University Report: Aboriginal Culture and Its Influence in Sydney

This report provides a comprehensive overview of the influence of Aboriginal culture in Sydney, Australia. It begins with an introduction to the importance of cultural identity and its impact on individuals and communities. The report then delves into the traditional custodians of the land, specifically the Gadigal of the Eora nation, and acknowledges their historical significance. It examines the demographics of the Aboriginal population in Sydney, highlighting key statistics on population size, gender distribution, and educational enrollment. The report further explores indigenous services provided, places of significance, and key members of the Aboriginal community. It also discusses various Aboriginal organizations in Sydney and their roles in preserving and promoting Aboriginal culture. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of recognizing and integrating Aboriginal culture into the broader community for the economic and social benefits of all residents. The report references several scholarly sources to support its findings.

Running head: ABORIGINAL SYDNEY
Influence of indigenous culture in Sydney
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author Note:

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Traditional Custodians of the Land.................................................................................................3
Demographics..................................................................................................................................4
Indigenous Services.........................................................................................................................4
Places of Significance......................................................................................................................5
Key Members...................................................................................................................................5
Aboriginal Organizations in Sydney...............................................................................................6
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................6
References........................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction
The following report is based on the study of the influence of indigenous culture on
Sydney. A positive cultural identity provides an individual with a proper sense of belonging,
purpose and social support in the community. This process may initiate at the time when there is
an attachment to the cultural group where the values, belief systems and practices are shared and
implemented by all the members present in the community. Australian aboriginal culture refers
to a number of different practices and formal ceremonies that are practiced by a group of people
who are believed to be the original and traditional inhabitants of the country. Therefore the
culture of the aboriginals has a major impact on the lives of the population living in the country
(Mooney et al. 2016).
Traditional Custodians of the Land
Sydney city in the state of Victoria acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres strait islander
people as the custodians of the land. They were the first to inhabit the total continent. The
Gadigal of the EORA nation are the traditional custodians of Sydney (Kelly and Rowse 2016).
The authority that manages the cultural traditions of Sydney organizes different programs tthat
includes a traditional performance by the aboriginals. The community groups, event producers as
well as other organizers are encouraged to involve the traditional people to the welcome
programs on different occasions (Fitzpatrick et al. 2017). The term traditional owners are used to
describe the original people who stayed in the area for a long time. The aboriginals who exist
today are the descendants of the earlier inhabitants and thus have a spiritual, cultural and
physical connection with them.

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Demographics
According to the census carried out by a popular company, there are around 17,252
aboriginals in the city of Sydney itself. The male population is more than 50% amongst the
following whereas the female population stands at around 48.9%. There are more than 3000
families at present in the country and the number of private dwellings stands at more than 8500.
The study clearly highlights the small figures of aboriginal population in the Australian city
(Fitzpatrick et al. 2017).
Most of the people are married amongst the population of the Torres Strait people and
education has gradually taken the front seat in the last decade with a record number of aboriginal
children and students being enrolled in primary and secondary schools. Apart from the school
level education the students are also enrolling themselves for high school as well as colleges and
universities. Sydney has a large number of people who speak different languages. Though
English is the most common language but the presence of different people from different
countries of the world have forced the people to learn different new languages. Amongst which
Chinese, Thai, Indonesian and Korean languages are the most preferred ones. Most of the people
are enrolled in full time employment whereas there are many who are employed as just part time
workers. Train, bus and private cars are the most common forms of transport. However, train and
buses are the main modes of transport for the aboriginals who basically belong either to the
middle strata or the lower strata of the community.
Indigenous Services
Some of the indigenous services provided to the Torres Strait Islanders are;
 Development and implementation of the education system

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 Development of different support programs for both the people as well as the students
who pursue their career in the educational institutions
 Supporting the aboriginals in their choice of careers
 Development of platforms to display the cultural talents of the aboriginals
Places of Significance
Some of the main places of significance which displays a strong sense of Aboriginal
Culture are;
1. Yiribana Art gallery
2. Bangarra Dance Theatre
3. Boomalli
4. Royal Botanic Gardens
5. Waterloo Library
6. Barangaroo Reserve
7. Sydney Cove
Key Members
The entry of the aboriginals in Sydney region saw the entry of the Gadigal people in the
following city. However the latest inhabitants are the Eora descendents of the city. At present
there are about 29 different groups in the metropolitan area. This includes the Eora, the Guringai,
the Dharawal’s as well as the Dharug people (Dobia and Roffey 2017). These key members form
the backbone of the aboriginal community dwelling in Sydney. They are supported in different

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ways by the government as well as the local authority to help them mix with the community
easily.
Aboriginal Organizations in Sydney
A number of different Aboriginal organizations are present in Sydney to protect the cause
of these people. These organizations display the traditional heritage cultures of the aboriginal
people (Wu PhD and Hsieh 2016).The Australian Aborigines Progressive Association is one
such organization which operated in the city from the year 1924 till 1927 before being disbanded
due to continuous police harassments. The Aboriginal Australian Fellowship operated for a brief
period of 1956 to 1969 which was led by a latest generation of leaders like Pearl Gibbs, Faith
Bandler and many more as such. Apart from this a number of educational institutions were
specially established for the well being of the Aboriginals which helped in their development
process. Tranby co-operative Aboriginal College is an example of one such college for the
aboriginal population in Sydney. Apart from this the particular group of early inhabitants has
also established themselves in other different areas like dancing and singing. One of the famous
dance groups in Sydney is the Bangarra Dance Theatre. The following group uses dance, music
and song to educate and entertain both local as well as international audiences.
Conclusion
The paper has established many unknown and detailed description of the aboriginals
present in the city of Sydney. The study of the demographic qualities of the people has clearly
highlighted the huge influence of aboriginal culture in the city of Sydney. The presence of a
special status to these people is utmost necessary for their economic benefits which can happen
only by the proper mix of their culture with the culture of other residents in the country. A

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thorough analysis of the following report will help the readers to get an idea about the
aboriginals and their cultural characteristics in Australia.

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References
Dobia, B. and Roffey, S., 2017. Respect for Culture—Social and Emotional Learning with
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Youth. In Social and Emotional Learning in Australia and
the Asia-Pacific (pp. 313-334). Springer, Singapore.
Fitzpatrick, E., Martiniuk, A., D'antoine, H., Oscar, J., Carter, M., Lawford, T., Macdonald, G.,
Hunter, C. and Elliott, E., 2017. Yarning with remote Aboriginal communities about seeking
consent for research, culturally respectful community engagement and genuine research
partnerships. Internal Medicine Journal, 47(S3), pp.22-22.
Kelly, M. and Rowse, T., 2016. One decade, two accounts: the Aboriginal Arts Board
and'Aboriginal literature', 1973-1983. Australian Literary Studies, 31(2).
Mooney, J., Seaton, M., Kaur, G., Marsh, H.W. and Yeung, A.S., 2016. Cultural perspectives on
Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian students' school motivation and
engagement. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 47, pp.11-23.
Perz, J.M., Ussher, J.M., Robinson, K.H., Parton, C.M., Metusela, C., Churruca, K. and
Metusela, L., 2016. The Five Big Ideas Program Evaluation: An Examination of the Process and
Efficacy of an Early Intervention Program for Aboriginal Pre-school Children, from the
Perspective of Key Stakeholders: Teachers and Program Developers.
Turner, G., Fiske, J. and Hodge, B., 2016. Myths of Oz: reading Australian popular culture.
Routledge.

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Wu PhD, T.C.E. and Hsieh, Y.L., 2016. Seeking Serious Tourists–Balancing Culture,
Conservation and Economic Gains from Aboriginal Tourism.
Yang, P., 2015. Appreciation of cultural diversity through translating Australian aboriginal
culture: A project-based learning approach.