The Pearl Package - Article Example

Pearl Package Name: Professor: Institution: Course: Date: Australia is a unique country on a unique setting. It is both a nation and a continent on its own and is one of the largest islands in the world. Australia is also a member of the common wealth of Nations which means it was colonized by Britain before gaining its independence from the British authorities. Most of the population of Australia is of ancestry of immigrants who settled in there and the others are the original inhabitants who lived there initially. Most of the immigrants were of European origin and came during the colonial period and the “Aussies’’ as they are often referred to have adopted a mostly western civilized culture. The original inhabitants of Australia were mostly hunters and gatherers and were believed to have settled in Australia having come from other areas such as Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. The Pearl package comprises of three materials which will be of significance in helping us understand how as a teacher we can be able to identify and relate to the students in the landscape and the context of indigenous education. The pearl package seeks to invoke the thoughts of us and also take us through a journey that is aimed at making us understand the structure and the role that we need to play in regard to the imparting and teaching the indigenous Australians as well as how we can improve and understand the issues that face them. The package comprises of a map which is very important part of the culture of the indigenous people, a youtube clip and a photo. Below is an analysis of the three landmarks which will help us understand better. THE MAP The map is associated with archeologist and Anthropologist Norman Tindale who conducted extensive research in Australia. Norman Tindale’s works are highly respected because he undertook the work of mapping the original tribes of Australia. Tindale is said to have received the motivation after a visit to conduct some research and a guide who was with him gave him a detailed and extensive insight on the lands and this then was a source of the huge interests he had in the lands. Tindale conducted the mapping for a period of fifty years. The research and mapping process came up with a notion that the Aboriginals were originally Nomadic people and had no fixed lands and territories. The Map is very crucial as it helps detail the lifestyle and the way the Aboriginals lived as well as providing graphic evidence on the initial state of the Australian lands and that no lands in the Australian Lands were initially empty. Based on Norman Tindale’s research it is imperative to note that the type of culture that the Aboriginals lived means they lived with mutual respect among the various tribal groupings which enabled them to co-exist as well as move into new areas without fear of attack reprimand. The map was also a critical one as it helped quell the notion that the Aboriginals were a strictly nomadic people who lived a nomadic lifestyle. In addition to this, the map showed that initially all the Land in Australia was occupied by the Aboriginals in all areas ant that there was no land which was No man’s land. Based on that fact it is important to note that the many tribal groupings among the Aboriginals, were strongly bonded together by aspects such as mutual respect and concepts such as language and culture. Moreover, that there was a strong and sharp connection between the Aboriginals and their lands. The map is a critical record of the Australian History that helps us to clearly understand the Aboriginal people, their culture and the issues they may be facing as a people based on the past they have had. With the coming of the Europeans, they considered that the Lands were empty and went ahead and occupied them. The white settlement also had a huge impact on the Aboriginals as they were displaced and felt disregarded. There was also culture assimilation and an overall fall in their cultural activities as their original lands went on to be occupied by the white settlers thereby disturbing their cultural heritage. The Photo With the coming of the White settlers and the subsequent displacement of the Aboriginals, there was an overall discrimination against the Aboriginals and they worked as laborers for the White settlers by running errands and doing other manual jobs. This also saw the coming up of informal settlement where the Aboriginals would live as they worked for their “masters”. However, there began to emerge discrimination based on class and on race where the Whites and the Aboriginals who were mainly black didn’t want to mingle and hence Boundary Street was set as a boundary. What followed would what can be termed as pure agony for the Aboriginals as most lost their jobs and survival became hard. The drawing of the boundary was a step that saw the sheer discrimination to the extent that Aboriginals faced restriction in obtaining basic goods such as alcohol and opium. In addition, a curfew was set that the Aboriginals had to be out of town which was Brisbane by dusk. This was done by a fence being erected to keep the Aboriginals completely out of town each day. The reason for such discrimination was said to prevent social evils such as crime and prostitution as well as the White settlers felt superior to the Aboriginals. THE YOU TUBE Clip The You Tube clip shows protesters rioting about the demolition of a makeshift Embassy and subsequent arrest of rioters who were championing the rights of the Aboriginals. The government of Australia had for a long time failed to recognize the Aboriginals Land Rights and in retaliation, four men of Aboriginal descent erected the Aboriginal Tent Embassy with the aim of receiving the attention of the Government and champion it to address the important land issues. The protest became popular by the day and saw more and more protestors join to rally support as at the time it was legal. However, an order was issued and quashed the legality of the protest and this then forced then saw the arrest of many of the protestors. However, days later, the government agreed to sign the Aboriginal Land Acts which saw the enforcement of land ownership laws and the entitlement of the Aboriginals to some land for them being the Initial inhabitants. The Pearl packages raise several issues with the regard to how we can relate to the Indigenous people as well as how we can strive to understand them and the issues. These issues will mainly occur in a learning environment. It is important for the teacher to handle the Aboriginals with sensitivity as they are normally grown up in a place where the culture and mutual respect are the building blocks hence ensuring mutual respect between the students is important. In addition, it is critical to show them the importance of a good education and how it is best placed to change their lives. That pegs the question, how can we incorporate Aboriginal cultures and histories into the curriculum and classrooms? This has been a question that has been on the mind of most educational professionals as they seek to fight the above issues which have acted as great impediment tom promoting education in the aborigine’s areas. The very first and most significant thing that schools and stakeholders in the education department can do to improve an integration of the culture into the classrooms as well as promote education is by seeking role models and members of the Aboriginals who have had an education and are leading a better life. The individuals can help draw a desire as well as help significantly raise the bar in as far as the education sector is concerned as most of the children and parents will want to have their children as successful as the role model. In addition to that, having role models who can speak to the children can be a source of motivation for the children and the society at large can also seek to improve the desire for education among the Aborigines. The schools and stakeholders can also improve the standards of education once they integrate the aboriginal culture in the Australian education system by involving the parents and the society in general into the schools management system. This can take place in several ways first by consulting the parents on how they want the schools managed., This can give a touch of the Aboriginal way of doing things as well as have a member of the Aboriginal culture in the school board which will see an even distribution of the Aborigines in the management of the school affairs, The other way of integrating the culture into the education system is by making it mandatory for all students Aboriginal and Non Aboriginal to learn the Aboriginal culture at school. The integration of this can make the Aboriginal culture respected. The authorities should also see to it that aspects of the Aboriginal languages and tribes are given a huge emphasis which will see a significant t rise in the response and respect for the Aboriginal culture as well as its integration into the school and curriculum system (Michael, 2004). The Aboriginals need special care and treatment in the classes as well as treatment which are an aspect that is deep rooted in the Aboriginal culture. The teachers at the schools need to come up with various strategies such as not being too liberal and also taking due care to avoid crossing the path. The aboriginals should also be taught and given much more attention to avoid cases of discrimination against them which may influence their lies in a negative way and cause them to drop out (Barry, 2007). A very small percentage of the Aboriginals decide to take up higher education and most of them opt to take up low paying jobs once they clear high school or even refuse to join high school. To help improve and integrate the system of education and the curriculum into their culture, it is important to have a few subjects that are tailor made and that suit the aboriginal culture to help them integrate into the education system. In addition, the Aboriginals should be accorded special; treatment as far as the grading is concerned based on the areas they studied from (Barry, 2007). This will see a dramatic increase in the number of them attending colleges and ultimately a change in the levels of education among them. An issue highlighted earlier is where there is low funding and a general negligence by the government in the funding of schools in the Aboriginal areas. The Government should actually channel more funds and resources to such schools to help develop curriculums that are relevant to the aboriginal culture and also channel funds to build more schools and hire more teachers who will be able to raise the bar in their areas,. In addition to that the government should pass legislations that will bar any discrimination against the aboriginals who are trying to have access into the education system as well as make the learning process easier and affordable for them (Karlevo &Parkes, 2009). The aboriginals on the other hand should see to it that they embrace education as a way of improving their livelihoods. Those are the measures which should be taken that will see to it that the education standards and the Aboriginal culture are integrated into the curriculum. References Kalervo, N. G., & Parkes, R. J. (2009). In the shadows of the mission: Education policy, urban space, and the ‘colonial present’ in Sydney. Race Ethnicity and Education, 12(3). Barry, A. (2008). 'Equal to children of European origin': Educability and the civilising mission in early colonial Australia. History Australia, 5(2), 41.1-41.16. Hudson, A., & Ahlquist, R. (2003). Whose culture? The colonising school and the miseducation of Indigenous children: Implications for schooling in Australia. Journal of Postcolonial Education, 2(2), 11-31.pg. Yunkaporta, T., & McGinty, S. (2009). Reclaiming Aboriginal knowledge at the cultural interface. The Australian Education Researcher, 36(2), 55-72. Nakata, M. (2007). The cultural interface. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 36S, 7-14. May, S. and Aikman, S. (2007) "Indigenous Education: Addressing Current Issues and Developments" Comparative Education 39, no.2 (2003): 139-145. Michael, C (2004a) Aboriginalizing the post primary curriculum. The Aboriginal Child at School, 22, 2, 86 - 94. Ahlquist, R. (2000) Whose world is it anyway? Multicultural science from diverse perspectives. Comparative Education Review, 44, 3, 356 – 363. Read More