Critical Analysis: Colonisation, Racism & Indigenous Australian Health

This essay critically examines the health of Indigenous Australian peoples, focusing on the profound and lasting impacts of colonialism on their culture, values, and beliefs. It discusses how colonial practices, including the introduction of diseases, land expropriation, and the imposition of foreign diets and lifestyles, have significantly contributed to health disparities within the Indigenous community. The essay highlights the importance of understanding cultural beliefs and practices in addressing health challenges, while also acknowledging the barriers to accessing healthcare services due to cultural differences, geographical isolation, and institutionalized racism. It concludes by emphasizing the need for culturally sensitive and holistic approaches to improve the health and well-being of Indigenous Australians, considering the historical context and ongoing effects of colonialism.

Health and Indigenous Australian
Peoples Culture Values and Beliefs

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY ..................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Australian First Nations or Indigenous Australians are the members of ethnic groups that
used to live in Australia before British colonisation. Indigenous Australians are divided into two
main groups. First one are the Aboriginal community belonged from mainland of Australia and
Tasmania, and another one is Torres Strait Islander peoples belong from the seas between
Queensland and Papua New Guinea. English colonial settlers attacked the indigenous community
in 1788. Colonialism brought by Britishers in their territory impacted their lives drastically in
many ways. English colonial settlers changed aboriginal's living environment through burning,
by managing resources in some area (Browne et. al., 2020). The article allows to critically
explore all the comparative methods, multidimensional, and critical approaches to explicit role of
human agency and social structures to define the connection between terrorism and the
globalisation. The impact, role and essence of colonial terrorism on Indigenous Australian
community raised many issues includes intellectual, political, complex moral, ethical and
philosophical. The article raise understanding on concepts and theories of colonial terrorism,
historic and cultural information about backward Australian community and finally the structural
aspects of colonial terrorism(Whyman et. al., 2021).
MAIN BODY
In this discussion; it is not appropriate to use term tribe as it is considered as racist
concept. Indigenous group of Australia are considered to be called out by their ethno-national
names, that is, Aboriginals and Strait Torres Islanders. Bultin (1993) suggested there major
causes of destruction of Indigenous society and they are: the withdrawal of resources, disease
episode, and killing. Indulgence of English settlers in Australia have brought many European
diseases also amongst the community. Indigenous population was not immunologically strong
enough to fight infectious diseases like measles, smallpox, pneumonia, influenza and
tuberculosis. Resistance to fight disease also mentions the awareness of these community
regarding the disease. These communities were more vulnerable to disease which cause physical
and mental problems. The issue highlights their lack of involvement with advancement,
knowledge, medical facilities, education, political issues, social issues and modern lifestyle
(Dickson et. al., 2019). Many of them were not able to fight the disease and leads to end up their
lives. British terrorism even expropriated their local land and in order to remove indigenous

people from their land they prefer to cut them of from their food resources and engaged in
genocidal massacres.
According to John Mulvaney (1981; Indigenous people were not seems to have tendency
of war and confront someone and act like rebels. They did not tends to capture anyone's land
through war or to dominate other community while Indigenous Australians always tends to live
in an organised manner with their families, kinship networks, clans and along with ethno-
national groups.
In the aspect of Indigenous belief; those people observed top believe in Dreaming and
Myths. Even it has been observed by many researchers that Indigenous community used to
believe that the world has been created by their ancestors and all of them then get converted into
stars, rocks, watering holes, trees as well present at sacred sites in one or another form. Apart
from belief; Indigenous Australians were evident to live simple and egalitarian lifestyle. They
believed to live life with minimum needs but in best possibly nurturing forms. Their clothing
style was not sufficient enough or minimum, used to live in temporary shelters, weapon used by
them were made of materials readily available on the land. English colonial settlement
introduced European industries, preagricultural and other societies to their tradition and create
destruction of their native lands and impact their life in many ways (Hill et. al., 2022). British
attackers and their descendants even does not give any attention and importance to artistic
contribution of Indigenous Australians. Significance of artistic heritage has explained by the
systemic archaeological investigation that reveals that artistic approach of indigenous population
include painting, carving and visual arts. Indigenous Australians suffered a lot due to desire of
English settlers of acquiring land and tendency to accumulate wealth at any cost. English settlers
were strong and advanced from Indigenous community because of their social organisation and
capitalist technology.
Terrorism in given article is defined to a systemic governmental strategies through which
lethal violence is practised openly in order to target a particular population group and force them
to change their behaviour at political aspects. European colonialists involved in genocide,
terrorism, and extended violence through racial slavery in Africa. Apart from Australia; they
have incorporated in many parts of the world in 17th, 18th, and 19th century through genocidal
wars and colonial terrorism (Martin et. al., 2019).

Indigenous population supposed to be most concern about their cultures and beliefs.
Colonisation negatively affect the health of the Aboriginal Australians due four main aspects;
effect on health and economic status of community during colonisation, switching off from their
traditional diets, introduction of drugs and alcohol within the community, and the effect of
disenfranchisement on their physiological status. Health of Aboriginal population was
considered to be better before introduction of colonialism. They derived their traditional diets
from hunting and diet generally consists of low fat, salt and sugars. These people believe in
maintaining physical fitness and struggle and activities required to accumulate food
demonstrated it (Menzies, 2019). Along with the introduction of colonisation; diet of Aboriginals
impacted drastically. To develop the colonialism; Europeans include the Aboriginals in
mandatory labour activities in exchange to perishable goods instead of money. Therefore, tea,
rice, meta, sugar flour, tobacco and many other commodities became the standard payment
modes to the aborigines. This promote profound impact on their diet as well as their welfare.
Europeans are the responsible one to introduce substance abuse and drugs among the Indigenous
people. At the time of settlement and colonisation; Europeans brought alcohol, tobacco, and
opium with them and allow indigenous population to access towards these harmful substances
and its impact can still be felt today.
Delivery of health services and medical facilities to the indigenous people faced a huge
challenge and drastic issue due to many reasons. One of major barrier between health treatment
and community is their “Culture” and “Belief”. Medical treatment involves many procedures,
methods and medications due to which Aborigines and Torres Islanders resist themselves to
access the facilities. Indigenous community always prefer to live in areas far away from
modernity and urbanisation. Lack of facilities of medical services at their native places,
professional unable to access and make them available their facilities at far away places (Nasir
et. al., 2018). Indigenous people faced many difficulties in reaching to the hospitals and clinics
due to lack of transportation and convince. The community found it difficult to have western
medicine due to the fact that they cannot believe other tradition to bring improvisations to their
health. The traditional beliefs tend to link the disease with the wrong practices of an individual
with unhealthy social and spiritual status. Hence they used to believe that the disease can only be
cured by intervening supernatural practices rather than administration of prescribed medicines.
Australian foundation of epidemiological demographics of disease revealed in their report that

the health status of Indigenous population is approximately 100 years back of their general
section. The poor health of Aborigines is due to their low socioeconomic status and poor living
conditions. There are many others that can be highlighted and supposed to be responsible to
create disadvantageous health include sanitation, poor housing conditions, inappropriate
sanitation facilities, inadequate clean water supply and malnutrition. Cause of increasing
attraction towards substance abuse and alcohol among the community is feeling of rejection
generate due to unemployment, poverty, fear of losing culture and tradition and losing of
ancestral lands (Paradies, 2018).
This community is disproportionately vulnerable to hypertension and diabetes. Even by
suffering and bearing the burden of disease; the provision of health services is paradoxically
lower among this community. Aborigines does not feel themselves sufficient and able enough to
visit hospitals; this has been blamed on institutionalised racism. The community usually seems to
face and complain racial discrimination in hospitals within the country. The professionals seems
to not consider and understand the sensitivity and value of aboriginal practices and tradition
(Smallwood et. al., 2021).
CONCLUSION
In above article; discussion regarding Indigenous Australian people, their health, culture
and beliefs to create and promote understanding about Indigenous population. In above
discussion it can be concluded that there are many factors that make Indigenous people of
Australia more vulnerable to face physical and mental health conditions in comparison to general
population. One of the most significant factor that cannot be ignored is the effect of colonialism.
It may arguably be considered as major factor giving mental stress, cause unsatisfactory health
status of Aboriginal Australians. Effects of the colonisation and bringing urbanisation cause
drastic devastation to their lifestyle, habitat and impacted their diets, culture, tradition and
routine in an irreversible way.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Browne, J., Lock, M., Walker, T., Egan, M., & Backholer, K. (2020). Effects of food policy
actions on Indigenous Peoples’ nutrition-related outcomes: a systematic review. BMJ
global health, 5(8), e002442.
Dickson, J. M., Cruise, K., McCall, C. A., & Taylor, P. J. (2019). A systematic review of the
antecedents and prevalence of suicide, self-harm and suicide ideation in Australian
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth. International journal of environmental
research and public health, 16(17), 3154.
Hill, B., Williams, M., Woolfenden, S., Martin, B., Palmer, K., & Nathan, S. (2022). Healing
journeys: experiences of young Aboriginal people in an urban Australian therapeutic
community drug and alcohol program. Health Sociology Review, 31(2), 193-212.
Martin, R., Fernandes, C., Taylor, C., Crow, A., Headland, D., Shaw, N., & Zammit, S. (2019).
“We don’t want to live like this”: The lived experience of dislocation, poor health, and
homelessness for western Australian Aboriginal people. Qualitative Health
Research, 29(2), 159-172.
Menzies, K. (2019). Understanding the Australian Aboriginal experience of collective, historical
and intergenerational trauma. International Social Work, 62(6), 1522-1534.
Nasir, B. F., Toombs, M. R., Kondalsamy-Chennakesavan, S., Kisely, S., Gill, N. S., Black,
E., ... & Nicholson, G. C. (2018). Common mental disorders among Indigenous people
living in regional, remote and metropolitan Australia: a cross-sectional study. BMJ
open, 8(6), e020196.
Paradies, Y. (2018). Racism and indigenous health. In Oxford research encyclopedia of global
public health.
Smallwood, R., Woods, C., Power, T., & Usher, K. (2021). Understanding the impact of
historical trauma due to colonization on the health and well-being of indigenous young
peoples: a systematic scoping review. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 32(1), 59-68.
Whyman, T., Adams, K., Carter, A., & Jobson, L. (2021). Lateral violence in Indigenous
peoples. Australian Psychologist, 56(1), 1-14.