The diversity of Indigenous Australians
The indigenous Australians are people who had diverse lifestyles and life opportunities. The diversity of the lifestyles and opportunities of the indigenous Australians can be linked to the multifaceted and varied cultures (Harvey, 2005). Different cultures of the indigenous Australians have survived for a long time because the aboriginal Australians have been able to become accustomed and change over time. Moreover, the lifestyles and opportunities of the Indigenous Australians have been passed from one generation to another whereby the new generations have inherited the lifestyles and opportunities of the older generations given the reason of their birth. Some of the lifestyles and opportunities passed from one generation of the indigenous Australians to another is language learning, arts, rituals, protecting cultural materials and sharing knowledge. This shows that the indigenous Australians had diverse lifestyles and opportunities.
One of the common lifestyles and opportunities for the aboriginal Australians is that they were farmers (Harvey, 2005). Land was a core resource for the wellbeing of the indigenous Australians. By referring to the land as a core resource, the indigenous Australians did not only focus on the soil or the mineral resources but they also focused on the entire environment. This is because, the aboriginal Australians knew that the environment sustains them just the way they sustain it. Apart from farming, the Indigenous Australians were semi-nomadic. Their lifestyle as hunters and gatherers compelled them to constantly move from one place to another (Harvey, 2005). However, every community of the aboriginal Australians had its own land where they would get its daily living meals. The lands for the diverse communities of the aboriginal Australians were defined by physical boundaries such as lakes, rivers and mountains. Since every community had its own land, the aboriginal Australians cared for their lands and were highly adapted to them. They cultivated the land and endeavored to stay in the land unlike the white men who lived off the land. This is because, the indigenous Australians were taught to preserve their environment and not to destroy it. In addition, the lifestyles and the opportunities of the indigenous Australians also involved possessing good tracking skills because of their hunting and gathering activities (Sally, 2011). Through hunting and gathering, the aboriginal Australians were able to locate and identify edible wild animals and plants. This helped them to explore their lands better and locate the lands with sufficient sources of water.
The indigenous Australians also showed diversity in lifestyles and opportunities because some of them were involved in tourism. Indigenous tourism is one of the industries that emerged among the indigenous Australians. There were different tours and travel experiences, which promoted the indigenous cultures and lifestyles of the indigenous Australians (Josephine, 2007). Indigenous tourism in Australia involved organized tours, performances, dances and buying and selling of traditional artifacts. It also involved the opportunity to stay in the traditional Australian land to encounter the daily lives of the traditional Australian people. Moreover, tourism also included the involvement in business activities, which varied from enterprising people to highly professional commercial people and tourism projects possessed and funded by local land councils. Within the indigenous Australian community, tourism was viewed as a practical and essential way of providing to a financial base, which would enhance the prosperity of the indigenous Australians (Richard, 2010). It also offered employment opportunities to the people who worked in the various tourist attraction sites. Moreover, indigenous tourism also provided market for the different indigenous artifacts, which enhanced financial security among the indigenous people in Australia. Even in the contemporary society, the national parks in Australia show evidence of the tourism activities of the indigenous people. This can be shown through the rock engravings and works of art, which provide evidence for tourism activities among the traditional Australians.
While some indigenous Australians depended on the naturally occurring foods in their environment for their survival, they did not expect to get food without considerable efforts (Richard, 2010). The naturally available foods were found to be well balanced. They also engaged in fishing in order to get food. Fishing was simply done by stirring the waters in order to let the fish come to the surface to be collected. Another opportunity and lifestyle of the indigenous Australians is basketry. Women engaged in weaving of baskets using reeds. These baskets were used for hunting and gathering. The indigenous Australians were also involved in rock painting which was essential for tourist activities. Different communities produced works of art, which was different from that of other people. This is because; the works of art of the indigenous Australians depended on the physical landscapes of each group of people. Involvement in basket weaving and fishing activities also proves that the indigenous Australians had diverse lifestyles and opportunities (Reynolds, 2006).
It should also be noted that the diversity in the lifestyles and opportunities of the indigenous Australians was seen in their sacred activities. The indigenous Australians believed in their gods and they had great respect for their ancestral spirits. They honored the ancestral spirits who were believed to have come to the earth and created the plants, animals, rocks and other things in the environment (Peter, 2010). Moreover, the indigenous people also created relationships between the environment and the people living in it. The sacred places where godly activities were carried out included the rocks, water bodies and trees. This is because; the indigenous Australians believed that the ancestral spirits lived in these sacred places. In addition, the indigenous Australians also believed that the ancestral spirits linked the past with the present. According to the indigenous people in Australia, everything that was sacred was in the land. Young people went through a process of initiation in order to gain knowledge about the sacred areas (Peter, 2010). Therefore, the lifestyles of the indigenous Australians also involved making sacrifices to their gods in the sacred places.
Performance of dances and songs was another lifestyle and an opportunity for the indigenous Australians. Some of the indigenous Australians were involved in songs and dance performance in different ceremonies. Ceremonial performances among the indigenous Australians were seen as the most important aspect of their cultural life. This is because; the performances brought together all the different aspects of their dance, song and body decorations. Moreover, there were songs for each occasion and this shows that each occasion was special to the indigenous Australians. During the songs and dance performances, trade goods could be exchanged and this shows that these songs and dances were essential for business activities. The dances could also be passed from one generation to another and this helped in distinguishing one culture from another (Maggie, 2004). Thus, the lifestyles and opportunities of the indigenous Australians included their involvement in dances and song performances.
Indigenous Australians showed diversity in the delivery of government policies and practices. The government policies in the indigenous Australian societies helped in unifying the people by compelling them to show commitment to the Australian governance. All the people were supposed to uphold the principles and values shared by the Australian people. For example, indigenous people were supposed to show equality under the law, respect for equal worth, and maintain peace and equality in the available opportunities. Government policies relating to the indigenous Australians were also designed and implemented by other people who were non-indigenous (Kerry, 2010). The indigenous Australians justified their government policies explaining that the policies were for their personal good. Some of the policies were meant for protection, self-determination as well as reconciliation. The government policies of the indigenous Australians discouraged against racial discrimination among the people. There was need for equality in health, education, social justice and employment matters among all the people in Australia. However, colonization, urbanization and dispossession resulted to the breakdown of various cultural ties among the indigenous Australians. There were also struggles for land, health and education, which stimulated the appearance of representatives and leaders in each indigenous Australian community (Warwick, 2006). Such leaders also existed in politics and public service as well as national and local organizations. His contributed to a wave of feelings for the establishment of indigenous identity, which was meant to protect the rights of the people from the different indigenous communities. In addition, there was also the need of protecting the culture and language of the people from the diverse indigenous Australian communities.
The indigenous Australians in the contemporary society also had a legal right to vote. However, voting was necessary for the indigenous Australians. Some indigenous Australians such as Ernie Bridge were elected as the first indigenous people to serve in the Australian government as a minister (Kimberly, 2009). In addition, the legal right to vote for the Indigenous Australians made them to become the traditional owners of the land they possessed. The indigenous Australian land was the center of the lifestyles and the opportunities of the aboriginal Australians. This is because; the indigenous Australians depended on the land for their survival. However, they had diverse lifestyles and opportunities since some of them were farmers, hunters, gathers, and basket weavers among other activities. In this connection, the indigenous Australian communities had diverse lifestyles and opportunities.
References:
Harvey, A. (2005). Dreamkeepers: A Spirit-Journey into Aboriginal Australia. New York:
Herper Collins Publishers
Josephine, F. (2007). The Original Australians: Story of the Aboriginal People. New York: Allen
& Unwin Publishers
Kimberly, C. (2009). Aboriginal Business: Alliance in a Remote Australian Town (Global
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Maggie, B. (2004). Indigenous Australian & Alcohol Policy: Meeting Difference with
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Peter, S. (2010). The Politics of Suffering: Indigenous Australia & the End of Liberal Concern.
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Sally, B. (2011). Aboriginal Family and the State: The Conditions of History. New South Wales:
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