While serving as International Expert at the Research Institute of Anthropology and Ethnology, Jishou University in Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture of Hunan Province, China, on United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization-Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (UNESCO-LINKS) Natural Science Sector, United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) projects with the Kam people of China and ministries responsible for ethnic development, I asked my ethnic minority graduate students and colleagues of China this question, “How did the Cultural Revolution affect your culture?”, and they thoughtfully shared their perspectives and experiences.
ABSTRACT The rise in the practice of “indigenous history” in New Zealand has occurred partially in response to the perceived need to revise historical narratives that have allegedly contributed to perpetuating the subjugation of the indigenous Māori population. This explicitly ideological orientation positions the researching and writing of indigenous history as a means to an extra-historical end: the transformation of “history into justice.” It also imposes a moral function on indigenous history, requiring historical evidence to be configured in order to conform to the postmodernist historical metanarrative. This work surveys some of the implications of such an approach to the practice of history.
The principal aim of this study is to provide a detailed examination of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century archival records that relate to New South Wales Aboriginal peoples' associations with koalas and gain a greater understanding of the utilitarian and symbolic significance of koalas for Aboriginal communities as recorded by colonists during the early period of colonization. Anthropological discussions about the role and significance of koalas in Australian Aboriginal society have been limited, some sources are unreliable and interpretation is at times divisive. Many scholars have previously highlighted how using only historical sources as its reference point it is difficult to discern with great specificity that Aboriginal peoples in other regions of New South Wales commonly ate the koala and used its skin. Through a critique of historical sources, we demonstrate that the ethno-historical evidence is inconclusive as to whether they were an integral food source for much of the time period covered by this paper in the area now called the state of New South Wales. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that the extent of their use varied across regions and between tribal groups and was likely to have been traditionally associated with lore specific to certain cultural groups, and may have involved dreaming stories, and gendered roles in hunting and resource use, and other aspects of spiritual belief systems.
ABSTRACTWith the rise of Indigenous awareness, the formation of groups to argue for native title, and the global diaspora coming together in their pursuit of landed recognition, claiming sovereignty takes many forms: declaration, contestation, governance, land reclamation, and enterprise formation. These forms, examined as a collective whole, may be seen as the first pragmatic steps in self-determination for, often Indigenous, minorities. More importantly, they may be seen as a stage in the evolution of expressing spiritual and cultural ontology of the “other.” Not only is this expression, the seeking of an acknowledgement of a changing cast of actors in the global regime for self-determination, spiritual, and ontological recognition, but also underlies the need for recognizing a plurality of thought that one system of jurisprudence may not be able to defend.
ABSTRACT In 2016, Aboriginal hip-hop duo A. B. Original joined Paul Kelly live on radio to cover his iconic song “Dumb Things” (1987). Kelly's original version presented a critique of nationalist rhetoric in the lead up to the Australian bicentenary celebrations. Kelly's development of an itinerant counter-dreamer as a voice against nationalism, however, fashioned a brand of innocent, postcolonial whiteness and, thereby, remained complicit with colonial domination of Indigenous people. This article explores A. B. Original's commentary on institutional, systemic, and discursive racism, and their criticism of postcolonial whiteness through a close reading and contextualization of their music output in 2016. With particular emphasis on “Dumb Things” in its original context and its most recent context, this article argues that A. B. Original issues a call for, and demonstrates, the decolonization of postcolonial narratives of the Australian dream.
This article investigates, from the findings of previous doctoral research, the intersectional challenges that ultimately contribute to developing and determining the strong voices of Indigenous women's leadership in the Australian context. Utilizing Indigenous women's standpoint theory as the guiding frameworks for the research, 20 Indigenous women were interviewed as part of a broader project investigating Indigenous women's leadership. A number of themes emerged in understanding what it means to be an Indigenous woman leading in the present day. The article concludes that Indigenous Australian women face unique challenges in their leadership trajectory and attempts to reframe some of those challenges into opportunities.
ABSTRACT Pakistan and US media often negatively portray the opposite side. The media's propagation of negative imagery that two friends (one American and one Pakistani) both consumed in their early lives did not prevent them from being curious and open-minded about each other's countries. This article addresses how one American and one Paskistani had their views shaped by American and Pakistani media and how their personal experiences contradicted those media images.
Museums have long been important to cultural understanding as well as sites of cultural conflict. One of the issues that is most pressing and straddles the expanse of the cultural understanding/conflict spectrum is Native American remains in the United States. A recent Department of Interior rule clarifying the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act has strengthened the rights of Indian tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, and lineal descendant by making clearer their rights and their ability to ask questions of museums holding certain Native American remains and artifacts. I argue that a Marxist perspective can help explain the rule, and that such an explanation may be a foundation for improving ongoing discussions about Native American remains and artifacts in museums. Through a Marxist museology, I unpack the ways in which museums continue to function under a logic of capital accumulation despite the rule's necessary corrective.
ABSTRACT In compliance with the mandates of the Philippine Constitution, the government has established a number of protected areas for indigenous people. Among them are the Ati of Nagpana, Barotac Viejo, Iloilo, one of the largest Ati communities in Panay. Key informant interviewing and a focus group discussion were conducted to describe the sociodemographic characteristics of the community and the social behavior of the Ati as shaped by the social group and worldviews. In addition to the description of the social characteristics of the Ati, the article also discusses the structures and functions of their social organizations along with issues and challenges these Ati are facing as an indigenous group. We also describe their ethnic identity in relation to the larger society. The Ati of Nagpana have a strong sense of ethnic identity, their view of being Ati, rather than being Filipino, is deeply rooted in their knowledge of their origin, as well as the behavior of people in the mainstream toward them. The interplay of the different social institutions has shaped Atis' social identity and involvement. Land ownership and ethnic discrimination are among the major issues and challenges that confront the Ati of Nagpana.
In 2003, anthropologist Professor Peter Sutton wrote, “To demand of a kin-based society that it produce simple, stable and definitive lists of rights and rights-holders in land and waters is ethnocentric,” and “codification, at least for many such groups, is itself contrary to their own laws and customs.” However, despite warnings by Sutton and others, the structuring of native title and related claims and determinations have continued just as warned against. It is argued here that this phenomenon is the result of attempts to accommodate the demands of non-Indigenous political, legal, and economic structures to have simply defined groups and consequent corporate identities that are recognizable to, and controllable by, dominant non-Indigenous structures. The consequent corporate identities, the Prescribed Bodies Corporate (PBC), are a modern version of the system of king plates of old and more needs to be done to ensure recognition of complex traditional law systems.
The mental health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males in Australia is often misunderstood, mainly because it has been poorly researched. When analyzing the quality of life of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males, it is crucial to consider the associated factors that have directly and indirectly contributed to their poor health and wellbeing, that is, the effects of colonization, the interruption of cultural practices, displacement of societies, taking away of traditional homelands and forceful removal of children (assimilation and other policies). The displacement of families and tribal groups from their country broke up family groups and caused conflict between the original inhabitants of the lands and dislocated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tribal groups. These dislocated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were forced to reside on the allocated government institutions where they would be (allegedly) protected. Whilst in the institutions they were made to comply with the authority rules and were forbidden to practice or participate in their traditional rituals or customs or speak their own tribal languages. Additionally, the dispossession from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander traditional lands and the destruction of culture and political, economic, and social structures have caused many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to have a pervading sense of hopelessness for the future. The traditional customs and life cycles of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males were permanently affected by colonization adversely contributing to mental health problems in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. In this article we aim to provide a better understanding of the processes impacting on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males' social and emotional wellbeing.
ABSTRACT Why are streaming and podcast platforms beyond the traditional radio cabin central for indigenous radios? Mexico has about seventy-three indigenous radios. The P'urhépecha region in Michoacán has more than a dozen indigenous broadcasting projects, some of which have turned to streaming and podcasts as alternatives to counter infringement on their sovereignty. Indigenous radios have inserted the radio into internal communal processes while exercising their right to technological sovereignty. From a community-engaged participatory approach in Huecorio, Michoacán, through the lens of technological sovereignty and Comunalidad, this article argues that indigenous radios affirm their right to preserve, revitalize, and reclaim their languages, cultures, and identities through technology and innovation. This article also discusses the experiences of indigenous radios in Michoacán within a broader context of indigenous radios in Mexico to then analyze the podcast project by Radio Uekorheni in Michoacán as a platform that fosters technological sovereignty, communal-based practices, and language revival.
ABSTRACT The year 2020 will always be remembered for COVID-19. The global pandemic has brought massive disruption to our everyday lives on many fronts—lockdowns, economic disaster, border closures, and an unprecedented uptake of online human engagement. Workplaces rose to the challenges of adapting to fully online environments. For some, this has been a smooth transition, but for others this change of work mode has brought high levels of stress, disconnectedness, dissatisfaction, and exacerbated isolation. Arguably, for those more vulnerable and marginalized peoples, there is a greater risk of negative outcomes than for those who are affiliated with the dominant society. In this article we share stories gathered from members of the Sydney Indigenous Research Hub of The University of Sydney. By applying the qualitative methodology of narrative enquiry to our shared stories, we will show how we have used online platforms to support and care for one another's individual and collective social and emotional well-being according to Indigenous ways of understanding.
ABSTRACT The influence of Aboriginal Australian's Knowledges and Protocols on Australian culture has been profound and yet little acknowledged. To acknowledge the First Peoples of Australia and integrate their knowledge into the education system, we start with the First Peoples' contribution to culture and learning since invasion in Australia. We then consider contributions now to educational technologies with a focus on collectivist knowledge sharing, oral teaching, narrative teaching, peer-to-peer sharing, and truth telling. In recognition of what modern non-Indigenous cultures have lost, we are appropriating technology to share the concepts around narrative learning and sustainable practice. This uses pattern matching skills that were initially developed for sharing knowledge across different environments between Aboriginal Australian communities and provides processes for memorizing and sharing diversity. Ways of emulating these processes online is constructive in modern language reclamation, where the existing language information is scattered across many individuals, clans, and locations.
First Peoples in Australia have rejected a constitutional statement of recognition, preferring instead a constitutional “Voice.” I look back at the discarded solution and I discuss its opportunity (would constitutional recognition really have meant surrender?), feasibility (would it really have not gathered enough votes at the referendum?), and necessity.
Abstract “No name” is used to articulate the many ways colonists overnamed or renamed Aboriginal people. From the innocuous names of Tommy or Fanny to the ridiculous, the colonist treated the identity of the natives through their names with callousness or sheer disinterest.
Abstract Indigenous people throughout Australia share stories about what they commonly refer to in Aboriginal English as “Little People.” They believe Little People are small people that can at times be seen by Indigenous people. This article shows that regardless of where Indigenous people are from in Australia, there are strong similarities in their stories and experiences of Little People and in their descriptions of Little People. The article shows that Indigenous people believe in the existence of Little People as contemporaneous beings and shows that they continue to have encounters with Little People today. If Indigenous people see them on their own traditional land, they see them as guardians of the land; if they are not on their traditional land, they see the presence of Little People as potentially frightening and hostile.
AbstractIn the past, Britain, and later Canada, implemented a series of laws and policies concerning Indigenous nations. This article provides a review of Canada's 1876 Indian Act and examines some of the ways in which the Canadian government has dominated Indigenous peoples throughout its history.
