Assignment 3 Reflective Essay Katherine Cox

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Western Sydney University *

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Oct 30, 2023

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Student Name: Katherine Cox Student No: 22078016 Total Number of words: 1519 (excluding title page, heading & references) Subject: HUMN1060 Introduction to Indigenous Australia: Peoples, Places and Philosophies Assignment 3: Reflective essay Acknowledgment of Country: I wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which I live and work, the Walbunja and Brindja people of the Yuin Nation. I pay my respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. * Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are advised that this paper may contain names, images, and stories of deceased persons. Readers are warned that there may be culturally sensitive words and descriptions which might not normally be used in certain public or community contexts. Student Name: Katherine Cox Student No: 22078016

What effect has research into the Stolen Generation and Compounded Trauma had on my personal philosophy, along with how will that influence me in my career as the Team Leader at a Youth Refuge? As a non-Indigenous Australian with Australian Indigenous children and grandchildren, it is crucial for me to understand the Australian society's past, so that is why this unit influenced my views, values, and perspectives because of the damage the Indigenous community has experienced in the past resulting in generational compounded trauma. The purpose of this unit was to examine the significance of identity, diversity, representation, and resilience in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. As a result, it allowed me to understand the various Indigenous perspectives and knowledges about their history, which would help me in my current employment position as Team Leader at a Youth Refuge in an area that has a high percentage of Indigenous people. This author will be aware of the social issues they face in society and will be more aware and able to support them and their generational trauma through the stolen generation in Australia. The consequences of colonisation provided me with a better understanding of how the stolen generational compounded trauma has and will affect the past, current, and future Indigenous people. The two concepts that have impacted me are protectionism and assimilation, which revealed significant information about the impact the stolen generation had on the Aboriginal people. As a result of learning the core of Aboriginal history, I can accept their views, perspectives, and perspectives, which will allow me to interact with the Indigenous people regardless of age and embrace their distinctiveness as individuals. Prior to this unit, I had little understanding of the difficulties that Indigenous people faced. This unit has now supplied me with an in-depth understanding regarding their experiences. Primary school demonstrated that the first fleet, land ownership, colonisation, and stolen generation were difficult times for Aboriginals because they were treated unequally. However, awareness of this past did not continue into high school; in the 1970 - 1980s Australian History was not taught at schools. Instead, it was only by assumptions, racial views, or media that the Aboriginal community was known. As a result, this had a significant influence on me during this unit since I had limited knowledge as I wasn’t aware of the other side of the dark Australian history. As a result, admitting and recognising the past has transformed my mental state since I have become more conscious and educated on the Australian Indigenous side of history. The notion of colonisation was introduced to me in week 4 of this unit in order to learn about the governmental power Australians had over Indigenous peoples and the effect they experienced. However, my comprehension of colonisation was very restricted because little information about Indigenous people was taught in primary or high school, so I did not realise the severity brought to the Aboriginal population. As a result, when it came to week 4 and discussing different opinions about this Student Name: Katherine Cox Student No: 22078016

concept with others, I was unaware of the full Australian history from an Indigenous point of view. The description of colonisation that was given to me, 'the action or process of settling among and establishing dominance over the Indigenous peoples of a territory’, this has helped me since as I now understood the notion. However, a question emerged in my mind that I find challenging is why is it important to learn this information? Colonisation provided trade of products for the land and people, and in today's culture, it is not considered as having an influence on Aboriginals as it once did in history! However, this was my concept, which is clear that I must be ignorant on the subject because I had limited experience of the Aboriginal population in my younger years as a child. After learning about the concept, I now have a better grasp of the impact and long-term effects of colonisation on the stolen generation. According to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (2003), it states that Indigenous children have been forcefully taken from their families and exploited for labor since the first day of European occupancy of Australia, and have endured violent fights over rights to land, food, and water supplies. As a result of this relationship, I can recognise the terrible circumstances of Indigenous people who endured throughout this period. Furthermore, according to Schaffer (p.6), the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (2003) report provides legitimacy and acknowledgement to the stories, loss of family, kinship, land and nation, and the ongoing repercussions of loss' through raising awareness of Aboriginal history. As a result of the repercussions of colonisation, this unit has educated me on the predicament that the Indigenous population was in and how these human rights violations have caused compounded trauma that has been passed down through generations. Understanding the concepts of Protectionism and Assimilation is essential for understanding the stages of colonialism, which raised awareness about the amount of protection the Indigenous people receives. The Aboriginal Protection Act 1869 was developed to curb the unjust acts of cruelty and encroachment on their property. This had an influence on their Aboriginal identity since they were forcibly removed from traditional territories and cultural practices, causing them to lose their spiritual and physical connection. Among this knowledge, my perspective on Aboriginal protection had significantly shifted, as it revealed that Aboriginal people do not receive the same protection as Australian individuals. This is unfair because the level of equality in society should be balanced (Australian Government: Australian Law Reform Commission 2010). Understanding this saddened my heart because Indigenous people (Australia’s First Nation) should be treated equally. In addition, learning about the notion of Assimilation in society, in which Aboriginal people were supposed to be citizens of equal standing with the same rights and benefits as persons in Australia. This notion revealed to me how assimilation produced numerous problems for the Aboriginal population since they had to give up their rights to land, cultural practices, and language, resulting in a loss of identity. As Student Name: Katherine Cox Student No: 22078016

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stated by Bronwyn (2016), "Aboriginals who resisted assimilation faced discrimination and were viewed as Aboriginals by self-image." According to the research (Healing Foundation 2019), we can determine that the impacts of intergenerational trauma on Australian Indigenous people have demonstrably poorer health and wellbeing outcomes, compared with those who were not removed and their descendants – resulting in poorer mental health, suicidal ideation, attempts and/or death. Cressida (et al. 2013, p.164) revealed that 'knowledge is put to work through certain technologies, historical context, and specific institutions', which highlights how this unit has provided me with information about how their identity was challenged during the era of the stolen generation, allowing me to recognise the impact Australian history had on the Aboriginal nation. Learning about the theory of Assimilation in society, whereby Aboriginal people were intended to become equal citizens with the same rights and advantages as everyone else in Australia. This notion revealed to me how assimilation produced numerous problems for the Aboriginal population since they had to give up their rights to land, cultural practices, and language, resulting in a loss of identity. Exploring Aboriginal history in this unit: “Introduction to Indigenous Australia: Peoples, Places and Philosophies” has taught me a lot more than I previously understood. Therefore, the learnt information is significant for me and my job as the history is so intricate, it helps me to become conscious of the feelings and behavior that Indigenous people experienced. The information presented is more than simply facts; it is a manner of learning about the Indigenous peoples that helps me to appreciate and properly recognise the first nations on this land, as reported by visitors to this country. As I have Indigenous children and grandchildren, I have been more sensitive to this issue because I have felt their suffering and placed myself empathetically in their shoes. This is important for me and my job as a Team Leader at a Youth Refuge in an area with a high Indigenous population because I need to be aware of the region's history, which is why understanding the impact of the compounded trauma on those children who were forcibly removed in the stolen generation allows me to offer encouragement and support them to overcome their generational suffering. Finally, studying the unit 'Introduction to Indigenous Australia: Peoples, Places and Philosophies', the effects of colonialism, as well as the concepts of protectionism and assimilation, has given me a thorough understanding of the influence it had on the stolen generation. However, in my employment as Team Leader at a Youth Refuge and in an area with high Indigenous demographics, I hope to provide effective support services to local Indigenous Youth and their families. This will be significant since Australian Indigenous people need to have a voice and assisting one another represents our beliefs and ethics as individuals. Therefore, this unit had a beneficial impact on me given that it has allowed me to think on the hardships that the Australian Indigenous people and their communities have endured, which has significance in Australian history. Student Name: Katherine Cox Student No: 22078016

References Australian Government: Australian Law Reform Commission 2010, Changing policies towards Aboriginal people, viewed 29 July 2023, https://www.alrc.gov.au/publication/recognition-of-aboriginal-customary-laws-alrc- report31/3-aboriginal-societies-the-experience-of-contact/changing-policies-towards- aboriginalpeople/ Australian Human Rights Commission 2014, Bringing them home: separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families , 12 June, online video, viewed 29 July 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl82VMuuKI0 Australians Together n.d., viewed 29 July 2023, https://australianstogether.org.au/discover/australian-history/stolen-generations Bronwyn, B 2016, The Politics of Identity: who counts as Aboriginal today? AIATSIS, Canberra. Cressida, F, Lawrence, B, Ray, L, Scott, G, & Bill, F 2013, ‘Discourse, deficit and identity: Aboriginality, the race paradigm and the language of representation in contemporary Australia’, Media international Australia incorporating Culture & policy, vol.149, no.149, pp.163-164, viewed 29 July 2023, Academic Search Complete database, 10.1177/1329878X1314900117 Goodall, H 2008, 'Invasion and land: "a system of terrorism"' in Invasion to embassy: Land in Aboriginal politics in New South Wales, Sydney University Press, pp. 25–93. https://ezproxy.uws.edu.au/login? url=https://readings.westernsydney.edu.au/imageserver/reservesViewer.php? reserve=648075 Healing Foundation 2019, Working with the Stolen Generations: understanding trauma Providing effective GP services to Stolen Generations survivors, Healing Foundation, viewed 29 July 2023 https://healingfoundation.org.au/app/uploads/2019/12/Working-with-Stolen- Generations-GP-fact-sheet.pdf Human rights and Equal Opportunity commission 2003, Bringing them home learning about the National Inquiry into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their Families, viewed 29 July 2023, https://bth.humanrights.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/bringing_them_home_re port.pdf Pat, D, Debra, R, Darren, G, Heather, G 2014, ‘Working Together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Well-being Principles and Practice, Kulunga Research Network, Melbourne. Schaffer, K 2002, ‘Stolen Generation Narratives in Local and Global Contexts’, American Association of Australian Literary Studies, vol. 16, no.1, pp. 5-6 Student Name: Katherine Cox Student No: 22078016