Aboriginal and Torres Islander History: Cultural Heritage and Discrimination

Running head: NURSING ASSIGNMENT
ABORIGINAL AND TORRES ISLANDER HISTORY
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1NURSING ASSIGNMENT
Introduction
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are decedents of Torres Strait Island, which is a
part of Queensland, Australia. These people have several different cultural and social aspects
compared to the non-indigenous Australians. The number of aboriginal inhabitants vary prior
and after the British and European colonization and currently less than 1 million aboriginal
inhabitants are residing in Australia (Aspin et al., 2012). These people undergone several
discriminations as they were forcefully removed from their own place and when they started
resisting such forces, they had to face violence. Further, using political, economic and social
factors, they were kept deprived of their rights, basic fundamental needs such as food, health and
shelter and their own cultural heritage (Attwood, 2012). This essay focuses on the diversity and
cultural heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and will discuss the political and social
factors that limited their engagement in Australian community. Further, their past and present
power relationships, their values, laws and kinship as well as will discuss the factors that force
these people to suffer from common diseases racial trauma. Finally, few ways will be proposed
to deliver the rights and services to these people will be discussed.
Body
After the colonization of British and European community, the relationship between
aboriginals and Europeans was friendly however, with time, they were pulled out of their homes,
lands, food resources and ordered them a nomadic life. From the historic evidences it can be
determine d that between 1790 and 1810, several attacks were carried by the aboriginal leaders to
destroy English colonies (Lowe & Yunkaporta, 2013). The negative effect of British and
European colonization can be understood from the evidence that mentions that within the year
1788 to 1900, the number of aboriginal community decreased by 90%. The primary reason for
this decrease was loss of land, loss of aboriginal leaders in direct wars with colonizers and the
emergence of contagious diseases. The social and economic issue that detached the entire
Australian community from them was their response to the White colonizers (Negin et al., 2015).
They were fighting against the discrimination and racial behaviors of colonizers that deprived
them from social support, food and shelter. They were forcefully pulled out of their natural food
and water resources and within the year 1870, all the fertile lands were abducted by the British