Cultural Sensitivity: Understanding Aboriginal Culture and Society

This essay provides a critical reflection on cultural sensitivity and competency, focusing on the cultural differences and worldviews between Aboriginal culture and Western society. The author discusses their upbringing, which fostered respect for diverse cultures, and delves into the historical context of the Aboriginal people in Australia, including the impact of colonization and cultural prejudices. The essay highlights eight key cultural differences between Aboriginal and Western societies, emphasizing the spiritual orientation, concepts of truth, societal structures, views on land, time perception, comfort measures, and the importance of wealth. The author reflects on how practicing cultural competency and sensitivity can help embrace these differences and promote cultural awareness, ultimately contributing to becoming a culturally competent professional with a deep understanding of Aboriginal perspectives. Desklib offers a platform for students to explore similar essays and study resources.

Running head: CRITICAL REFLECTION
CRITICAL REFLECTION
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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Culture can be explained as the cumulative deposit of knowledge, beliefs, experiences,
values, attitudes, hierarchies, meanings, religions, notions of time, spatial relations, roles,
concept of universe and different material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people
in the course of generations through individual and group striving (Raman et al., 2017). Culture
might vary among different groups with different background, races, ethnicities, religions as well
as nations. Every individual respects their own culture and tend to follow the lifestyles principles
and philosophies that have been imbibed in them by their own culture (Coleman, 2017).
Most individuals are seen to be extremely respectful of their own culture and cannot
accept disrespecting of their cultures by others belonging to separate culture. At the same time,
often individuals tend to judge the customs and traditions of cultures of other people in light of
their own culture and tend to find rationales behind such customs and traditions (Lahn, 2018).
This often leads to development of prejudices in an individual regarding the other culture and
tend to express them in an insensitive manner affecting the feelings and emotions of the people
of the other culture. This results in development of conflicts and negative feelings among
individuals of both cultures affecting the workplace (Mumford, 2016)
I have grown up in a household where my parents have always been respectful of the
other cultures and in turn encouraged me to mix with people from different culture. They were of
the opinion that more and more I mix with different culture, I would be able to develop more
innovative ideas of living lives and that I would also become tolerant towards all cultures. My
father often used to tell me stories about how different people all over the world like Native
Americans, sentinels, aboriginals, Maoris and many other tribes are sensitive about their own
culture, their views towards lives, the positive aspects of their traditions and many others. They
also encouraged me to interact with people of different religions, share my types with them, play

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with them, and many others. Hence, from very childhood I have developed a cultural sensitivity.
Cultural sensitivity can be described as the attribute which helps an individual to be aware of that
cultural differences as well as similarities exist between people without assigning them any
positive or negative value, without judging worse or better, right and wrongs (Wagner, 2016)). In
place, I feel quite interested and enthusiastic about how different people view their lives, their
religions, their priorities, their customs and tradition, their food habits and others and derive
peace from them. My childhood upbringing and openness and tolerance towards all culture had
always made me remain culturally unbiased and never judging other cultures with the rationales
shared by my own culture.
While growing up, I have been specifically interested about the aboriginal culture among
people who were the first inhabitants in the nation of Australia even before the land was
colonized by Europeans. The history of land theft as well as excessive torture over the
inhabitants by the Europeans had affected generations after generations leading them to not only
poor quality lives but also poverty, various disorders, lack of health literacy and many others.
The concept of stolen generation was found to have the most severe impacts on the generations
resulting in wretched relationships among family members, emotional and psychological turmoil,
strong hatred towards western societies and others. The severe clash of culture and excessive
levels of cultural prejudices and racial discriminations were found to be the main governing
factors that had lead to all the above mentioned turmoil that the Aboriginals had to face.
I have tried to learn about the differences that exist in the culture and worldviews among
the aboriginals and the western societies. I have read huge amount of history and research
articles, blogs and media articles, taken interviews of aboriginals and interacted with them
personally. I have come across eight important cultural differences and varied worldviews

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worthy of sharing. Firstly, the aboriginals live in spiritually oriented society which remains
based on belief and the spiritual world while the western society is scientific and skeptical which
require proofs as the basis of the belief. Secondly, aboriginals believe that there can be many
“truths” and that these “truths” remain dependent on individual experiences whereas western
culture believes that there is only one truth that remains based on science as well as western
laws. Third, aboriginals believe that society operates in a state of relatedness where people,
objects and environment are connected and law, kingship and spirituality reinforce this
connectedness but westerners believe in compartmentalized societies (Matsumoto et al., 2016).
Fourth, the indigenous people believe that land is sacred and had been given by creator or
Supreme Being whereas the westerners believe that land and its resources need to be available
for development and extractions for the benefits of the humans. Fifth, aboriginal culture believes
that time is non-linear and cyclical in nature and that seasons are central to this cyclical concept
whereas westerners believe that time is linearly structured and future oriented. Sixth, aboriginals
have the idea that feeling comfortable can be measured by quality of relationships with that of
people but westerners believe that feeling comfortable is about how one is becoming successful
in life and achieving goals. Seventh, aboriginals believe that humans are not the most important
in world but westerners believe that human beings are the most important. Eighth, aboriginals
believe that amassing wealth is important for good of the community but westerners believe that
wealth is for personal goals.
From the knowledge gathered from the various sources, I have developed distinct ideas
about cultural views shared by aboriginals. The way I have been able to practice cultural
competency, and cultural sensitivity would help me to embrace the cultural differences of the
aboriginals and would never be culturally biased. This would help me to become culturally

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competent professional who would e having high cultural awareness sand cultural knowledge
about aboriginals.

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References:
Coleman, E. B. (2017). Aboriginal art, identity and appropriation. Routledge.
Lahn, J. (2018). Aboriginal professionals: work, class and culture. The Australian National
University.
Matsumoto, D., & Juang, L. (2016). Culture and psychology. Nelson Education.
Mumford, L. (2016). The culture of cities (Vol. 19). Open Road Media.
Raman, S., Ruston, S., Irwin, S., Tran, P., Hotton, P., & Thorne, S. (2017). Taking culture
seriously: Can we improve the developmental health and well‐being of Australian
Aboriginal children in out‐of‐home care?. Child: care, health and development, 43(6),
899-905.
Wagner, R. (2016). The invention of culture. University of Chicago Press.