Module 2 “Will the real Aborigine please stand up”

This discussion paper explores issues of identity that have unwittingly been adopted by Aborigine peoples of Australia, identities that were created by non-Indigenous Australians, but which have filtered into the Indigenous communities with disastrous effect.  White Australians, for instance, view Indigenous peoples as lacking in education, healthcare, and economic development.  They try to make these peoples more mainstream (more Western), and in the process removes control of their lifestyles from the Aborigines.  The seeming deficit that plagues Indigenous peoples carries with it negative connotations and stereotyping.

The paper shows that the “stereotype threat”—where peoples may not believe in the stereotypes themselves, but they are deeply affected because they know that others subscribe to them—is a significant issue that carries currency for Australian Aborigines.  This even causes divisiveness among tribes as some tribes view others as more or less “Aboriginal” than the others.

The paper summarizes a workshop held in 2009 at the University of Queensland, and attended by 16 Aborigines from various tribes.  The workshop provided a safe place for these members of various backgrounds to discuss the issues and explore possible solutions.

The workshop was conducted not following the agenda of non-Indigenous peoples, but on the Aborigine’s terms.  The workshop followed the Engoori method, which is an Aborigine practice focusing on strengths by 1)  Remembering and reconnecting with the what makes people strong 2) Re-examining and re-learning behaviors, and abandoning those that are harmful 3) recreating and renewing.  The workshop was designed to reverse the practice of lateral violence (performing acts of violence among members of the same Indigenous group instead of at the system that imposed the false identity in the first place).

They took as their model a similar workshop convened in 2007 which aimed to develop strong relationships between the Ipswich Aboriginal and the Torres Strait Islanders , and the Australian government.  The participants identified six issues to address:  developing a sense of place, space and center; maintaining strong family ties; strengthening the capacity of organizations and groups; renewing traditions and customs; acquiring education and skills for employment; exploring ways to be financially independent.  The idea was to remove the cultural “ideals” imposed on these people by non-Indigenous peoples.  Instead of focusing on what they wanted, what they didn’t have, and what they needed, the participants, who represented varying backgrounds and ages were encouraged to focus on what made them strong, what they had, and what they could do.

References

Mithaka, S., Ross, J., Crossing, F., & Fforde, C. (2011).  “Will the real Aborigine please stand up”:  Strategies for breaking the stereotypes and changing the conversations.  Retrieved from http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/research/documents/AIATSISDiscussionPaper28.pdf