Aboriginal Healing, Sharing Culture
Sharing Culture |
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Please check out these three short film clips by NITV. And please help stop the closure of these communities. Many in the Kimberley are feeling a sense of sadness and Deja Vu about the current situation. NITV News’ Danny Teece -Johnson spent the weekend in Fitzroy Crossing speaking to local community leaders. Kimberley Elder Joe Brown was moved off country in 1967 when the Aboriginal workers were given the minimum wage. He says it's been a difficult period but things today are looking less certain than ever. [March 18, 2015] Meantime in the West Kimberley region - many are fearful their communities may be in the firing line and are calling on the Premier and the Prime Minister to sit down with them and talk the matter through. NITV News’ Danny Teece-Johnson has been travelling through the area and talked to locals about the proposed closure of 150 remote communities. [March 17, 2015] While focus on community closures has been slowly simmering in the West - recent comments by Prime Minister Tony Abbott have put the debate on the national stage. But there is concern that the debate over "Lifestyle Choices" has overshadowed measures already taken by the West Australian Government. NITV News’ WA Correspondent Craig Quartermaine has more. [March 18, 2015]
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How we see the world determines how we act. Western thought sees us at war with each other over resources. Indigenous philosophy, we are all related as individuals in balance with nature. Watch this film, ENOUGHNESS: Resorting Balance to the Economy.
Yesterday, I blogged about the 2011 Amnesty International report that focused on Aboriginal Peoples’ rights to homelands. Today, I’d like to introduce you to moving words from Rosalie Kunoth-Monks which appeared as the Foreword for the report The Land Holds Us: Aboriginal Peoples’ Right to Traditional Homelands in the Northern Territory. [Please note that I have broken up a few of Rosalie’s original paragraphs, just to make the document a little easier to read on a computer] “I can look back over 70 years on this part of the land. There was a richness of the relationships between people so you felt never alone. You felt secure, you felt you belonged. You also felt, from an early age, your responsibility; not only to the flora and fauna but to the song lines that tied you to the land. We always said pmerel atnyenem, we never said pmer nhenh tha atnyenem. That means, country owns or holds you, not you holding the country and becoming master of the land. The land was your mother, your father and everything else. To the Alyawarr Peoples, the land owning you means that through your song lines, you’ve got to know which part of the land owns you and where you are responsible for the wellbeing of that earth. From time immemorial there had been an order that was in existence where nobody queried who was who, who had the right to speak, who had the right to be a ceremonial leader and everything was orderly, yet inclusive. Jump forward from that, this country here, it became a cattle station. Aboriginal Peoples lived still on land, they say today, from eternity. They never moved away from here, the songs are intact; the country more or less is intact. In the 1970s it was purchased by the government on behalf of Aboriginal Peoples. We then became aware of Aboriginal Affairs really having an impact on our culture. People started feeling second grade and degraded. Into this scenario came all the rules and regulations of being funded. Into that came being destabilised for the first time for centuries. Into that came the awareness there were other places, and also came access to alcohol and other substance abuse. We became aware of the racist attitudes. On this land we had never felt deprived or poor. One of the most remarkable things my mother’s sister said to me, in the 1980s when she was visiting Alice Springs for the first time in her life, was, “I feel poor and naked in this town”. That was quite a telling remark as far as I was concerned. Within the culture, in the security of our land, she had never felt that she needed anything outside of her heritage. Somehow at Utopia this seemed to have happened more slowly, simply because the things we needed were still on our lands. We still felt the strength and the security of our law and order, even as late as the 1990s. The 1990s saw us still living on our lands. By this time we had established homelands which we still live on now, within the lease of Urapuntja. We still felt that carrying out our laws - carrying them out as our forefathers did - was holding us together and the community was still cohesive and strong. We were floundering a bit, thinking, “Where to from here?”; we wanted two-way education. We still feel that strongly. Education is very important in modern-day Australia. In the year 2000 there was pressure for us to conform. Ali Curung had been established quite well, that’s the next big place to us. We were well and truly aware of dysfunction in communities, of people dying in their 20s and 30s because of alcohol and other abuses and in car accidents, and also of being arrested and taken into Alice Springs to stand trial. These were new experiences, relatively new to this area. Everything then began to merge and our young people started to want to go into Alice Springs, Mt Isa, Tennant Creek, and even further afield. They did have the wherewithal to travel; quite a few earned a little bit of money working with art galleries and so forth. Fast forward to 2007, we had the visit from departmental staff, the army and the police. I clearly recall the day when the people came and told us we were now under the Intervention. We didn’t know what the Intervention was. Suddenly there was a policy in the Northern Territory that took away our rights and on top of that they also wanted to take away our land, through what they called a lease. They wanted it for five years and to make Arlparra the centre. I can still hear Lena Pwerl, one of our ladies, yelling out, “No lease, no lease, not for one minute, not for one second, no lease, this is our land”. So 2007 was a huge thing. It was assault. Assault to such an extent that it traumatised all of us, so we looked around to see what made sense. What made sense was at all costs to hang onto the land. On that day when they said we want your land, there was an outcry all over Australia, I believe, from Aboriginal Peoples. By 2008 it became so unbearable that I remember absolutely reeling in shock and it appeared to me like we were made enemies of the state, of our country. We had not been in an aggressive relationship with anyone throughout the world, let alone in Australia, let alone in the Northern Territory. Nevertheless, we believed that we would work together to be accepted and to accept each other. In 2008 I spoke in Alice Springs and I asked where we go for help and who can help us to work through this absolute terror. I said, “Where’s organisations such as Amnesty International?” And a gentleman in the crowd heard this call. So I met this wonderful person and I felt there was a hand reaching out and saying, “We can help”. From there, we formed a relationship and a partnership and an agreement, with Amnesty International. Without over-exaggerating, Amnesty International held us together and really helped us think through the trauma that we faced. As we go into 2012, we realise that the Racial Discrimination Act was removed by the government so they could put us under what they termed the Intervention. We see that there are certain Aboriginal communities earmarked as growth towns. Let me assure anybody who cares for the Aboriginal Peoples of Australia that once we are moved from our place of origin, we will not only lose our identity, we will die a traumatised tragic end. The fact is our body paint cannot be put on by just anyone or just anywhere or on anybody’s country. We only can do that on our land. We cannot have identity if we are put into these reservations that are now called ‘growth towns’ because we will not only be second-class, we will become third-class, non‐existent human beings. This is a tragedy that is unfolding through the policies of an uncaring government. We must stop this and we must remain on our country. It seems sentimental and - I can’t find the other word in English - about attachment to the land. It’s not attachment to the land, it’s survival of a cultural practice that is still alive in spite of what has been thrown at it. What we now need to do is to access all of the richness of Australian life and of global life as citizens of Australia but also as citizens of humanity. The country is our lifeblood; that land that might just be filled with spinifex1 has a depth that the majority of Australian brothers and sisters don’t understand and it’s so fragile. We need to stop the destruction of the oldest living culture in Australia.” Rosalie Kunoth‐Monks Alyawarr/Anmatyerr elder, Utopia homelands "Let me assure anybody who cares for the Aboriginal people of Australia that once we are moved from our place of origin, we will not only lose our identity, we will die a traumatised tragic end. We must stop this, and we must remain on our country. It’s not [simply] attachment to the land, it’s survival of a cultural practice that is still alive in spite of what has been thrown at it." A woman from the Northern Territory town of Elliot The Western Australian government’s disgraceful plans to close between 100 and 150 remote Indigenous communities - without even discussing the matter with Indigenous people - follows years of failing to invest properly in these communities. In the next days, I will focus on a report written by Amnesty International on remote communities in the Northern Territory of Australia. I include parts of the summary which you can find in full here. As you will see, Australian governments’ ‘policy initiatives fall below international human rights standards.’ ‘For over three years we partnered with the Alyawarr and Anmatyerr communities of Utopia homelands to develop our report. "'The land holds us:' Aboriginal Peoples' right to traditional homelands in the Northern Territory." Our report highlights the way specific policies on homelands in the Northern Territory undermine the rights of Aboriginal communities, including:
Our recommendations (see below - DC) focus on the need for governments at both national and territory level to show political and financial support for homelands… Rights to adequate housing under International law In February 2009, Prime Minister Julia Gillard made a statement of support of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and spoke of her government's efforts to "overcome decades of under-investment in services and infrastructure" in Aboriginal communities. Our research shows that these efforts are not being directed at homelands - which consists of approximately 500 communities, and are home to one third of the Northern Territory's Aboriginal population. The Australian Government has transferred the responsibility for homelands to the Northern Territory Government, whose own policy clearly states no new homes and new homelands in the Northern Territory. Instead, the governments are focusing attention on just 21 'hub' towns. Australia's obligations to homeland communities The declaration outlines the rights of Indigenous Peoples, including the rights to:
It also states that:
Australia is also party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). Article 11 of ICESCR recognises the right of all people to adequate housing and commits governments to take appropriate steps to ensure the realisation of that right. Australia has an obligation under ICESCR to ensure that minimum essential standards are met in the provision of basic housing for all Australians. The minimum standards are:
For Aboriginal people, where land is an integral part of their cultural identity, the relationship between the right to land and the right to adequate housing is even more essential... Our recommendations The Commonwealth Government has transferred the responsibility for homelands to the Northern Territory Government, whose own policy clearly states no new home and new homelands in the Northern Territory. Instead the Commonwealth and Northern Territory governments are focusing attention on 21 Territory Growth Towns. In this report, Amnesty International has argued that Aboriginal Peoples have the right to live on their traditional homelands without being effectively denied access to services like public housing and related infrastructure. Both the Commonwealth and the Northern Territory governments need to address this problem with the full and equal participation of those directly affected - the Aboriginal Peoples occupying the homelands of the Northern Territory. As Rosalie Kunoth-Monks says: “What we need and demand is our dignity and rightful situation in Australia. We are Australians. We are not reluctant to take up the challenge and own a journey which might take us closer to closing the gap which Prime Minister Rudd [sic] talks about. But he does not have to destroy the spirit or the ethos of who we are. We want that to continue into generations after generations. And Australia is in the unique position of safeguarding and assisting us to continue into the next century.” For Australia to uphold its obligation to housing rights, we recommend the following: Recommendations
Many of you will know of the Western Australian government’s disgraceful plans to close between 100 and 150 remote Indigenous communities - without even discussing the matter with Indigenous people. And the Australian Prime Minister’s outrageous statement in support of this decision where he made reference to ‘lifestyle choices’ of Indigenous people. It is obvious to me that Australia is moving backwards in the way it is treating Indigenous people, back to the 1970s and earlier. They are also ignoring basic Human Rights. In light of these developments, I thought it was time to check the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Here are some sections: Article 1 Indigenous peoples have the right to the full enjoyment, as a collective or as individuals, of all human rights and fundamental freedoms recognized in the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international human rights law. Article 2 Indigenous peoples and individuals are free and equal to all other peoples and individuals and have the right to be free from any kind of discrimination, in the exercise of their rights, in particular that based on their indigenous origin or identity. Article 3 Indigenous peoples have the right to self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development. Article 7 1. Indigenous individuals have the rights to life, physical and mental integrity, liberty and security of person. 2. Indigenous peoples have the collective right to live in freedom, peace and security as distinct peoples and shall not be subjected to any act of genocide or any other act of violence, including forcibly removing children of the group to another group. Article 8 1. Indigenous peoples and individuals have the right not to be subjected to forced assimilation or destruction of their culture. 2. States shall provide effective mechanisms for prevention of, and redress for: (a) Any action which has the aim or effect of depriving them of their integrity as distinct peoples, or of their cultural values or ethnic identities; (b) Any action which has the aim or effect of dispossessing them of their lands, territories or resources; (c) Any form of forced population transfer which has the aim or effect of violating or undermining any of their rights; (d) Any form of forced assimilation or integration; (e) Any form of propaganda designed to promote or incite racial or ethnic discrimination directed against them. And please note the following: Article 10 Indigenous peoples shall not be forcibly removed from their lands or territories. No relocation shall take place without the free, prior and informed consent of the indigenous peoples concerned and after agreement on just and fair compensation and, where possible, with the option of return. Article 11 1. Indigenous peoples have the right to practise and revitalize their cultural traditions and customs. This includes the right to maintain, protect and develop the past, present and future manifestations of their cultures, such as archaeological and historical sites, artefacts, designs, ceremonies, technologies and visual and performing arts and literature. 2. States shall provide redress through effective mechanisms, which may include restitution, developed in conjunction with indigenous peoples, with respect to their cultural, intellectual, religious and spiritual property taken without their free, prior and informed consent or in violation of their laws, traditions and customs…’ And the document continues through 46 articles. “Phil Valentine’s call to walk the Appalachian Trail is a vivid example of moving beyond recovery FROM life-threatening illnesses as a means of recovering TO a life of extraordinary possibilities. Thousands of us who have shared the challenges and unexpected gifts from such recovery journeys will be walking in spirit with him.” Bill White A great Recovery Story starts this week, on 19th March 2015. Well, the Story is already happening, but a new phase starts on that date. Phil Valentine, Executive Director of Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR) begins his amazing walk of the Appalachian Trail. Phil is already a great example of what one can achieve in recovery. But now he takes his journey to another level. We’ll be following Phil from time-to-time on his journey and I strongly encourage you to follow him directly via: https://twitter.com/pvalentine59 and https://instagram.com/pvalentine59/ [Some of you will know Phil Valentine from being a member of the Sharing Culture international network of Advisors/Healers] Here’s a couple of film clips and some writings from Phil’s journey website. Why the Appalachian Trail?
10.18.87: I stood in the birthing room of Rockville General Hospital mesmerized by the in and out movement of the tongue of my newborn baby girl. Transfixed. Transformed. Her eyes burned her way into my soul and shattered my cocaine-induced haze accompanied by a forceful whisper “You are not alone”. I was wildly strung out on cocaine at the time. I am here to tell you that I am not proud of that moment. Never will be. But more than 26 years later, I am no longer ashamed. That has made all the difference in the world. Because of recovery, because of working a program one day at a time, I am no longer ashamed. I am no longer a drain on society. I am a citizen that relishes his role as a husband, enjoys being a father of five glorious children. I vote, pay my taxes, register my insured vehicles, pay my bills, coach soccer, go on missions, get involved. I have found my purpose in life, to carry the message of recovery wherever I go. 03.19.10: A beautiful spring day, one that’s memorable because it’s the first really nice day of the year, one that will end up in the top five most beautiful Connecticut days of 2010. I was driving aimlessly relishing the back roads of Ellington. And I was doing my best to absorb the shock that I was just diagnosed with Stage 4 oropharyngeal cancer - cancer of the tongue. Rewind a few weeks. I had gone to the doctor for some pesky swollen glands. They didn’t really hurt and I didn’t feel sick, so the physician’s assistant put me on antibiotics. Three weeks later I still had the swollen glands. This time, the doctor touched my neck and his eyes filled with concern. I was ushered off immediately for a chest x-ray and there was some relief when the test revealed no dark masses. I was told to see a surgical oncologist immediately. This guy stabbed my swollen node with a needle, spattered the mess onto a slide and said, “Damn, I’ve got to stick him again!” He stuck me again. On 03.19.10 I got the results. Cancer. No longer a huge surprise but there is something quite sobering about the official diagnosis. I went for a ride. In the months that followed I endured two inpatient chemo stays, a feeding tube install that led to two other hospital stays, 39 radiation treatments with still more chemotherapy that left me emaciated, hairless and shaken. But cured. During the treatment, I struggled with the decision to begin narcotic medication for pain. I didn’t want to jeopardize my sobriety, but eventually the pain made the decision for me. Then I struggled some more by tapering off too quickly and shook apart from nerve damage, withdrawal and anxiety for several weeks. Faith got me through. My wife, Sandy, got me through. My family, my co-workers, the “Valentine Battalion”, the CCAR Board and the many, many prayers got me through. My recovery program got me through. One day at a time. Sometime during the healing, I felt called to do something extraordinary, something downright outlandish. At first, I tried to ignore the call, but it kept growing louder and I accepted it, dove into it, embraced it. I believe my higher power wanted me to attempt something memorable, to leave a legacy. I was called to walk the Appalachian Trail, to attempt a thru-hike from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mount Katahdin, Maine. What’s funny about this is, I’m not much of a hiker. Or a camper. But I’m getting there. I started reading books written by people who have thru-hiked the AT, many books. I know a lot about the trail, what to expect, what type of gear to acquire. I’ve been getting my body ready, but I don’t think it’s possible to prepare totally for a journey of this kind. I guess, “There’s not much to it, you just go do it.” 03.19.15: Exactly five years from the day I received the official diagnosis, I will step off the southern terminus located at Springer Mountain, GA and make my way north 2,185 miles. It should take approximately 5,000,000 steps up and down mountains for about 6 months. I will be walking to put a face on recovery and “to carry the recovery torch through the wilderness” if you like those kind of corny metaphors. Please pray for me.’ Here’s more from Phil if you are interested. ‘5 Reasons Why I Could Get to Katahdin’ by Phil Valentine This is just so, so exciting! Go, Phil, go!! David Edward Walker, Ph.D. is a Missouri Cherokee psychologist, researcher, writer, and musician. He’s consulted for many years with the 14 Confederated Tribes and Bands of Yakama Nation in the US. As an aside, Dave is also a member of the Sharing Culture network of Advisors. Dave is conducting important and fascinating research which aims to expose the Western mental health movement’s historical and contemporary complicity in the oppression of indigenous people. You can find his writings on the excellent website Mad In America. Please check out Dave’s latest article Horse-Stealing Mania: The Hiawatha Asylum for Insane Indians. Here’s a short excerpt: 'Alvin Abner Big Man was Lakota, and a ‘reservation policeman’ from Rosebud Reservation. He was first diagnosed with Horse-Stealing Mania by the reservation agent, Charles Davis, after he refused to plead guilty to stealing horses. Mr. Davis suggested that Alvin’s “erratic behavior” in jail made him better suited for an institution for the insane. In 1913, Alvin was forcibly committed to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington, DC. He’s described in St. Elizabeth’s records as “uniformly good and free from any gross disorder.” However, the doctors at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital were not entirely confident in the Horse Stealing Mania diagnosis, and so they agreed to continue housing Alvin only temporarily. They couldn’t think of a better diagnosis and decided to write to the Indian Commissioners that: “in view of our inability to definitely come to a conclusion about this man, on account of the conflicting stories in the case, we would suggest that he be transferred to an institution near his home.” Such was the conscientiousness back then that the St. Elizabeth’s psychiatrists wanted Alvin off their caseload. So in 1916, Alvin was transferred to the Hiawatha Asylum for Insane Indians. He was examined by its superintendent, Dr. Harry Hummer, with Constitutional Inferiority. This label may sound obscure but Alvin was seen as apparently having a penchant for communicating amorously toward women at the Asylum, and he was violating eugenics-based rules forbidding fraternization between the sexes:’ By the way, you’ll see reference to Dave’s book Tessa’s Dance in his bio. I’ve read the book and can highly recommend it. It’s an enjoyable and thought-provoking read. This is the third part of a draft funding document I wrote some months. My thinking has been changing over time and I’m due shortly to write a new document which I will post on this blog. Here are the links to Part 1 and Part 2 of this document. 3. The Sharing Culture approach Sharing Culture uses key principles known to facilitate healing of trauma: empowerment (self-determinism) and the creation of connections. People are empowered when they gain hope, understanding and a sense of belonging. They need the opportunity to make their own choices and be reminded of their strengths and assets. In relation to the second principle, healing can take place only within the context of relationships (or community). Connecting Indigenous people to their culture, land, family, community, spirituality and history is key for healing to occur. Culture and land provide meaning and purpose to life, a strong positive identity, and a sense of wellbeing. Empowerment is key because healing is something that comes from the person, not from a practitioner or treatment. Moreover, we must empower Indigenous individuals, families and communities to heal themselves, as they cannot afford to wait for western care systems to change. Whilst such change is essential, it is likely to take time - and a strong advocacy campaign - time during which many more young Indigenous people may self-harm or kill themselves, or die in police custody or forced alcohol treatment. Stories are a major foundation of the Sharing Culture approach. Role models and their personal narratives are of considerable value, since they provide hope that healing is possible and help people understand the nature of their problem and how it can be overcome. People in the early stages of healing identify with and trust the experiences of someone who is further along in their journey. They are inspired by Healing Stories and use the ‘educational’ content they contain to help them deal with the problems and struggles they face in their day-to-day living. Who better to help us than someone who has ‘been there’? We will tell the Stories of healing initiatives, as well as Cultural Stories that create pride and facilitate cultural connectedness. We will empower communities to develop their own Stories initiatives and encourage young Indigenous filmmakers to become involved with our initiative. Education is another key element of the Sharing Culture approach. Education to facilitate Indigenous healing takes a wide variety of forms, including the spiritual aspects of health and wellbeing. Key themes to be developed for our resource are: History: Viewing history from an Indigenous perspective, illustrating how conditions for social and psychological discontent have developed, helps community members understand why they have problems, and also shows them that they retain the necessary agency to change their lives for the better. It helps them deal with shame and blame, factors that impact negatively on wellbeing. Culture: Indigenous people need to discover, understand and transmit Indigenous knowledge, values and ways of knowing in order to better connect to their culture and gain a strong cultural identity and a sense of belonging. (They must also understand selected Western ways as well). Healing historical trauma: Indigenous people will be shown the strong evidence base for healing historical trauma at an individual, family and community level. Healing addiction and mental health problems: Indigenous people can learn more about the symptoms of historical trauma (e.g. addiction to substances), how long-term recovery (healing) can be achieved, and what they might expect if they interact with society’s treatment and support systems. Self-caring skills: Indigenous people will learn how to undertake a journey to wellness that involves self-care. They will have the opportunity to: learn social skills; how to deal with shame and negative thinking; learn about mindfulness, self-compassion and forgiveness; and develop resilience. This educational resource will be utilised by Indigenous individuals, families and whole communities. It will contain videos of Indigenous people, and users of the website will be able to download these videos for themselves or other people. Sharing Culture initiative will instill curiosity, creativity and cultural pride. It will empower people to help themselves and others. We intend that our resources reach a wide-ranging audience. We both love innovative communication technologies and will develop new distribution methods. The initiative will help increase the number of Indigenous people in the workforce, something that is essential to facilitate healing. Non-Indigenous people working with Indigenous people in health, social care and criminal justice settings need to know more about the healing of historical trauma to help them improve what they do. We aim that our educational content and stories be shown in schools and universities, so that we help empower Aboriginal children at an early age, and ensure that the next generation of health, social care and criminal justice workers are better educated about trauma and healing. Policy makers also need a better understanding to make the most appropriate decisions regarding policy and funding. A better understanding of the problems and adversities faced by Indigenous people, as well as examples of the solutions that are occurring daily, will help reduce stigma and racism in wider society. In order to help influence policy makers and facilitate wider societal change, we will encourage Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to use our educational content for advocacy purposes and to join our Sharing Culture advocacy campaign. Engaging Indigenous people in advocacy work enhances their self-esteem and sense of agency, which in turn facilitate healing. >> Part 4 2. Working towards solutions with Sharing Culture We developed Sharing Culture as a way to help tackle historical trauma (and its consequences) and facilitate Indigenous healing. Sharing Culture is a grassroots initiative based on the core values of authenticity, connection, courage, creativity, empathy and forgiveness. We use a strengths-based, solution-focused approach that celebrates success and fosters positivity, acceptance and cultural pride. We recognise that self-determinism is a central foundation of healing - solutions must come from Indigenous communities. At the same time, non-Indigenous people can contribute to this healing process in a variety of ways. One major way that Sharing Culture will facilitate this healing process is to generate high quality educational content and Stories about Indigenous healing and the healing of trauma, and distribute it in the most effective manner to as wide an audience as possible. A major foundation of our approach is based on highlighting and utilising the strengths and assets of Indigenous people and their culture. Large numbers of Indigenous people live happy and successful lives, many of whom have healed from historical trauma and its consequences. They have shown great strengths and resilience, as well as the necessary coping mechanisms, skills and knowledge, to rise above adversity. These people are the lived solution, the role models who Sharing Culture will work with to help inspire and teach other Indigenous people to heal. Their Healing Stories need to be told and widely distributed. Sharing Culture also highlights the humane and holistic view of Indigenous health that incorporates the physical, spiritual, mental, emotional, social and environmental. This view, which has been in existence for tens of thousands of years, is far richer than the western view of mental health. The indigenous view focuses on ‘wellness’ rather than ‘illness’, ‘social and emotional wellbeing’ rather than ‘mental health’, ‘balance and harmony’ rather than ‘restoration of function only’, a ‘strengths’ approach rather than ‘reducing risks’, and a ‘collective’ rather than ‘individualistic’ approach. Importantly, western-based scientific research is only just now recognising the key importance of factors like ‘relationships’, ‘self-determination’ and ‘Stories’ in underlying healing and recovery, factors that Indigenous cultures have known for many thousands of years. Indigenous people have a diverse range of healing approaches that help heal historical trauma and its consequences. Some of these, such as the culturally-based Native American Wellbriety Movement, are impacting positively on many thousands of people’s lives. However, far too few Indigenous healing initiatives receive adequate financial support from government. For example, the inspirational research of Professor Judy Atkinson in Australia has led to development of the highly effective We Al-li healing programme for helping people heal from historical trauma, which would have a major impact if it received adequate support. Moreover, there is far too little communication across Indigenous communities about successful healing programs. Sharing Culture will help change this situation, by developing an education resource and information network to ensure that communities across Australia (and further afield) learn from each other. We will create an advocacy campaign that helps healing initiatives promote themselves and be better able to attract funding. We will help western culture learn from Indigenous healing practices; people must be able to benefit from both western and Indigenous worldviews and practices. >> Part 3 “Indigenous people possess a gift. This is a gift of healing, strong relationships and a deep connection to land, from a culture that has flourished over many thousands of years.” David Clark and Michael Liu 1. Nature of the Problems As a result of the historical experiences of colonisation (and associated violence and control), forcible removal of children, and loss of culture and land, Indigenous people of Australia (and other countries) have suffered a trauma that has been passed unwittingly down through the generations. The consequences of this historical, or intergenerational, trauma include poor physical health, mental health problems, drug and alcohol addiction, domestic violence and abuse, self-harm and suicide. Today, the impact of historical trauma is exacerbated by economic and social disadvantage, experiences of racism and paternalism, and ongoing grief resulting from multiple bereavements. It is exacerbated by closing down of remote Indigenous communities, destruction of Indigenous sacred sites, and turning over of Indigenous land to the mining industry. Society’s health care, social welfare and criminal justice systems do not address the core issue of trauma amongst Indigenous people. Rather, they just attempt to manage the symptoms, e.g. by prescribing medications (which often worsen the problem) or incarcerating people. This ‘band-aid’ approach has fostered a climate of disempowerment, hopelessness, blame and shame that perpetuates psychological problems. It has placed strong barriers in the way of healing. It has contributed to youth suicides, incarcerations and child removals amongst Indigenous people reaching record levels at the present time. Trauma will pass on to another generation. Self-determinism and empowerment are known to be key to recovery/healing from trauma, mental health problems and addiction. Despite this fact, Australian governments and associated care systems see themselves as the agents of change for Indigenous people. Decisions that impact on Indigenous peoples’ health and wellbeing are made by politicians and civil servants who have little or no understanding of Indigenous culture and worldview, or how people heal from problems and get their lives back on track. Governments also ‘impose’ on Indigenous people a behavioural healthcare (e.g. mental health, addiction) system that many experts consider to have serious problems. Much of the system has poor outcomes, even for non-Indigenous people. It is dominated by the medical model and a focus on pathology, deficits and symptom management. Much of the system pays scant attention to a person’s life experiences that actually underlie their psychological distress. It ignores key principles that are known to facilitate recovery and healing. People’s trauma is often worsened by treatment or incarceration. Society has the knowledge to heal historical trauma and its consequences. In fact, many Aboriginal people possess the necessary coping mechanisms, skills and knowledge, and they’ve been healing themselves for years in their struggle to rise above historical trauma. Successful Indigenous healing initiatives have been developed - the vast majority of these are poorly funded and/or lose their funding - and research has demonstrated the key principles that underlie healing. Despite this knowledge, these principles are ignored by much of our care systems and services. Information about Indigenous healing is poorly circulated. It is quite a remarkable situation that whilst governments say they spend many millions of dollars trying to improve Indigenous health and wellbeing, there is such little high quality information circulated about historical trauma, healing, and various other key issues. Where are the Indigenous healing stories that give Indigenous people hope and understanding? The Stories that treatment workers can learn from and improve their skills and work practices? Remember, the people who know most about healing are those that have healed. Where is the high quality education and training that will help improve the situation? Instead of inspiring people with Stories of success, society continues in the main to be negative about Indigenous health and wellbeing. Indigenous people are constantly told they are a problem or they are wrong. All this does is disempower Indigenous people - and we’ve been doing that for over 200 years in Australia - and leads to the rest of society blaming Indigenous people for not doing better. This, in turn, creates barriers to recovery and healing. Politicians, civil servants, treatment services and others need to take responsibility for the failures. Without wishing to sound cynical, I often feel that the care systems are there to provide jobs for the workforce, rather than help the people who need help to heal and get their lives back on track. There are too many vested interests and these get in the way of people trying to change the system for the better.[1] It is time for a profound change. Society must address a major civil rights issue, the poor health and wellbeing of many Indigenous people. In tackling this issue, wider society will benefit. Past experience shows that the changes that are required will not initially come from government – they must be generated at a grassroots level. [1] In saying all of this, I am not criticising individual workers, many of whom do a great job under difficult circumstances. In fact, many workers would agree with what I say. What I am saying is that our care systems have ‘gone awry’ and now have the wrong priorities. As a society, we are doing nowhere near as well as we could do in helping people heal from life problems. >> Part 2 |
AuthorProfessor David Clark is Founder of the Sharing Culture initiative. Archives
November 2018
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