To begin today,
I would like to acknowledge and honor the Giabal and Jarowair Peoples’ of Toowoomba; the Jagera, Yuggera and Ugarapul Peoples’ of Springfield and Ipswich; the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation, Sydney; and the Kambuwal Peoples’ of Stanthorpe as the traditional owners of the land and waterways where the University of Southern Queensland is located.
Further, we acknowledge the cultural diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ and pay Respect to Elders past, present, and future. We celebrate the continuous living cultures of First Australians and acknowledge the important role played by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ in Australian society (USQ, n.d)
Okay, now, this essay will go on to explain the meaning of Respect, Reciprocity, and Responsibility through two different perspectives. Firstly, through the perspective of contemporary society, then through the perspective of Traditional Indigenous society with examples of how these concepts would have manifested in daily life, followed by a little comparison of perspectives. Following that this essay will explore how these values are used today in terms of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander focused policies and organizations.
In contemporary society, Respect means to have due regard for the feelings, wishes, rights, or traditions of others. Reciprocity is the practice of exchanging things with others for mutual benefits, especially privileges granted by one county or organization to another. Also, responsibility means the state of fact of having a duty to deal with something or of having control over someone (Dictionary, 2019).
In the traditional Indigenous society, Respect was thought to be regarding all living creatures in nature, you only ever took what you needed, and never took what wasn’t yours. Reciprocity meant, you had an understanding of the significance of the links to the land in terms of sustainability and environmental issues, meaning you gave back what you would take aiming for continuity. It also includes the agreement of land use and trade exchanges, so in an Indigenous sense, reciprocity can also be a push towards payback for wrongdoings. Also, responsibility meant for individuals to become familiar with the context of their story and to learn about how to live wisely and follow the lore and spiritual beliefs. It also covers a willingness to care for your backyard and a totem relation to protect your animals and plant relation (Monroe, 2011).
The similarities between the contemporary and traditional Indigenous meanings of Respect, reciprocity, and responsibility can be seen. But to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ it means so much more than just the definition of three words. These words build an interrelated and holistically framed guideline for Indigenous spiritual totem relationships, providing the worldview in which a human is an integral part of nature, not distinct from other natural species, sharing with them the same life essence (Monroe, 2011). This world view became a pattern of life for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples because these were the values taught to them by their Dreaming Ancestors. Their Dreaming ancestors provided them with a model for life. ‘They established a pattern for the daily round of economic, social, political, cultural and ritual activities’ from hunting, the sharing of food and tools, even how to punish offenders from the examples their Dreaming ancestors had left behind (Bourke, Bourke, & Edwards, 2019).
We can start to see the traditional values of Respect, reciprocity, and responsibility being re-encompassed in multiple Indigenous-focused policies and agreements. For instance, Altman (2009, p.14) notes that in 2008 The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) published the results of the Labor Force Survey which estimated the production of 20,000 new Indigenous public and private sector jobs between 2002-07. These jobs were created under the States agenda to provide ‘real jobs’ to Indigenous people who promote and manifest traditional Indigenous values.
Broome (2010) writes that the 1990s was a time were all Aboriginals were hoping for equality. Stating that ‘in 1996 Rio Tinto created an Aboriginal fund to form partnerships with Aboriginal people on education, health, cultural and leadership projects, allocating a modest $17 million over ten years for such projects’ (Broome, 2010, p.257).
Bourke et al. (2019) write about The National Aboriginal Education Committee (NAEC) significant achievement in 1977, when they launched the successful program for the training of 1,000 Indigenous teachers, aiming for culturally responsive education settings.
The Community Development Employment Program (CDEP) is another scheme that aims to create a range of employment opportunities that provide Indigenous People with work to enhance individual skills, community self-management, and economic development. These opportunities aim to empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ to make decisions about the development of their community while focusing on maintaining, preserving, and restoring cultural integrity to communities. From an Aboriginal perspective, the CDEP is well-liked because while having the flexibility to participate in the customary economy and ceremony, they also get to live on ancestral lands (CDEP, 2017).
The Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives (CATSINaM) is another national peak body that represents, advocates and supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples by reinforcing the traditional Indigenous values of Respect, reciprocity, and responsibility. CATSINaM aims to play a pivotal role in providing culturally safe health services and aims to support the recruitment and retention of Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ in nursing and midwifery (CATSINaM, 2015).
From the beginning of this essay, we have learned the meaning of Respect, reciprocity, and responsibility, in both a contemporary and traditional Indigenous perspective. We then gave a slight comparison of both perspectives on the above values. Ending with a handful of organizations and policies that have embedded the Indigenous tradition perspectives of Respect, Reciprocity, and Responsibility within themselves, to strive to help close the gap and allow a better future for all.
Referencing
Altman, J.C. 2009, Beyond closing the gap: valuing diversity in Indigenous Australia. Viewed on 26 September 2019, https://lor.usq.edu.au/usq/file/3eb50c94-f7a0-4075-a6ed- 83b1cf4904bf/1/allfiles.zip/6%20J.C.%20Altman%2C%20Beyond%20Closing%20the% 20Gap%20 Valuing %20Diversity%20in%20Indigenous%20Australia%2C%20CENTRE%20FOR%20ABO RIGINAL%20EC ONOMIC %20POLICY%20RESEARCH%2C%20CAEPR%20WORKING%20PAPER%20No.%2 0542009%20.pdf
Bourke, C., Bourke, E. & Edwards, B. 2019. Aboriginal Australia. 2nd edn. University of Queensland press. St Lucia QLD.
Broome, R. 2010, Aboriginal Australians: A history since 1788, 4th edn, Allen and Unwin, Crows nest NSW.
CATSINaM. 2015, Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives. Viewed on 26 September 2019, https://www.catsinam.org.au/static/uploads/files/cultural- safety-endorsed- march-2014-wfginzphsxbz.pdf
CDEP. 2017, Community development employment program. viewed on 26th September 2019, http://cdep.com.au/default.aspx%3Fid%3D2
Dictionary. 2019, Definitions. viewed on 25th September 2019, https://www.dictionary.com/
Monroe, M.H. 2011, Australia: The land where time began. viewed on 26th September 2019, https://austhrutime.com/aboriginal_totemism.htm.
University of Southern Queensland, n.d. Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander Cultural Protocols: Forging connections, University of southern Queensland, Toowoomba QLD.
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