Moving Forward Together in Aboriginal Women's Health: - Theses ...

Moving Forward TogetherJanet Kellytexts are Aboriginal women’s stories shared through the community consultationsthat are recognised as an oral form of Aboriginal knowledge.Contemporary experiencesAlthough non-Aboriginal people may or may not be aware of the impacts ofcolonisation, most of the Aboriginal women that I spoke to in the consultationsidentified it as an everyday occurrence in Adelaide today. Many suggested that untilissues related to colonisation, discrimination and exclusion are acknowledged andaddressed, Aboriginal women’s health and well-being, and increased access to andexperiences of health care, will not significantly improve(Community consultations2005). One Aboriginal health professional described the process that she follows ingroup programs to counter these issues. She saidthe importance of providing transport is so that young women do not need toface racism on the way to the workshop/session. And we meet them at the frontdoor, so they are met by a smiling face instead of being ignored or frowned atby others in reception. That way their whole day can be positive. Shecontinued, if they could experience one day where they felt safe, respected,loved and accepted that would be a great outcome (Community consultations2005).Throughout the community consultations (2005) Aboriginal women spoke ofpersonal or family intergenerational effects of low or no wages resulting in poverty,ongoing exclusion from mainstream society, and the degradation of being treated assecond class citizens. Some described colonisation as a negative thread runningthrough our lives, overshadowing everyday events. Many discussed personal orshared memories of past harmful events involving hospitals and health care thatcontinued to influence their decision whether or not to access services. One womanshared her first experience of women’s health care;I had my first baby young. We were in the hospital waiting to take the babyhome, and the nurses seemed to be taking a long time. Mum waited for awhile. She was watching out the window and listening up the corridor,worried about why it was taking so long. Suddenly she said ‘quick jump outthe window here with the baby, they are planning to take her away’. We got in28