Indigenous peoples of Oceania

the front of the stage – representing the purity and authoritarianism of the colonists; as opposed to the Aboriginal people cowering in the shadows which connotes primitiveness. Conversely, costumes play an instrumental role in the depiction of the story; signifying the historical point in time, as well as the cultural differentiation between colonialists and the Indigenous people. The colonialist’s attire consists of crisp white clothing, neat and pressed. While not explicitly signified, the…

(Blake, 1981). However, according to Dixon, Ramson & Thomas (1990), their total number of that time lay between one and two million, divided into about 700 tribes. In 1921, the Aboriginal population was at its lowest level so far with around 60,000 people. After that, they started to recover and increase again in number (Prentis, 2008). However, still today they make up less than 3% of the entire Australian population. With the drastic decline of the population, there were also fewer elders…

Sparring partner Marshall McLuhan said, “All media exist to invest our lives with artificial perceptions and arbitrary values”. Yet media is very important in how so many people get to know the world around them. For example, when the lower and middle class do not interact with the upper class, it is impossible for them to understand about the upper class. The only way most of the other classes understand the upper class is through media portrayal. Media is one of the biggest network in the…

Australian anthropological writing recognizes the critical religious measurements of Creation myths, investigations of the secularized old stories of indigenous groups living in country and urban territories have been to a great extent dismissed. This paper researches the parts of Australian Aboriginal mythology in late indigenous and non-indigenous societies inside mild Australia. (Clarke 2007, p.141).…

is bound to encounter many terms. However, what happens when every state and territory of Australia uses their own words and slang? This is a source of confusion for many, and can even trigger many debates amongst states. There are many different people living in Australia, all with their own identities and individual use of Australian English. It is important to highlight these differences and identities by celebrating the fact that Australians from various states and territories use their own…

The Australian flag debate is an interrupted enquiry over whether the Australian flag should be changed, particularly to eliminate the Union Jack from the canton, but to perhaps introduce a completely new design without the Southern Cross. John Blaxland who approves a proposal for a new mature Australian flag, agrees that the flag should be changed. Although there is a lot of controversy around this argument. For example Allan Pidgeon argues that Australia should change its flag. However some…

Australia has a proud heritage and an enduring cultural identity. What are we celebrating on January 26 and what does it mean to be Australian? Traditionally, it's about celebrating the First Fleet's arrival in 1788 and recognising the early convicts and settlers. The fact that our language, political and legal institutions are inherited from the British Isles, not anymore. The cultural left tells us that it's all about multiculturalism and celebrating diversity and difference, with some even…

A plethora of people argue that artists should have whatever creative freedom they desire, while others argue that there should be limits and they should be respectful, but where are the boundaries to be drawn and who is responsible for deeming it appropriate or not? The data from this chapter is taken mostly from case studies about musical rights from Canadian First Nations. Some state that when people appropriate music, they often are not trying to profit…

I am interested in the issue of aboriginal poverty because they are a community in Canada that has been marginalized since the beginning of Canada. I think it is important to learn more about the issues that first nations peoples face because their community faces so many obstacles that we don't have to even deal with. I feel that if we learn more about aboriginal poverty we may be able to create better laws and regulations that would help the children and youth be able to leave the cycle…

It is home to one of the largest Francophone communities and is also the birth place of Louis Riel the political leader of the Metis and the founder of Manitoba. The Grey Nuns were very influential to the early development of the city. The Metis people wanted recognition from the Canadian Government which led to the Red River Rebellion; the first crisis the new Government faced following the Canadian Confederation in 1867. Winnipeg was the site of the Red River Rebellion between the Metis and…