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The Forum > Article Comments > The threat to Aboriginal culture: assimilation or worse > Comments

The threat to Aboriginal culture: assimilation or worse : Comments

By Gavin Mooney, published 10/3/2005

Gavin Mooney argues that assimilation will destroy Aboriginal culture and identity.

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to me that apathy by virtue of ignorance about historical facts relating to the treatment of aboriginal peoples in australia is part of the agenda for the survival of institutional racism. keep the australian public ignorant of the facts, that ignorance turns into apathy and the couldn't give a rip attitudes.
Posted by kalalli, Monday, 14 March 2005 1:42:14 PM
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In sum, aboriginal communities need to drop tribal thought-sets. Australian Westerners need to appreciate that some knowledge is valuable A Priori knowledge, best known to primitive societies. Amalgamate what the two societies offer for collective survival by accommodating mutual contributions in a non zero sum game: Sadly, the suggested remedies would be unrealistic and repulsive to both parties.
Posted by Oliver, Monday, 14 March 2005 3:36:23 PM
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Australia should not be looking at either assimilation or apartheid, but, rather, accommodation. Communities need to adjust cognitive schema towards new understandings (Piaget). However, for the aforementioned to occur, individuals from both cultures need to indwell (Polyani) within the intersection of the two cultures (Aboriginal and Western. Tritration between Aboriginal society, Western Society and indwelling (as a catalyst) is unlikely to happen because in evolutionary biology Aboriginal society has learned to sustain its continuance via Kin Altruism (Wilson). Alternatively, Western society, emphasises, By-Product Mutualism (Wilson), especially post the Enlightenment and, later amplified by pioneer liberal moralists, such as, Hume, Smith and Ferguson.

Under Kin Altruism the locus of Aboriginal identity is the extended family. The individual exists for the survival of the community. Caring and altruism are focused here. Community with others is somewhat alien. Moreover, traditional aboriginal life is a zero sum game. Herein, “what others have detracts from what I have”. In short, we see a tribal system adapted to an environment having finite resources.

Alternatively, modern Westerners can be equally selfish but have learned to cooperate and compromise for the collective good. Life is not a zero sum game. Westerners collaborate with others. The famous World War II photograph of Churchill and Roosevelt (Western society) sitting with Stalin (Orthodox society) comes to mind. This willingness to work cooperatively outside limited and bounded interests lies at the heart of the success of Western civilization.

The best solution is Aboriginal and Western cultures cooperating to play a non-zero sum game accommodating both cultures towards optimum Nash equilibrium. Herein, significant elements of aboriginality will be lost but that is a better result than total extinction. Perhaps, the evolved Western civilisation would accommodate aboriginal attitudes towards conservation improving the chances of mutual survival.

In sum, aboriginal communities need to drop tribal thought-sets. Australian Westerners need to appreciate that some knowledge is valuable A Priori knowledge, best known to primitive societies. Amalgamate what the two societies offer for collective survival by accommodating mutual contributions in a non zero sum game: Sadly, the suggested remedies would be unrealistic and repulsive to all.
Posted by Oliver, Monday, 14 March 2005 3:39:10 PM
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Kallali, you appear to be saying that racism can be a passive thing, that I can be a racist by doing absolutely nothing at all.

By the same token, I assume you categorize me as a murderer, because I didn't protest publicly against the Rwandan massacres, a human rights violator because I haven't personally intervened in Chechnya, and a paedophile because I haven't actually made an observation about the Michael Jackson trial.

Incidentally, I'd watch those circular arguments if I were you... "apathy by virtue of ignorance ... part of the agenda for the survival of institutional racism... keep the australian public ignorant of the facts... ignorance turns into apathy" Apathy does of course beget apathy, but does not need to go down the road you describe in order to get there.

Which is just my way of saying that you present a nonsense argument against JB1's hard gem of reality. Just because you may not like it, or it may be an unpalatable and cynical observation, doesn't render it invalid.
Posted by Pericles, Monday, 14 March 2005 3:48:36 PM
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Pericles,
you amaze me, (in a positive way) you would probably be just about the only other person on the forum who has any clue about the Brooks. (forgive me any others who do). So, I've cranked you up a few notches on the "posts to look at" list :) It is one of the most fascinating pieces of history I've ever come across. The interaction between the Brunei Sultan and James Brook, the expansion of Sarawak and the decline of Brunei etc..
The reason I bring religion into the mix re-aboriginals, is because my wife is a member of the Lun Bawang tribe of Borneo (spread over Brunei, Sabah, Sarawak and Kalimantan) had it not been for the gospel she wouldnt be here, nor would my kids. The story of that tribe is told in a book 'Drunk before dawn' by Shirley Lees which is not easy to track down. but it does give a good account of the pre-christian situation.

There is a village, where one single family is still living the old custom, and the drunkeness and spirit fear are as they were in the old days. They stand out like the proverbial country toilet so to speak.
The newest people group to undergo a transition from nomadic to settled life are the Penan and Punan. My first encounter with these people will never be forgotten. Straight out of the jungle, they came to the kelabit village I was in, asking for work for food. They frequently became 'virtual' slaves of other groups when jungle food was thin. But they would always be able to return at will to the jungle.
We can learn many valuable lessons from aboriginal and other indigenous cultures about how to remedy the situation our own aboriginals face, where the 'it bores me' attitude of one notable poster here is a significant challenge
Posted by BOAZ_David, Monday, 14 March 2005 10:04:41 PM
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pericles you would only be those things if you actually committed the acts, or accessory to it if you knowingly allow someone to committ such behaviour and do nothing about it.

as for circular argument, denial begets ignorance, ignorance begets apathy, apathy begets denial. circles, cycles, domino effects. take one out of the circle/cycle, you break it and the associated behaviour as well.

it takes one good man/woman to do nothing for evil to flourish.
Posted by kalalli, Tuesday, 15 March 2005 8:38:35 AM
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