The Struggle of Maintaining an Indigenous Identity in Contemporary Australia
The Struggle of Maintaining an Indigenous Identity in Contemporary Australia
- The evidence of this is all around us. Why are our suicide rates so high? Why are incarceration rates increasing? Why are we dying so young compared to non-Indigenous Australians? Of course, there are countless factors, but we cannot overlook the foundational one – substantial loss of culture due to the processes of colonisation. Even for those who live where they have been able to maintain most of their traditions, there has still been a considerable shift from their traditional lifestyles that is has created a ‘break’ of sorts in their identities as Indigenous peoples.
- The evidence of this is all around us. Why are our suicide rates so high? Why are incarceration rates increasing? Why are we dying so young compared to non-Indigenous Australians? Of course, there are countless factors, but we cannot overlook the foundational one – substantial loss of culture due to the processes of colonisation. Even for those who live where they have been able to maintain most of their traditions, there has still been a considerable shift from their traditional lifestyles that is has created a ‘break’ of sorts in their identities as Indigenous peoples.