–409.
