 Indigenous Health |
Issue 100 |
The terra nullius of the mind
The famous Mabo case brought to our attention the injustice of the way that the land we now call Australia was claimed as part of Britain. There was no treaty agreement with the Indigenous people as there had been with the Maori in neighbouring New Zealand. The British colonisers simply declared the land to be empty of human beings (terra nullius - empty land) and so could simply walk off their ships and begin occupying the land. They simply ignored the Indigenous people, pretended that they did not exist. This same attitude of mind appears to be with us still when it comes to the issue of the health of Indigenous people in this country. Now is the time to stop pretending and to act on a problem that we cannot continue to ignore.
The statistics are clear. An Indigenous Australian will live on average 20 years less than a non-Indigenous person. Indigenous Australians die at three times the rate of other Australians. Only a quarter of Indigenous men will live to the age of 65. Indigenous babies die at twice the rate of other Australians. Indigenous people suffer from diseases like Trachoma which were wiped out in the mainstream population of Australia in the 1930s. The main cause of illness among Indigenous children is preventable infectious disease. Ear infections occur at alarming rates in remote Indigenous communities where about half of Indigenous children have suffered hearing loss. Indigenous people are hospitalised at twice the rate of non-Indigenous Australians. The rate of kidney disease is nine times higher, respiratory disease four times as common, diseases of the circulatory system three times higher and diabetes is four times as common as for non- Indigenous Australians. Imagine if these statistics applied to a suburb in one of the capital cities. Inquiries would be held. Immediate action would be demanded. A medical emergency would be declared. Medical teams would be sent to investigate and treat the sick. Why doesn';t this happen now in relation to Indigenous health? It seems to be a case of terra nullius of the mind. We don';t seem to want to face the fact that the health status of Indigenous Australians is at about the same level as the average person from Nepal, Bangladesh or Sierra Leone.
Why is the health of Indigenous Australians not at the same level as other Australians? There is no easy answer to this. The Fred Hollows Foundation has recently completed a study of the health of Indigenous Australians. They come to the conclusion that the Health of Indigenous Australians is directly related to their social and economic circumstances. In other words, their health is directly related to unemployment, poor housing, poor education and poverty. Poor health and disadvantage go together. At the same time Indigenous Australians are surrounded by one of the wealthiest societies in the world. We have a health emergency right here in Australia but this terra nullius of the mind means that we cannot see it.
The total health budget of the States and the Commonwealth of Australia is around $66 billion. The Australian Medical Association estimates that it will take an extra $300 million for Indigenous Australians to get the improved health services that they need. This is an increase of only 0.5%!
This should be a priority for governments that continually tell us that they have money left over that they have not spent at the end of every financial year. This money should be spent on better treatment but also on prevention.
As governments do not allocate sufficient funds, organisations like Caritas Australia in partnership with Indigenous communities have shown the way with programs like the Diabetes Management and Care Program in the remote East Kimberley. Diabetes is a serious problem in many remote communities related often to poor diet and can result in blindness, loss of limbs, kidney failure and early death. The program both helps to treat the disease and to educate the community so that the disease can be prevented. The program has resulted in more healthy food being available in the only store in the community. It has also reconnected the local community to their traditional bush tucker and to traditional hunting and gathering techniques. This has had an impact on the community';s physical health as well as their mental and spiritual health.
Shirley Purdie as leader in her community of Warmun, has taken a step towards breaking the cycle of disadvantage by helping to improve the health of her community and thereby improve the life chances for all those who live in that community. Shirley, along with many others, is working to overcome the reality of poverty and illness in her community.
To read Shirley's story go to:
www.caritas.org.au/ourwork/pc05/
materials/materials/Caritas%20Australia_
Project%20Compassion%202005_
Schools_SecondaryStories_Web.pdf
and scroll to page 5.
For more information on this topic as well as teaching and learning activities go to ozspirit.info/2004/85b.html
The Fred Hollows Foundation report on Indigenous health can be found at www.hollows.org/content/
TextOnly.aspx?s=146
Social Sciences/Geography/History
1) Go to www.kimberleytourism.com/Seasons.htm and answer the following questions:
- How many seasons are there in the Kimberley?
- What are they called?
- List the different conditions of the two seasons.
- Why is the Dry season the most popular for people to visit the area?
2) Go to www.abc.net.au/kimberley/stories/
s1234978.htm to view dramatic pictures of the wet season in the Kimberleys .
3) The Boab tree is indigenous to the Kimberley region. Go to
www.abc.net.au/flashshow/kimberley/
boab/default.htm to view a slide show depicting the many unusual shapes of this magnificent and unique tree.
4) Go to www.kimberley.wa.gov.au/index.cfm?
menu=286&page=ff_boab to find out more about the Boab tree.
- What did the Aboriginal people of the area use the tree for?
- What did the settlers use the tree for?
- When does the tree flower?
5) Go to www.ngalawarmun.wa.edu.au/Nga/
historywarmun/historywarmun.html to find out more about the Warmun community and its history. Answer the following:
- What is Ngarrankarni?
- When did white people first settle around Warmun?
- What was the main reason white settlers came to this area?
- What was the effect on the environment of the setting up of cattle stations?
- What happened when the Kija people of the region speared cattle for food?
- What did the local Indigenous people have to do when they were forced off their land?
- What happened to local language and culture on the reserve stations?
- What were the local people paid for their work on the cattle stations before 1969?
- What happened to many people after they gained equal pay?
- What drew the local people to Warmun?
- How many people live in Warmun today?
- What facilities are available for the community at Warmun?
- How have the local people worked to keep their culture alive?
- How many cattle stations have been taken over by the local people?
- What does the ownership of these cattle stations mean for the local people?
6) Go to www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/03/
30/1080544472561.html and answer the questions:
- Which countries'; health statistics are compared to that of Indigenous Australians?
- Which countries have a greater percentage of their populations reaching 65 than Indigenous Australians? Does this surprise you?
- How does the improvement in Indigenous health in countries like New Zealand or Canada compare to Australia?
- What is the effect on the health system of large increases in the incidence of kidney disease?
- What does Aden Ridgeway think is the cause of the problem?
- What do you think about the comment made by Mike Lynsky that we should not allow this tragedy to continue?
7) Go to www.anbg.gov.au/aborig.s.e.aust/
s.e.a.mapkey.html to find out about how the Indigenous people of South Eastern Australia used the plants of the area.
Click on Eucalyptus to find out the many uses of this tree.
- What food did it provide?
- What part of the tree was used for medicine?
- What part of the tree was used for transport?
- What hunting materials were made from the tree?
- How was water carried?
- What percussion instruments were made?
Go to the National Botanic Gardens in Canberra and do the self-guided tour showing the use of native plants by Indigenous people. Download the activity sheet at www.anbg.gov.au/education/
using-bush-plants-jump-off.html
8) Go to www.abc.net.au/frontier/default.htm for teaching material about the history of the colonisation of Australia. There are documents, resources and teaching and learning strategies included on this site. To look at frontier wars specifically in New South Wales go to reflect.cat.org.au/forgottenwar/
9) Go to www.yarrahealing.melb.catholic.edu.au/
reflect/si_posters.html to download posters depicting archaeological sites and material relating to the making of canoes, stone tools, middens etc. by Indigenous people.
Dance
Go to www.bangarra.com.au/history/vision.html and read about the history and vision of the company. How does Bangarra attempt to combine traditional and modern forms of dance?
Go to www.bangarra.com.au/videos/videos.html and download videos of performances by Bangarra . You will need to download Real One Player to view the videos.Visual Art
1) Go to www.artofdreamtime.com.au/
Shirley_Purdie.html to read a profile of Shirley Purdie who is featured in Project Compassion. Where exactly was she born?
2) Go to www.boutwelldraper.com.au/exhibitions/
2004/mar_apr/purdie/bdpurdie04-Thumb.00001.html to view some of her art works.
- What size works does she do?
- What materials does she use?
- What are her themes?
3) Go to www.mahoneysgalleries.com.au/
aboriginalart_biography.cfm?id=17 to read more about Shirley Purdie';s work as an artist.
- How does her painting relate to country?
- Who inspired her to paint?
- What work had she done before doing painting?
- What is her position in the community?
- How are her paintings "like a photo"?
- How are her paintings "educational" for her people?
4) Go to www.makingtracks.com.au/pages/
default.cfm?page_id=22284 for a general overview of Indigenous art and how it relates to their culture. Some of the iconography is explained so as to make interpretation of this art more meaningful.
5) Go to www.smh.com.au/specials/
aboriginalart/index.html for a special feature on Aboriginal art.
Science/Biology/Health
- Read Shirley';s story on page 5.
- Complete the Health activities related to her story on page 3.
2) Research Diabetes. Go to www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/
fact_sheets/what_is.html to find out what it is and what causes it. Make a presentation to your class on the disease. Make a poster to display your findings.
- What types of diabetes are there?
- What causes them?
- What are the symptoms of the disease?
- How can diabetes be prevented?
- How is it treated?
- What does Insulin do?
2003/s961897.htm and find out if diabetes is as much of a problem in urban areas as it is for indigenous people in remote areas. How serious is it in Australia? How serious is the disease compared to AIDS?
Religion
1) Go to www.caritas.org.au/ourwork/pc05/
materials/materials/Caritas%20Australia_
Project%20Compassion%202005_
Schools_SecondaryStories_Web.pdf and scroll down to Shirley';s story on page 5.
2) Go to www.hreoc.gov.au/info_for_teachers/
face_facts/atsi_act5.htm and complete the activity based on statistics.
3) For teaching and learning ideas on the theme of racism and Indigenous people go to www.racismnoway.com.au/classroom/
lesson_ideas/bytheme_index.html#
AboriginalpeopleandTorresStraitIslanders
4) For interactive games and quizzes on the theme of Indigenous people and culture go to www.racismnoway.com.au/gamesroom/
quizzes/27.html and to www.racismnoway.com.au/
gamesroom/hypotheticals/23.html and to www.abc.net.au/messageclub/
just_fun/games/memory.htm
5) For liturgy ideas with an Indigenous theme go to www.acc.asn.au/
Read Shirley';s story at:
www.caritas.org.au/ourwork/pc05/materials/
materials/Caritas%20Australia_Project%20
Compassion%202005_Parishes_Story4.pdf
Go to www.smh.com.au/photogallery/2004/12/
10/1102625528846.html to have a look at life in a remote Indigenous community is like.
www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/frames.htm is a site dedicated to the issue of Indigenous health. It contains a very complete set of statistics and articles on all aspects of Indigenous health.
The ATSIC Health Policy of 2001 states that the health Indigenous people goes beyond the physical: "It is a manifestation of a spiritual and emotional alienation from land, family and culture" Discuss how dispossession and the "stolen generation" reality faced by Indigenous people would be reflected in their health.
Go to www.abc.net.au/message/tv/ms/recipe.htm for some recipes which use bush tucker.
Send an e-card with an Indigenous theme at
www.abc.net.au/messageclub/just_fun/ecards/
Write a letter to the Prime Minister alerting him to the health emergency in our own country and asking him to face the reality of Indigenous health and to demand action to address this issue as a matter of urgency. Go to www.antar.org.au/health/howard_letter.htm to take part in this campaign. The terra nullius of the mind evident in so many of our elected leaders needs to be overcome.
Members from the US Committee for the Decade to Overcome Violence have prepared a Lenten fast from Violence for the 6 weeks of lent. Visit www.overcomingviolence.org