Week 10

Reflection;

This course has been incredibly interesting for me as a study abroad student because it allowed me to learn about the indigenous culture through popular media. Often when we learn about history and different cultures, it is very systematic and it is difficult to retain the information you are learning. However, discussing the role of aboriginals in society through popular media via sport, documentaries, museums, colleges, etc. makes it significantly more interesting because they are things which we more commonly relate to. If we were to discuss the history of aboriginals I would be clueless and would not have any personal information to draw upon. But when we talk about aboriginals in sport, I am much more likely to be drawn to the topic because I have history or prior knowledge with sport and that can aid the learning process. Reflecting back on the course, it was interesting to learn about how prevalent issues in the indigenous community are today. Before I arrived in Australia I hardly knew what an aboriginal or indigenous person was, let alone all the troubles that seemingly plague aboriginal or indigenous society. Something that really caught my attention was the statistics regarding poor health for aboriginals. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a group of diseases affecting the heart and circulatory system [11]. The most common types of CVD are heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure. Risk factors (a behaviour or characteristic that makes it more likely for a person to get a disease) for CVD include: smoking tobacco, not eating well, not exercising, having diabetes, and having chronic kidney disease. In the 2004-2005 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey (NATSIHS), almost one-in-eight Indigenous people reported having a long-term heart or related condition. Heart and related conditions were around 1.3 times more common for Indigenous people than for non-Indigenous people; high blood pressure (the most commonly reported condition) was reported 1.5 times more often by Indigenous people than by non-Indigenous people. CVD was the most common cause of death for Indigenous people in 2004-2008. More than one-quarter of Indigenous deaths were from CVD. Deaths from CVD happened almost twice as often for Indigenous people as for non-Indigenous people. Indigenous people were much more likely to die from CVD than other Australians at any age, but particularly in younger age-groups. Heart attacks caused almost two-thirds of the CVD-related deaths of Indigenous males and around one-half of those of Indigenous females. Strokes caused around one-in-eight deaths from CVD of Indigenous males and around one-in-five of those of Indigenous females. Diabetes is a major health problem for Indigenous people, but it is hard to know just how many Indigenous people have the disease. Diabetes was reported by 6% of Indigenous people in the 2004-2005 NATSIHS. However, it is estimated that only around one-half of Indigenous people with diabetes actually know they have it, so the actual percentage of Indigenous people who have the condition may be between 10% and 30%. In the 2004-2005 NATSIHS diabetes was more common for Indigenous people living in remote areas (9%) than for Indigenous people living in non-remote areas (5%). Diabetes affects Indigenous people at a younger age than non-Indigenous people – it affects high numbers of Indigenous people over the age of 35 years, which is about ten years earlier than for non-Indigenous people. Overall, diabetes is around 3.5 times more common among Indigenous people than among other Australians.Deaths from diabetes were seven times more common for Indigenous people than for non-Indigenous people in 2004-2008. Diabetes is a very treatable disease, however it is incredibly costly. Diabetics must be incredibly careful of the food they eat as well as the quality of the food they eat. This makes it very difficult for aboriginals because they are unable to help themselves because they do not have the financial ability to purchase better food and help themselves deal with their illness. Eating processed foods and complex carbohydrates break down into sugar and than enter the blood stream. Diabetics pancreas does not function therefore they are putting constant pressure on their kidneys and liver as well as experiencing drastic high or low blood sugars. For people who cannot contain this disease it is incredibly dangerous and highly fatal. Relating the issue to the United States, I think the current issue is similar to the racial issues with Whites and African Americans. The cultural differences between whites and African Americans were at a high in the 50's-70's, but many of the issues with diet, and schools are very similar to that of aboriginal community. I honestly do not know if there is any solution to these issues, at times I think all people are responsible for making the situation better and than other times I think it all falls back on Darwin's theory. The problems are sometimes so deeply rooted that it is difficult to change and sometimes even impossible. One thing that I applaud the Australian government for is their continuous attempts of educating students about the mistreatment of the aboriginals. Although they are still faulting in multiple different areas and exploiting the aboriginals, the government keeps the filthy history in the school system. Just this year alone at Sydney Uni in three of my classes we discussed aboriginal history and the exploitation and severe mistreatment which occurred. In one of my classes we learned about the Stolen Generation, Half Caste System, and the Rabbit proof fence. We saw multiple vivid examples of children being ripped away from their homes in order to bleed out the Half Caste race. This was because it was deemed a third race which Australians did not want. As brutal and horrific as it sounds, it is important that the government recognizes their mistakes and continues to educate people about this. This is different to the United States because the US hardly educates people about what we did the the Native American Indians. Though it does not change the past, there was no official statement delivered to the Native Americans apologizing for what the white settlers did to them upon arrival. Australia granted a sincere public apology and integrate the apology into their lives once a year and call it 'sorry day'. Native American Indian society is plagued by very similar issues as the aboriginals. CVD, poor education, poor smoking habits, escalated rates of alcoholism, and much more are serious problems in the Native American community, however not much as been done to help these issues. If through brief research it is difficult to find sources which cite the mistreatment of the Native Americans, where as in Australia it is a very known topic which people commonly discuss. I am starting to believe this entire time I was criticizing the Australian government I should have realized it was a result of making people aware of their past rather than continuously hiding their past.

week 9 blog

Who We Are In Sport Comparison to NFL or NBA African American Athletes:

The commercial television show, Who We Are In Sport was very interesting because it highlighted the importance and significance of Aboriginal Athletes in Indigenous communities. The show interviewed multiple Aboriginal Athletes and they all spoke how important it is for them to be a role model for their community and how happy they were of their heritage. The achievements of these athletes are monumental in their own personal lives because in a sense it is a free ticket out of a prejudice low income community. The interesting dynamic of the film was when they discussed how important their role is off the field; each athlete felt that it was their calling or obligation to pay respect to the indigenous brothers and sisters and encourage them to try and make a better life for themselves. This is very common to African American athletes in the United States, particularly in the NBA and NFL. A large percentage of players in these sports are African Americans who come from low income backgrounds. Typically the athletes play a significant role in the community which they came from and often to various things to contribute back or help the youth of the community. Michael Vick of the Philadelphia Eagles has done a great job of this since his, somewhat fall from grace after his dog fighting charges. Vick is incredibly influential in the Philadelphia community. Vick has built and held football fields, computer labs, food drives, book drives, etc. It is humbling to see acts of kindness such as these. It shows that some athletes do appreciate the amazing opportunity and gift they were given.

Week 8

Half Cast Act:

In particular, the 1886 act started to remove Aboriginal people of mixed descent, known as 'half-castes', from the Aboriginal stations or reserves to force them to assimilate into European society. These expulsions separated families and communities, causing distress and leading to protest. Nevertheless the Board refused to assist the expelled people. It was assumed that the expulsions would lead to the decline in the population of the reserves and their eventual closure. The failure of this policy and its inhumanity led to Victoria's Aborigines Act of 1910 and Aboriginal Lands Act of 1970, which abandoned this policy In two of my classes we recently discussed the term Half Cast and the life of a half cast human being. In my Australian Film, Theater, and Learning class we watched the movie Australia and our teacher emphasized the role of the half cast character. In the film the sheriffs and cattle drivers are constantly trying to move the half cast child to mission island in order to inevitably have the race die out. The child was treated and looked upon as less than a second class citizen. Mrs. Boss, the female protagonist in the film adopted the half cast child and members of the community viewed her as inferior for doing such a thing. It is disturbing to learn about the harsh living situations and aggressive tactics used in order to exterminate the race. Earlier today in my history lecture we had a guest lecturer who discussed many instances in which aboriginals were separated from their families and communities. In 2 of the 5 examples provided, the aboriginal women were taking advantage of, raped, and mistreated in a variety of ways. The more I learn about Australia the more I hate the countries origins. For a land of no worries, and everything is all good, there is an enormous stain in its history. Australians need to take a step back and realize how disgusting their past is.

Week 7

NASCA

NASCA is an organization which specializes in efforts to enable Aboriginal equality and cultural pride. NASCA works with Aboriginal young people to empower them through health, education, sport and cultural programs. Through their activities and programs, NASCA places heavy emphasis on integrity, professionalism, and cultural pride. They aim for the highest quality in everything they do and cater towards diverse needs and learning abilities. NASCA's main purpose is to create a more equitable playing field. They belive its achievable and its the right thing to do. Statistics show that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are more likely to live in disadvantaged areas, less likely to complete school and enter into employment, and have high incarceration, morbidity and mortality rates. The gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people is wide and deep. NASCA’s activities are aligned to the Australian Government’s ‘Closing the Gap’ strategy. Our organisation initially focused on sport as a vehicle to achieve our aims as it reflects a number of values held in high esteem in the community, such as fair play, teamwork, cooperation and inclusion. Sport also focuses on what’s possible to achieve while showcasing people’s capabilities, rather than dwelling on the negatives. NASCA has evolved to broaden its scope and now includes educational and cultural initiatives, personal development activities and community involvement programs. These are delivered mainly through schools, camps and other channels in contact with young Aboriginal people. We continue to use sport as a vehicle for engagement on our journey to inspire Aboriginal youth. NASCA is a great program and is very similar to a program which I have worked with in the past called Big Brothers Big Sisters. Big Brothers Big Sisters is an organization which provides sponsors or role models for children through time times. Sponsors are free to chose which outlette they think will worst best for their little. It is a great program which helps build confidence, intelligence, and trust. NASCA is doing a great thing by having so many different outlets to connect and help the children. I hope the organization continues to grow.

Week 6

Field Trip Gone Confused:

Last week we were scheduled to meet to observe a Rugby match between Coogee and La Perouse. Our objective was to monitor and observe Indigenous or Aboriginal Culture and presence at the match. The day before I went to the Blue Mountains and went abseiling, I was incredibly exhausted when I returned likely because I never realized how terrified of heights I and the panic surely caused exhaustion. Either way it was a great experience and loved my time in the Bush. I returned late Saturday night in order to be on time for the match. Woke up Sunday, checked Blackboard and saw we needed to report at 1.20PM. Showed up at Coogee at 1:00PM and thats when the confusion began. First: 20 minutes early (eventually learn there was an email saying 1:45) confused as to what to do, not necessarily enough time to do an activity but to much time to sit and wait without getting bored. Decide to walk over to the oval. Second: little kids and families all over the oval, do not see any signs of a rugby match. Continue to walk around for any signs of a match. None. Decide to phone one of my mates to have them check my mail, their internet stopped working, couldnt figure out what was going on. Third: After a few laps around the oval, finally run into other students. Learn that it was 1:45PM, so that explained part of the confusion. However, another student arrives and explains that he believes the game has changed locations. Now do we move to another location or do we wait and see. Still no signs of any rugby, at least any rugby which I have seen which was limited, also led to more confusion. Fourth: Professor arrives, on time,ultimate confusion begins. He was not exactly sure what was going on. Now I absolutely have no idea what happened. Eventually we learn their is field maintenance and the game has been postponed. Crazy day, however I met some new people. END RESULT: A completely unexpected day with new encounters and a beautiful day at the beach.

Week 5

Week 5 Blog: Race as a Bond vs. Race as Discrimination

In class we viewed the documentary, Footy La Perouse Way and were asked to think about/observe three things: how sport impacts the Indigenous community, RL in aboriginal community, and the demographics of the people participating and watching. While watching the documentary, one thing particularly stuck out to me and that was how the differences in race worked as a bond for La Perouse, but race also served as a form of instigation and discrimination. For La Perouse and their fans race was something they often drew on and were proud in. The stuck together as one and used the instigation as motivation; if one teammate cracks, it will hurt the rest of the team, however if they all stay strong than they can work together as one through the disparity and differences. We see race as discrimination from the other team and the coach of La Perouse. We commonly hear him talking about do not let the other team get into your heads, keep playing your game, if you let it bother you than you already lost. We also saw an interview from former player who was discussing the different racial slurs, which are commonly said on the field. Being a foreign student, I was unfamiliar with what the slurs were and how they should be interpreted, however I just imagined slurs that are common in American culture. Even after comparing the slurs from American culture to slurs used towards indigenous people, it still seemed much worse for the indigenous people. In Australia it seems as if there is a large opinion to Aborigines are still not considered equal, and when the slurs are used, they are whole heartedly meant to emotionally hurt that person or discriminate against them. In America there is certainly racist people, however I would say the majority of the slurs used in sports is a figure of speech, often used by multiple races. Overall, I thought the aspect of using race to ones advantage and disadvantage was very interesting in the documentary and proves how existent and lively indigenous culture is in our community.

Week 4

Week 4 Blog: EORA Fitness:

Indigenous culture struggles daily to overcome battles with weight-loss, diabetes, kidney disease, etc. However, with the help of EORA fitness trainers are staff members are ready to take a stand. EORA fitness is part of the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence, a not for profit social enterprise. All profits from EORA Fitness are reinvested in local and national Indigenous development, training and employment initiatives. Anyone can be a member and by joining EORA Fitness you are playing a part in improving the opportunity profile for generations of Indigenous youth. EORA fitness has a fully equipped gym with a weight room, cycle and cardio rooms, personal trainers, group fitness classes, twenty-five meter swimming pool, and dedicated staff and personnel dedicated to make a difference in the indigenous community. The presence of a fitness center for the indigenous community center is extremely beneficial and proactive way to fight against their weight issues. Having a fitness centre with knowledgeable and dedicated staff is essential to physical well-being. More cultural centers similar to this should be installed more regularly around indigenous communities. These centers could reinstall pride of being aborigines as well as spark a desire for change in the community.