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

Moving Forward TogetherJanet Kellyarray of images, notions, and quasi-scientific concepts about barbarism, primitivismand civilisation. Armed with anthropology, Darwinism, Christianity, utilitarianism,idealism, radial theory, legal history, linguistics and the lore of intrepid travellers,they maintained and affirmed the superiority of English civilisation (Said 1993, p.121).The result was cultural clash.Colonisation - the cultural clash that led to lossesColonisation had the same impact for Indigenous Australians, as a meteorhitting the earth - total devastation (Shen 2006)Two main factors determine whether two different cultures will connect or clashwhen they come together. Eckermann and colleagues (2006) describe the firstfactor as the extent in which the two cultures recognise each other as human beings,and the second, whether the two groups share, or believe that they share, similarvalues and beliefs. When people look alike and have similar behaviours culturalclash is less likely. If the two cultures are quite different however, there is increasedrisk of intolerance, suspicion and misunderstandings (Eckermann et al. 2006;McConnochie 1973). If one group also holds a strong belief that they are superior,and that they have the moral, political and religious right and ability to take over thelives of the other group, cultural clash is inevitable. This is the main theme runningthrough the story of Australian colonisation. While there have been some instancesof knowledge sharing and collaborative action, the overall experience for mostAboriginal people has involved pain, inequities, discrimination and/or exclusion 7 .Loss of identity - Terra Nullius the land of no oneWhen Captain Cook sailed to Australia in 1788 he found a continent unmarked bysigns of Western civilisation or European style agriculture, settlements or7 In this next section I discuss policies and practices from across Australia, and more specifically SouthAustralia, that have affected Aboriginal women’s health and well-being. Where possible I haveincluded the perspectives of local Aboriginal people through assisted biography texts such as Survivalin our own Land; Aboriginal experiences in South Australia since 1836 - told by Nungas and others(Mattingley & Hampton 1998) and My side of the bridge (Brodie & Gale 2002). In respect of AuntieVeronica Brodie’s unique relationships to many of the co-researchers, stakeholders and myself, I referto her in text as Auntie Veronica Brodie in text, instead of Brodie, which seems somehow disrespectful.Auntie Veronica passed away in 2007 and permission has been sought from her family and peers to useher name in this thesis, at this time.34