Reading 4.3 The chapter on Indigenous Identity by Dudgeon, et.al. (2000) states:
a) �Issues of identity are of great importance to Indigenous people�.
b) �At some levels, there is much confusion about being Aboriginal�.
Working with Indigenous Australians: A Handbook for Psychologists (2000) p.43
Question:
1) Choose ONE of these questions and discuss and analyze.
Why do you think this is the case?
Answer in the context of the course materials presented and incorporate perspectives and issues that
have been raised.
INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS
INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS 2
“At some levels, there is much confusion about being Aboriginal (Dudgeon, et. al. 2000).
Identity of Aboriginal people is a charged subject in Australia. This is can be
attributed to the colonial efforts that targeted erosion of Aboriginal cultural aspects during
colonialism. The socio-cultural legacies of this history are experienced today. There lacks a
standard to recognize aboriginality. Despite the commonwealth definition of indigenous
Australians, the matter of aboriginality is decided using superficial traits – that is body color,
person’s face, and general appearance. Due to the increase in mixed marriages, such
explanations are incorrect because the physical appearance of some indigenous people may
indicate that they are non-indigenous aboriginals (Pickett, Dudgeon, & Garvey, 2000).
Identity is crucial because it is our link to our nation and also to the natural world. In
my perspective, the identity confusion arises when westerners start pointing out what is
defective about aboriginals, and what does not match their standards. Most of the indigenous
Australian cultural practices were considered as absurd by the early European settlers. This
prompted most indigenous people to ditch their culture in exchange of what was believed to
be civilized and sophisticated. These internal conflicts led to the loss of cultural practices and
this was largely due to the lack of connectedness. This is the source of confusion as most
people lack knowledge of these cultural practices. Despite the various explanations on
aboriginality identity, it is important to understand that the true nature or identity of
aboriginal people is not by their color, but they are identified based on their history, culture,
and spirituality (Pickett et al, 2000).
INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS 3
References
Pickett, H. et al (2000). Working with indigenous Australians. Perth, W.A.: Gunada Press,
Curtin Indigenous Research Centre, Curtin University of Technology.
