Coming Events
Next Article
For some of you, the term “homeland”, may not make sense. We would like to offer some explanation, as homelands are so vital to empowering Yolngu across Arnhem Land, and where ever people live on Aboriginal lands.
Latest Headlines
-
Dhurili Nation Challenges Mining Lease Agreement in Court
Posted on June 7, 2011 | 3 CommentsDhurili Nation considers court action as Prime Minister celebrates historic agreement in Gove Peninsula, NT. The Dhurili Nation, comprising the Datiwuy, Golumala, Marrakulu and Marrangu clans have previously confirmed to the Northern Land Council and the Minister for Indigenous Affairs that they are lawful traditional... -
Our hidden biases. Test your unconscious racial associations.
Posted on May 18, 2011 | No CommentsI have mentioned to some people that there is a test online that allows us to test our unconscious racial associations or prejudices. It is called an Implicit Association Test and it can be found at implicit.harvard.edu All of us carry with us unconscious associations... -
Living Dead: A Yolngu Experience of Disempowerment
Posted on August 31, 2010 | 3 CommentsThis is a short video that describes living as a Yolngu person in a remote community in Australia. It is a story that the rest of us rarely hear expressed so clearly. Dianne, the speaker in this video has found a degree of insight into... -
Predatory systems maintaining Indigenous disadvantage: Some examples
Posted on July 1, 2010 | 6 CommentsAs was discussed in the previous article, one of the limit conditions that create Indigenous "poverty" is that people must engage in strange cultural spaces, controlled by the Dominant Culture. But what are the systems that maintain peoples lack of control in these spaces. I put forward a range of possibilities, some more controversial than others. -
Cultural Spaces (An example of the Limit Conditions the people face)
Posted on April 11, 2010 | 3 CommentsAll cultures have spaces of ceremony and tradition, both sacred and part of every day life. We often don't see them within our own culture until we are taken out of our comfort zone and required to navigate them within another culture. We often don't see the impact strange cultural spaces can have on our person. When we do it helps us to understand the world that Indigenous people face daily. -
Dirty Assumptions
Posted on February 2, 2010 | 1 CommentI was recently told a story about a black African visitor to an Australian Indigenous community. This man went to visit an important Elder in the community... This is a story about sitting in the dirt, about the 'cultural glasses' that we wear and the assumptions we can make. -
Understanding Indigenous “Poverty”- Making it History
Posted on January 26, 2010 | 7 CommentsIn recent times the word "poverty" has been used broadly to refer to the situation in many remote Indigenous Communities in Australia. But for most people poverty conjures images of the poor from 3rd world slums. The Indigenous peoples of Australia face very different situations. I think it is worth stepping back and considering what Indigenous "poverty" has in common with the situation of the worlds poor. What can this tell us about how so called "Indigenous poverty" can be overcome. -
Culture Shock 101
Posted on January 5, 2010 | 6 CommentsHaving moved to a remote Indigenous community about 4 months ago, my wife and I have recently started to go through the struggles of culture shock. In this article I take you through some of the causes, the symptoms and how to manage Culture Shock. The essential basics of surviving what can be the most difficult part of working in an remote Aborignal or Torres Strait Islander community in the first year. -
Site Update
Posted on January 2, 2010 | No CommentsYou can now see the new design for the Cultural Worlds blog. It features white background for text, and a magazine style layout to help you see the range of articles we have available. We hope the result are more user friendly. You may still encounter some... -
When Indigenous Advocacy Does Damage
Posted on November 23, 2009 | No Comments"The poverty experienced by many Aboriginal people is as morally reprehensible as torture and must be eradicated", Amnesty International secretary-general Irene Khan says. Strong words, but is such 'advocacy' helpful. I argue that moralistic bites such as this are in fact dangerous. While advocates feel that such statements point out government failures, they can actually be harmful to the people they are meant to protect. I consider why this is...