Mental Health And Stereotypes: The Indigenous People Of Australia

There are a variety of ways and factors that influence how people are represented in different non-fiction and fiction texts. Indigenous Australians are usually represented in harmful disrespectful ways, but they are also represented in positive ways. There are many factors that contribute to these representations. In the year 8 fiction and non-fiction text studied in the last three terms, we have seen different representations of indigenous Australian people. The main factors contributing to these are, stereotypes, historical events, real life experiences and

Australian Indigenous people have their own culture, after the colonisation the western culture was a major part of Australia. After all that, due to immigration Australia has a taste of different cultures. We now eat food (pizza), play sports (tennis), and celebrate festivals (Chinese New Year) that aren’t Australian. Multiculturalism provides people with knowledge about different cultures, a taste of different food and also a taste of other country’s life. Some people believe that people coming over in not good for nations. Everything has its own pros and cons. Multiculturalism has its own cons too. Racism, is the worst part about multiculturalism. Some people believe that, if people have come over to Australia they must adapt the Australian culture. Some people find it hard to understand that it doesn’t matter if you’re a Hindu or Christian, the only thing that matters is if you’re a good human being. Discriminating or judging people based on their religion, appearance or the way they speak is how racism arises. How can anyone live a positive life with a negative mind? To maintain the multicultural community it is extremely important for people to respect each other’s identity and

However, there is still hope. While the injustices of the Stolen generation, massacres and centuries of mistreatment against Indigenous Australians can never be erased, we can create future in which these atrocities never occur again. These atrocities emerge from ignorance and fear, so working to understand Indigenous culture must surely be the only path to removing the racism that plagues Australia. We have so must to learn from the rich cultural history of Indigenous Australians, particularly in their spiritual relationship with the land they have lived on for thousands of years. If we embrace this incredible knowledge, not only will we eliminate the barriers preventing equality in our society, we will also be stronger as a nation in both environmental and social relations. Ultimately, we have the potential to become an example to the world of the way a nation’s people can overcome their past mistakes and pave a future of cultural sharing for the benefit of all

Week ones study was focused on the Aboriginal Acknowledgement of Country and the Indigenous terms of reference. These are two very important topics as they focus on the interaction between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians, fostering a relationship a relationship of trust, respect and understanding.

Disadvantage and marginalisation of indigenous Australian 's began with the dispossession of land, displacement of their people, and separation of families. Indigenous Australian 's have difficulty in gaining access, to the same degree, to what white Australian 's have ready access such as housing, employment and general services. Indigenous Australian 's are one of the most disadvantaged groups in this country in social and economic areas such as employment, housing, income, and health. The burden of poor health among aborigines is of particular concern. The health disadvantage of indigenous people begins in infancy and continues throughout their life. The problem appears to become evident right from birth with aboriginal woman twice as likely as non-indigenous woman to have a stillborn baby and twice as likely to give birth to an underweight baby (ed. Healey 2000, p.4). During the period between 1991 and 1996, life expectancy for indigenous people was around 20 years than that of their non-indigenous counterparts. The lives of indigenous people are affected by many other health factors, one of most concern is alcohol related problems that impact on their well-being, family structure, and even aboriginal traditional life because they tend to drink more haphazardly. Some of the health risks to which indigenous people are exposed can be attributed the differences between the health of indigenous and non-indigenous people. Such risks include, poorer living conditions,

Canada is known for its amazing healthcare and it is considered one of the best in the world. In Canada, healthcare is ‘universal’ to its citizens under the Heath Care Act. However, not everyone has equal access to healthcare, Aboriginals being some of them. Aboriginals have trouble getting the access they need because of socio-economic status, geography, lack of infrastructure and staff, language or cultural barriers an more.

First of all, what are Aboriginal stereotypes? Aboriginal stereotypes are the negative depictions of the First peoples prior to Columbus. Also, the stereotypes served as an imprint on society as to what an Aboriginal First Nation is ‘supposed’ to look like. Some examples of these stereotypes are; Still live in Igloos or Tipi; The Indian Princess; the noble savage; the Native Warrior; the drunk; the wise elder; and etc. The list goes on and on. Even though, a couple of these terms might have been true back in the day like the igloos or tipi’s. Of course, a lot of Aboriginals do still use the cultural shelters but mainly for ceremonies and a place for praying. That’s another conversation for another

The Ngunnawal People have been living within the borders and surrounding mountains of the Australian Capital Territory for over 25,000 years. The way the Indigenous people used the land to live off was extremely efficient and sustainable. They had a bounty of knowledge about the land surrounding them, and over generations, devised resourced management skills to ensure maintenance of the animals and plants, and most importantly, the land in which provided these things. Aboriginal culture existed long before Captain Cook arrived in Australia in 1770. He claimed the land to be "Terra-Nullius", meaning that the land did not belong to any person. This claim obviously seemed ludicrous and crazy to the Indigenous people whom already lived on the land.

Aboriginal Australian peoples have been placed in unfair situations that have resulted in disconnections from society due to bias in culture, racism and because of previous historical events such as colonisation that led to colonialism and horrible events such as The Stolen Generation. These events act like a scar to the Aboriginal Australian peoples and their culture, those previously mentioned historical events symbolises the cut, the immense pain that was caused in that moment is still a factor and the pain from it is still prevalent and is symbolised by the scar. The scar also represents the factors that still manage to affect the Aboriginal Australians today, such as racism and lack of quality and access to education, money and health care.. The Indigenous peoples are also affected by various other factors such as limited access to health care that may be of poor quality, such resources may also bring fear to the Indigenous peoples because practitioners are not always sensitive or respectful to

“Indigenous Australians” is an inclusive term used when referring to both Aboriginal and Torres Strait islanders, also known as the “first peoples”.

Long histories of colonisation and discrimination have resulted in marginalisation of Indigenous Australians and Torres Straight Islanders from dominant societies (GrantCraft,

Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders were the First Nation and belong to Australia. They were hunters and gatherers and are very connected to the earth. They have strong family bonds and extended family are also involved in decision making and caring for individuals. The Elders are very much respected and make decisions on behalf of the tribe and they are the leaders. They believe in the Dreaming which is their belief to look after the land, the existence of powerful beings that gave birth to life on earth. They are very sharing and caring towards each other, sharing food, clothes, caring for the sick, children and elders which is the result of big families living together. They express their religious and ceremonial life through art,

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have close relationships with their communities and families. Having this strong support system is important for their wellbeing and sense of belonging.

Representation plays a pivotal role in comprehending and interpreting the complex world around us. According to Stuart Hall, “representation is an essential part of the process by which meaning is produced and exchanged between members of a culture (Hall The Work of Representation 1997). How adequately one represents one’s own self or the world around them is a matter of prime concern for everyone ranging from critics to common man. However, no representation is neutral and it involves issues of power and control. Much postcolonial scholarships revolve around this issues of power and politics of representation with the deployment of what Foucault has popularly termed as “discourse”. Employing the Foucaultian discursive approach, Edward Said’s

The British Empire colonized many countries in the 19th and 20th century. One of their most exploitive captures was Australia. Before the 19th century, Britain sent many convicts and soldiers to Australia because of their overcrowded prisons, then settlers began living along the coast. Australia was their most credulous gain because it was deemed uninhabited, uninhabitable and there was current British soldiers and prisoners living there.