Summer Abroad Reflection Journal 1

This is the first time that I have participated in a Summer Abroad Program, and initially I had some misgivings about participating because it would mean that I would be away from the support system that I am used to in Canada. I have found that the program is very informative and has increased my desire to learn more about Indigenous people, so that I can apply my knowledge even more upon my return to studies in Canada.

Before attending our first lectures, I did not know much at all about the Indigenous people of Australia and I had the belief that their history was different from those of the First Nations people of Canada. The similarities that I learned in lecture truly had me wanting to learn more. Subsequently, I have picked up some further texts in order to take in as much as I can.

On the first day of lecture, it was stated that “Indigenous people say that they have always existed in Australia,” (O’Brien, 2010) and that some Indigenous people have said that “it’s not important to find a starting point” for Indigenous habitation of Australia. This concept is similar in Canada, because many First Nations people believe that ‘we have been here since time immemorial.’ When Dr. O’Brien recounted the Indigenous Australian’s first contact with Europeans and their subsequent struggles to be recognized as the “original inhabitants of Australia,” it became clear to me that Indigenous Australia has encountered much of the same struggles as First Nations people in Canada.

As a First Nations woman, I can identify and also relate with the struggles of the Indigenous people of Australia, though some of their struggles with governmental policies and representation are coined in different terms from the same policies and practices that have been initiated and in practice in Canada. According to Dr. O’Brien, “competing viewpoints determine how we view Australia’s history,” and “colonization is not just about the settling of land, it is also a continued practice of dispossessing the indigenous people through various means.” (O’Brien, 2010)

In Canada, “colonization has taken form under the Indian Act, and how First Nations people are identified under that specific Act.  If you are status, you have certain rights, if you are not status; your rights are like the rest of Canadian society.” (McFarlane, 2009) It has long been understood that we are governed by a government that believes in assimilation. Though they say they were sorry for such paternalistic acts such as the residential school system and the further actions of suppressing our languages, traditions and culture, I believe there is still miles to go before we see action that will turn First Nations people in favour of how Canada is governed.

I can see that through colonialist discourse and paternalist acts, Australian Indigenous people are not that much different than their counterparts in Canada. Colonization created many problems for First Nations people, and the attempts to assimilate our people were almost successful. The viewpoint that Indigenous people are less than, stem from colonial policies and practices.

Colonizers viewed and treated Canada’s indigenous people as less than,  and this appears to be the same in Australia. Colonization has made an immense impact on Indigenous people emotionally, physically, spiritually and mentally. It has taken me; many years personally to try and come to terms with what has happened to my own family and to my people as a whole. I find that in order for positive change to happen for all Indigenous people, understanding how the colonial discourse shaped and represented Indigenous people is important, so that we can all work together to create a more positive narrative that works for everyone.

In conclusion, the field site visit to Yiribana Gallery was enlightening, because it helped me to understand and witness more of Indigenous Australia’s rich and vibrant history. I am looking forward to participating in the rest of the program.