Aboriginal Community Case Study

When the Aboriginal people connect with the environment, maintain, and sustain cultural skills, they improve their health and wellbeing. As such, it is the role of the elderly in the community to ensure cultural connections in the younger generations by engaging them in activities such as storytelling, bush collection, traditional medicine, camera skills, and weaving and painting. It is important for the Aboriginal elders to go beyond fashion, food, and fads of the Aboriginal culture. Background The Jumbun community is a group of Aboriginal people geographically located in Murray Upper, 40 kilometers south- west of Tully in Far North Queensland, Australia. The community has a population of less than 250 people, who are commonly referred to as the “Rainforest people. Every indigenous clan or group has a tale of their beginnings and traditional existence, including how their cultures have transitioned over time.

The indigenous population of the Aboriginal hold the worldview that their land is sacred and is the “great mother of all humanity” (Getty, 2010). These people consider Murray Upper as the great teacher, implying the notion of caring for something beyond humans and existing for all time. One important worldview reflected in the case study is that of communism. The Aboriginal people prioritize collectivity and community over individualism. It encompasses the cultural, emotional, and social well- being of the whole community. This implies that the Aboriginal wellbeing is much broader than the wellbeing of individuals. It incorporates the entire community. For this reason, factors such as housing, civic engagement, education, environment, access to services, health, jobs, and income affect the wellbeing of the Aboriginal community cumulatively (Zubrick, et al.

From the case study, it is evident that the dominant factor for the wellbeing of the Aboriginal people is “spirituality”. In this regard, the indigenous community has an emotional and social wellbeing framework that it considers a culturally appropriate approach to the Aboriginal health (Marmot et al. The framework is a reflection of a broader understanding of health and takes a holistic view of health. Furthermore, the framework also recognizes community governance, continuation of culture, and self- determination as crucial factors in determining the health of Aboriginal people. The Aboriginal people are among the stole generations that were forced out of their homes when they were children by church missions Australian federal, state, and territorial agencies (Gracey & King, 2009). These generations are often traumatized from the experiences they had in the ordeals of forced migration.

Since health is a reflection of social determinants, it is logical to deduce that the social status of the Aboriginal people is further along that of non- indigenous Australians. The Australian government’s failure to solve the inequalities in the Indigenous people is largely due to the increased dominance of non- Indigenous social, economic, and political constructs. Since the initial contract between the Australian Aboriginal people and the white settlers in the late 18th century, the Aboriginal has been controlled, abused, and exploited by both the government and non- governmental authorities (Muller, 2011). These institutions advanced the approaches of cultural assimilation and biological absorption. Over the years, these approaches have attempted to integrate the Aboriginal people into the white society by segregation.

The services should also target risk factors such as poor parenting skills, mental illness, family violence, and substance misuse. • Indigenous- managed agencies should be in control of services and take responsibility for outcomes of the community development programs. Despite being under the control of the Indigenous agencies, they should be appropriately supported and resourced. • Lastly, the Aboriginal community development programs should prioritize cultural safety and take into account the historical context. Cultural Safety and Competence Cultural safety is another term for cultural competency. The seven key elements of cultural safety are working together, outreach, support, time, flexibility, transport, and respect and trust. For example, improving the cultural safety of health care services can increase the Aboriginal people’s accessibility to health care services, improve the effectiveness of health care services offered, and reduce the inequalities in health outcomes.

Effective cross- cultural communication The success of all human interactions depends on effective communication. However, from cultural experiences, it is a fact that cultures are significantly different on the aspects of standards of communication effectiveness and interpersonal protocols. For this reason, effective cross- cultural communication is essential for the success of community development programs among the Aboriginal people. Making such assumptions would offend these people; hence, losing their trust. The program initiators and stakeholders should be sensitive and mindful, and should not assume that all Aboriginal people have low levels of literacy. If the professionals find that the English levels of an Aboriginal individual is limited, they should make arrangements of having an interpreter or proficient family member translate. Conclusion This program was successful in the way that it brought the Aboriginal community members together and effectively enabled the sharing and leaning of traditional knowledge among the elderly and the young in the presence of parents.

The program’s success is evident from the Aboriginal people’s testimonies at the end. This concept is evident in Auntie Ronda’s account of how she taught the kids all about painting, how to build a Mija (a traditional hut), and how to light a fire by rubbing the sticks. This case study was insightful in enhancing my understanding of how to engage with the Aboriginal population. It was also instrumental in improving my knowledge of various social, political, and cultural aspects of the Indigenous people. Through the case study, I have also gained a comprehensive understanding of the Indigenous community development concepts such as cultural safety and community inclusiveness. These principles will be instrumental in improving my future working practice.