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Our Children: Part of the Past, Present, and Providing a Vision for the Future: A Murri* Perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 February 2016

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“Aboriginal people have not … invented childhood.” This statement goes to the very heart of the difference between Western and Aboriginal societies as far as children are concerned. Aboriginal children have always remained part of the adult world.

Separation or exclusion from adult activities was kept to a minimum. Indeed, most of those activities were planned and organised to ensure the maximum involvement of as many children as possible. This applied to hunting and gathering, to dance, song, and many ceremonies. From the earliest age, they were aware of what was going on in the community, and were exposed to the whole spectrum of human relations. The expression “not in front of the children”, which became the title of a TV sitcom some years ago, would not have been used by Murris.

Type
Keynote Papers
Information
Children Australia , Volume 14 , Issue 1-2: Brisbane Conference Edition , 1989 , pp. 6 - 8
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1989

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Footnotes

*

In our area we call ourselves Murri. Aboriginal is a colonial word that is gradually being replaced by our own words, whether Murri, Koori, Nunga, Mulba etc. which are used in other parts of the continent, as expressions by the community of our unrelinquished sovereignty.

References

References

1. Brandl, Maria: “A Certain Heritage: Women and their Children in Northern Australia”, in Gale, F. (ed.), “We Are Bosses Ourselves,” A.I.A.S., Canberra, 1983. p.35.Google Scholar
2. Bell, Diane: “Daughters of the Dreaming”, Phee Gribble/George Allen & Unwin, Melbourne, 1983, p.7.Google Scholar
3. Resolution adopted by Conference of Commonwealth and State Ministers responsible for Aboriginal Affairs, Darwin, July 1963:Google Scholar

“The policy of assimilation means that all Aborigines and part Aborigines will attain the same manner of living as other Australians and live as members of a single Australian community enjoying the same rights and privileges, accepting the same responsibilities, observing the same customs and influenced by the same beliefs, hopes and loyalties as other Australians.” Commonwealth Parliamentary Papers, Vol. iii, 1962-1963, p.28.

4. Fanon, Frantz: “The Wretched of the Earth”, Penguin, London, 1967, p.28.Google Scholar
5. Fanon, Frantz: “A Dying Colonialism”, Penguin, London, 1970, p.50.Google Scholar
6. Satre, Jean-Paul, in the Preface to Fanon, “The Wretched of the Earth”, Penguin, London, 1970, p.12.Google Scholar
7. Liberman, Kenneth: “Understanding Interaction in Central Australia: An Ethno-methodological Study of Australian Aboriginal People”, Routledge & Kegan Paul, Melbourne, 1985. For example:Google Scholar

“Maddock argues that … Aboriginal society would rate well, particularly in ‘freedom asserting features’, among which he includes a mutual respect for others, a humanitarian anarchy, and egalitarian political relations.” (p.110)

“(Habermas) argues that social justice is measured by ‘the expansion of the domain of consensual action’ … from (that) viewpoint, Aboriginal societies would rate very high marks for the degree of social justice in their political life.” (p. 110/1)

While the roots of fascism exist in all societies, the emphasis upon the importance of immediate interpersonal relations and the interactional structures I have identified reduce the possibility of tyranny in Aboriginal society.” (p.114).