Indigenous Groups in Australia and Their Historical Trauma

This article discusses the differences between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups in Australia, their historical trauma due to colonization and subsequent policies, and the impacts of trauma on their communities. It also explores the influences of migrant culture, colonization, and education on contemporary Australian society.

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Contents
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5

MAIN BODY
1. Torres Strait islander and Aboriginal are two indigenous groups present in Australia.
Aboriginal are those indigenous groups who live in Tasmania and mainland Australia.
They come from Asia and settled in Australia in past. Aboriginal groups are nomadic and
mostly thrive by food gathering and hunting. Where as Torres Strait islander are
originated from Torres strait islands, a bunch of small islands between PNG and
Queensland. They are very good in agriculture. Languages of both groups are also
different. Torres strait islander are belong from more than 250 island, therefore there are
more than 250 varieties of culture where as aboriginal have cultural varieties then Torres
strait (Vaarzon-Morel, Barwick, and Green, 2021).
2. (a) Aboriginal people were lived in Australia over 30000 years. The colonization
consequences on Australian indigenous peoples were devastating. After the European
Settlement when European settlers arrived in 1788 then thousand numbers of aborigines
were died from the disease due to the wave of epidemic diseases like measles, smallpox,
and influenza caused by colonisation of many peoples. At first contact, in Australia, there
were more than 250000 aborigines but in 1920, the massacres ended leaving no more
than 6000 aborigines. Colonisation had outcomes in racism, inequity, discrimination and
the disruption of Torres strait islander culture (Moggridge, and Thompson, 2021).
(b) After the settlement of European, western system and power used their number of
policies, powers and laws to achieve control on the Australian aboriginal and Torres strait
islander peoples. They did no considered the law. They have attempted to steal
indigenous peoples' identity and dignity and the basic rights of self determination. They
have taken their native land and removed the indigenous people from the rights of voting
(Hall, Lee, Hoy, and Creamer, 2021).
3. Due to the trauma, relationships between the indigenous children and family was disrupt
as well as it affected thee growth and development of a physical skills and language of
indigenous children. The cumulative impact of intergenerational and historical trauma
severely decrease the capability of Torres strait islanders and aboriginal peoples to
positively and fully involved in their communities and lives, directing to widespread

disadvantages. Aboriginal and Torres strait children who have experienced the trauma
several time have more difficulty in understanding their own feelings. Colonisation and
subsequent policies had create unresolved trauma for Australian indigenous people that
have been passed down from one generation to another. Therefore, it contributes to the
health and social disadvantages experienced by Torres strait islander and aboriginal
people (Hall, 2019).
4. The three influences and changing practices in Australia which show their impacts on the
diverse communities of contemporary Australian society are following:
1- migrant culture- Australia society has been influenced by the migrant cultures from more than
30 countries. Due to this, there are number of diversity of culture.
2- Colonisation – Due to colonisation Australian society has been influenced badly, likely
thousand of indigenous people had been die, number of disease had been spread in Australian
communities.
3- Education- Australian non indigenous people are generally more comfortable towards the
modern education where as indigenous people have less knowledge and skill about the modern
education (Bielefeld, 2018).

REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Bielefeld, S., 2018. Government mythology on income management, alcohol, addiction and
Indigenous communities. Critical Social Policy, 38(4), pp.749-770.
Hall, N.L., 2019. Challenges of WASH in remote Australian Indigenous communities. Journal of
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, 9(3), pp.429-437.
Hall, N.L., Lee, A., Hoy, W.E. and Creamer, S., 2021. Five enablers to deliver safe water and
effective sewage treatment to remote Indigenous communities in Australia. Rural and
Remote Health, 21(3).
Moggridge, B.J. and Thompson, R.M., 2021. Cultural value of water and western water
management: An Australian indigenous perspective. Australasian Journal of Water
Resources, 25(1), pp.4-14.
Vaarzon-Morel, P., Barwick, L. and Green, J., 2021. Sharing and storing digital cultural records
in Central Australian Indigenous communities. New Media & Society, 23(4), pp.692-714.