CONTEMPORARY ABORIGINAL SPIRITUALITIES Flashcards
1
Q
DREAMING:
A
- Underpins all beliefs & practises
- All knowledge & understanding
- Explains Worldview, Origins of the universe & creation & existence, Workings of nature, Life and death
- Aboriginal belief → all life is part of one vast unchanging network of relationships which can be traced to the ancestral spirit beings of the dreaming
2
Q
Dreaming includes
A
Hunting and gathering Totemic sites Land Plants Animals Social organisation Relationships Languages Division of land Inextricable link Territorial rights Celestial bodies
3
Q
Kinship
A
- Integral to spirituality; refers to network of relationships holding clan together
- Relationships establish/reinforce rules of community behaviour
- Land important aspect of kinship; referred to as ‘my mother’
- Kinship ties identify system of belonging and responsibility in a clan
- Determines all relationships & roles for aboriginal people
4
Q
Ceremonial Life
A
- Ancestors taught human descendents to live and how to keep life going through secret ceremonies
- Dreaming and life giving powers live through humans/ animals after performing ceremonies
- Rituals renew/conserve life→ everyone expected to understand sacred traditions
- Art→ way of communicating the Dreaming through symbols, paintings, representations
- Stories→ Describe law, lifestyle, customs/culture→ always messages of ethics
- Totems→ Represent individuals as they existed in Dreaming, carry ceremonial responsibilities
5
Q
Obligations to land and people
A
- Connection to land; responsibility to care and nurture land
- Dreaming links person to land and objects within land
- People share same spiritual essence as land - Land is physical medium through which the Dreaming is lived and communicated
6
Q
Discuss the continuing effect of dispossession on Aboriginal spiritualities in relation to:
Separation from the land
A
- 1770 Captain Cook declared Terra Nullius→ Aus belonged to no one; claimed Aboriginal laws had no legal status and entitlement to land denied
- Aboriginal people removed from land (source of spirituality) → suffered malnutrition, disease, unable to find work, relied on govt
- 1830’s Protectorates established; reserved operated under white manager→ had power to expel people, hand out food, treat people as children
- No hunting/gathering→ traditional way of life destroyed
- Loss of land→ lives no meaning (dignity taken away)
- Water/food sources lost→ had to trespass, hunt settlers stock→ led to violent confrontations
- Displacement meant loss of cultural knowledge
- Removal from land withdrew a person’s place in the Dreaming and place of sport after death (Dreaming concept→ belief in return to spirit world after death)
7
Q
Separation from kinship groups
A
- British view→ civilisation was superior→ would teach Aboriginals
- Children lived in missions isolated from families→ carers tried to undermine culture by branding traditional beliefs as evil (stamping out ceremonies, rituals, languages)
- Different language groups grouped together and sent away→ impacted on spirituality
- Scale of separation; consequences for whole community→ distrust of govt, police and officials
8
Q
The Stolen Generations
A
- 1915-1970 → Children removed from families by enforcement of govt policies
- Chief protector; legal guardian of Aboriginal children; sent them to missions, schools etc
- Boys exploited as cheap labour on reserves. Girls fell pregnant. ⅕ physically abused
- 1950-1960→ taken without parent’s knowledge or consent
- Children told parents died or didn’t want them→ moved from place to place, discriminated and bullied
- Lost connection to dreaming, didn’t feel as if belonged
- Official policy until 1969→ impossible to know how many were taken (poor record keeping) -
- Effects today→ removed families likely to come to police attention, low self esteem,vulnerable to sexual/physical abuse, unable to retain links to land
- Some fostered or adopted by white parents→ in new homes suffered abuse, poor food/living conditions, little education, banned from speaking native language
- Main reason for policy→ assimilate children into “White Australia”
- Lack of parental model→ many had difficulty bringing up own children
9
Q
Outline the importance of the following for the Land Rights movement:
Native Title
A
- NT: Recognition in Aus law; some Indigenous people continue to hold rights to lands/waters→ comes from traditional laws and customs
Exists when;
- Rights and interests under traditional laws currently observed and acknowledged
- Indigenous people have a connection with the area
- Rights and interests are recognised by common law of Aus
- Laws and customs acknowledged in mostly uninterrupted way from settlement to now
- Native Title recognises validity of Aboriginal territorial laws existing prior to settlement
- Native Title Act (1993) → Overturned terra nullius, gave official recognition to Indigenous way of life
10
Q
importance of the following for the Land Rights movement:
Mabo
A
- Eddie Mabo (Mer Islander) believed Aus laws on land ownership were wrong; fought to change them
- Challenged Aus legal system for rights of Indigenous as traditional owners of their land
Mer Islanders decided they would challenge concept of Terra Nullius in High court (case ran for 10 years) - 3 June 1992→ High Court decided terra nullius shouldn’t have been applied
- High Court didn’t decide if Native Title could exist in land leased to pastoralists on long term (but didn’t own)
- Provided limited opportunities for small number of Indigenous people to claim ongoing existence of Native Title
- Important→ land given back to Mabo’s people, land able to be claimed more easily, Terra Nullius overthrown
- Recognises rights of Aboriginals to compensation, self determination,practice of their religion and protection of cultural identity
11
Q
Wik
A
- 1996 Wik people of Cape York (QLD) → brought case to High Court arguing their right of NT on pastoral land
- Ruled in their favour; decided NT rights and pastoralist rights could exist simultaneously
- Great victory; even though pastoralists rights would generally prevail over Indigenous rights
- Decision met with outcry so John Howard compromised and dramatically favoured rights of pastoralists (seen as act of racism)
- Nonetheless it was incorporated into Native Title Amendment Act (1998) → bill increased state, territory govt powers over NT claims, while reducing rights of Aborigines to negotiate directly with pastoral leaseholders
12
Q
- Analyse the importance of the Dreaming for the Land Rights movement.
Key events in Land rights movement
A
- Movement in Aus; seeking to challenge Terra Nullius, identify Aboriginal connection/ ownership of land
- 1981→ Mabo fought to change Terra Nullius laws
- 1992→ High Court recognised Aboriginals hold to NT; provided limited opportunities to claim NT
- 1993→ Native Title Act; Overturned Terra Nullius; gave recognition to Indigenous way of life
- 1996→ Wik people argued right to NT on pastoral land→ decided NT rights could exist simultaneously
13
Q
Why Land Rights is important
A
- Recognizes Aboriginal people are traditional custodians of land
- Aboriginal people able to claim land more easily
- Terra Nullius concept overthrown
Recognises right to compensation - Allowed to practice cultural identity and religion
