Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Warlpiri (Australian people) History'

Thesis (M.A.(St.Art.Hist.)) -- University of Adelaide, Master of Arts (Studies in Art History), School of History and Politics, Discipline of History, 2005.
Coursework. "January, 2005" Bibliography: leaves 108-112.

This thesis is based on fieldwork I carried out between December 1987 and June 1989 while living with the residents of a small Warlpiri Outstation Community situated ca. 75 km north-west of Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory of Australia. Colonialism is a process whereby incommensurate gender regimes impact differently on women and men and this is reflected in the indigenous response which affects the socialization of Western things. The notion of the indigenous KIRDA-KURDUNGURLU reciprocity is shown to be consistent with a gender system and to articulate all exchange relations as pro-creative social relationships. This contrasts with the Western capitalist system of production and social reproduction of gendered individuals in that it does not ascribe gender to biological differences between women and men but is derived from a land based social division between Sister-Brother. Social relationships are put under great strain in an effort to socialize Western things for Warlpiri internal use, I argue that the colonization of Aboriginal societies is an ongoing process. Despite the historical shift from a physical all-male frontier to the present day cross-cultural negotiations between Aborigines and Non-Aborigines, men still privilege men. The negotiation process for ownership of a Community Toyota is the most recent phenomenon where this can be observed. Male privilege is established by linking control over the access to the Community Toyota with traditional rights to land. However, the Toyota as Western object has a Western gender identity as well. By pitting women against men it engages people in social conflict which is brought into existence through an organisation of Western concepts based on an alien gender regime. But Western things, especially the Community Toyota, resist socialization because the Warlpiri do not produce these things. Warlpiri people know this and, to satisfy their need for Western things, they engage them in a process of social differentiation. By this process they can be seen actively to maintain the Western system in an effort to maintain themselves as Warlpiri and to secure the production of Western things. This investigation of the cultural response to Western influences shows that indigenous gender relations are only maintained through a socially stressful process of socializing Western things.

The Australian Disability Rights Movement (ADRM) developed slowly during the century, with a major spurt of growth in the 1980’s, resulting in the formation of two national advocacy organisations controlled by people with disabilities. This thesis uses the insider perspective of the researcher, feminist research methodology, review of relevant theory, and the views of self-selected board members to explore the history and common themes of the ADRM, and the relationship of these organisations to social change. Theoretical sources have been explored concerning past and present status of people with disabilities, new social movements, and second wave feminism.
Participants identifies individual experiences of disability and most felt the formation of such collective action groups had positive effects on social change. Respondents named major significant events in the achievement of disability rights, most naming the development of the two national organisations Disabled People’s International (Australia) (DPI(A) and Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA) as essential to positive outcomes.
Sexism was experienced by most women involved in the more traditional organisation. This, and recognition of feminism, gave impetus to the formation of WWDA.
Opinion was divided about the best way the disability movement could continue without a peak body for both genders. The movement was perceived as ongoing, but less organised in its confrontation of challenges to the citizenship of people with disabilities posed by social and economic changes and governments’ weakening of the concept of advocacy.

Bushfire is, in terms of human lives lost, property destroyed, and damage to natural systems, by far the most urgent environmental problem in Australia. This thesis tries to answer a number of questions about bushfire behaviour, history, effects, and management, in the Wungong Catchment of Western Australia. It does so by an overtly cross-disciplinary approach, involving a mixture of the three main streams of human knowledge, namely the humanities, natural science, and social science.First, I offer a literature review of several hundred books and papers drawn from the three main streams of knowledge mentioned above. The review includes some discussion of ‘bushfire epistemology’, a currently vague and neglected matter.The concept of ‘place’ is important to humans, so I then give a straightforward geographical description of Wungong Catchment, with some mention of the history of bushfire. To describe the vegetation, I use inductive statistics, and a method developed by me from the ideas of Delaunay (1929) and Dirichlet (1850). Given that there are hundreds of plant species within the catchment, I use a landscape approach, and only sketch the main tree species, and two iconic plants, the balga and the djiridji, both of which are important to the original custodians of the catchment, the Nyoongar people. There is discussion of other people’s research into the effect of bushfire on seed banks, and the flowering intervals of some plants of the jarrah forest.To see if Western Australia is anomalous, or fits into the worldwide pattern of humans using fire as a landscape management tool, I then examine some records of bushfire in other lands, including Africa, Madagascar, India, and Europe. The thesis then looks at the history of fire in the jarrah forest of Western Australia, based on observations by early European explorers and settlers from 1826 onward, the views of various foresters, and some opinions of current Nyoongar Elders.Using a mixture of natural science, applied mathematics, and archaeology, I give the results of cleaning the stems of those ancient plants called grasstrees, or balga (Xanthorrhoea spp.). These carry the marks of former bushfires, stretching back to 1750. They confirm historical reports of frequent fire in the jarrah forest, at 2-4 year intervals, and a recent decline in fire frequency. This contradicts the view, held by some, that European arrival increased the frequency of fire.As support for the balga findings, I present a simple mathematical model of self-organization in bushfire mosaics. It shows how lengthy bushfire exclusion can lead to disastrous situations, in which large areas of landscape become flammable and unstable. It shows how frequent, patchy burning can maintain a stable bushfire mosaic, with mild, beneficial fires. In the next chapter, I offer mathematical suggestions on how current unstable mosaics can be restabilized, by careful reintroduction of such burning.In dry, south-western Australia, water supply is an important topic, and a better understanding of the hydrological effects of bushfire may help with both bushfire and water management. I draw upon the natural science of forest hydrology, and the effects of fire in catchments. The evidence comes not only from Australia, but also from the United States, and South Africa.Turning to social science, I introduce Professor Peter Checkland’s ‘Soft Systems Methodology’, and suggest how it could be applied in resolving complicated conflict about bushfire management. I finish in legal style, with a summing up, and a verdict on the use of bushfire as a land management tool in Wungong Catchment, and possibly in other flammable landscapes.

Young characters throughout the history of Australian theatre have traditionally been represented as tragic, transient, and dangerous; discourses which have defined and limited their construction. 'Youth' itself is a concept which has been invented and perpetuated within Western Art and Media for much of the twentieth century and beyond, creating an exclusive 'space' for young people: a space between childhood and a standard human being. This thesis seeks to explore the implications of this space, as well as contextualise a new creative work - the stage play like, dead - within the canon of Australian theatre texts which portray young characters. like, dead will be shown to be a work which reappropriates clichéd youthful discourses through the use of irony, humour, and a sense of postmodern 'performativity' among its characters. In so doing it will demonstrate an alternative approach to representing young people on the Australian stage, by enhancing the constructedness of traditional images of 'youth' and pursuing the creation of young characters which are not solely defined by the term.

Young characters throughout the history of Australian theatre have traditionally been represented as tragic, transient, and dangerous; discourses which have defined and limited their construction. 'Youth' itself is a concept which has been invented and perpetuated within Western Art and Media for much of the twentieth century and beyond, creating an exclusive 'space' for young people: a space between childhood and a standard human being. This thesis seeks to explore the implications of this space, as well as contextualise a new creative work - the stage play like, dead - within the canon of Australian theatre texts which portray young characters. like, dead will be shown to be a work which reappropriates clichéd youthful discourses through the use of irony, humour, and a sense of postmodern 'performativity' among its characters. In so doing it will demonstrate an alternative approach to representing young people on the Australian stage, by enhancing the constructedness of traditional images of 'youth' and pursuing the creation of young characters which are not solely defined by the term.

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Western Sydney, 2001.
"A thesis submitted in the School of Applied Social and Health Sciences at the University of Western Sydney (Nepean) for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, February 2001" Bibliography : leaves 327-343.

The present thesis examines the themes of ‘shared history,' ‘place-making,' and ‘reconciliation' to assess how these come together in the establishment of an Aboriginal identity in Perth, Western Australia. Focusing on individuals who do not represent the common stereotypes associated with Aboriginal Australians, it will be demonstrated that these individuals are forced into an in-between place where they have to continually negotiate what Aboriginality means in the twenty-first century. Taking on this responsibility they become mediators, stressing a ‘shared history' in order to create a place for themselves in the non-Aboriginal landscape and to advance reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australia by fighting the dominant discourse from within. Beginning with the State and Government's Native Title appeal premiss that Nyungar never existed, this thesis will examine this claim by first presenting an account of the history of southwest Western Australia to establish the place Aboriginal people have been forced into by the colonists during early settlement, and the processes of which extend into the present day. From there on in the focus will be on individual Aboriginal people and their careers and businesses, examining how they attempt to redefine what is perceived and accepted as Aboriginality through different interaction and mediation ‘tactics' with non-Aboriginal Australians. Finally, this thesis will take a closer look at the reconciliation movement in Australia and the people involved in it. It will determine different approaches to reconciliation and assess their possibility and meaning for the construction of a twenty-first century Aboriginal identity. The thesis will conclude that although Nyungar are forced into the dominant discourse, their resistance from within credits a new kind of Aboriginality that is just as valid as the ‘traditional' and ‘authentic' Aboriginality imagined by non-Aboriginal Australia.

(Synopsis to introductory statement): An introductory statement to five documentary films made by Ian Lang in Australia between 1981 and 1997 exemplifying  a 'democratising' model of sustainable and ethical documentary film production. This document critically reflects on the production process of these films to accompany their submission for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Publication at Griffith University. It finds that a contemporary tendency towards 'post-industrial' conditions allows an observational film-maker to negotiate a critical inter-dependence rather than a romantically conceived 'independence' traditional to the genre. [Full thesis consists of introductory statement plus six DVD videodiscs.]

This thesis is concerned with the way in which particular aspects of Warlpiri ethnography have been inescapably contextualised by intellectual, institutional and political conditions of anthropological practice. Recent literature has opened up new perspectives on the relation between ethnography and its subjects. These concerns do not, however, address the broader political implications of anthropological representation, nor the means by which one form or style of ethnographic writing and analysis rather than another becomes dominant and accepted as valid. Certain conventions developed internationally were decisive in constraining the means by which anthropological knowledge could be constructed and communicated. This situation went largely unrecognised by anthropologists, participating as they were within unquestioned historically and politically determined parameters "authorised" by the Anglophone interpretive community. The dominance of this paradigm was transferred to Australia, where national considerations too shaped the acceptable canons of ethnographic writing.

This thesis examines the ritual life of Warlpiri women in the Central Desert community of Yuendumu. Though there is now a growing literature on the ritual life of Aboriginal women, these works present generalized accounts of women as a category in their ritual activity which obscures the social dynamics and processes that are central to women's religious life. I argue that a fuller understanding of women's ritual life in Warlpiri society in particular and of Aboriginal women's lives more generally is dependent on seeing women as individual social actors. The thesis therefore concentrates on the activities and motivations of individual women in the most common form of women's ceremony at Yuendumu, the yawulyu. The analysis provides access to the complex issues of power and competition among Aboriginal women, and goes a long way to defining the role of women in the ritual life of the community at large. The introductory chapter reviews the literature on women and their religious lives. Chapter two provides an overview of the main Warlpiri religious concepts, in particular of the principal features of the Dreaming and its manifestations and the formal aspects of women's rights and duties that fulfil in the ritual domain. The third chapter describes women's life cycle in terms of their ritual career and argues that women continue their role as nurturers beyond the end of their reproductive life by redirecting their energies into ritual activities. Chapter four examines the acquisition and transmission of knowledge. Chapter five defines the ritual domain of yawulyu, and distinguishes this ceremony from others performed by women. The sixth chapter provides a detailed case study of the organization and performance of yawulyu ceremonies. And chapter seven describes the integration of 'new' Dreams and dances into an existing ceremony. I conclude by recapitulating some of the major points made in the thesis and by making some suggestions concerning the future of Warlpiri women's acquisition of status and prestige in the social and ritual spheres.

Previous palaeopathological studies have sought to build up a picture of Australian Aboriginal health before European settlement in 1788 and epidemiological studies of Aboriginal health in the twentieth century are now legion. But, despite a growing body of literature on Aboriginal history set in the intervening colonial period, our knowledge of Aboriginal health following European colonisation remains understudied. This thesis is a contribution to filling that gap through an examination of documentary and skeletal evidence in the changing bio-chemical situation experienced by Aboriginal populations of Southeast Australia from 1788 to 1900. This thesis examines one of the major biological components of this change – disease that were introduced unto Australian Aboriginal populations during the process of colonisation. The epidemiology, timing, diffusion of diseases are considered with specific attention given to infectious and respiratory diseases that were responsible for causing major epidemics of morbidity and mortality. The medical model for the contact period in the late 18th and 19th centuries is proposed. This model considers three major stages in the disease environment of Aboriginal populations in Southeast Australia; a pre-contact stage with endemic pathogens causing chronic diseases and limited epidemics, an early contact stage where introduced exotic human diseases cause severe epidemics of infectious and respiratory diseases among Aboriginal populations, and a third stage where remaining Aboriginal populations were institutionalised on government and mission settlements and were subjected to a high level of morbidity and mortality form the introduced diseases. The major epidemic diseases during the early stage were smallpox, syphilis, tuberculosis, influenza, and measles. Each of these diseases was responsible for excessive morbidity and mortality. During the period of institutionalisation infectious and respiratory diseases were responsible for over 50% of recorded deaths on 8 separate Aboriginal settlements in Southeast Australia. The major diseases recorded as causes of death were tuberculosis, bronchitis, pneumonia, diarrhoea and dysentery. Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australian infant mortality rates are calculated to provide an indicator to compare the state of health of the two populations. Aboriginal rates were high when compared to the non-Aboriginal populations of Victoria and South Australia. The rates reveal a substantial health differential between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations. Aboriginal infant mortality improved into the latter quarter of the twentieth century but the corresponding improvement in non-Aboriginal infant mortality has been at a much higher rate. The gap between the health status of each has widened rather than narrowed over the last one hundred years.

Australian native-title law has many inconsistencies and contradictions. Emanating from the Mabo decision is the central contradiction that the Crown's acquisition of sovereignty in Australia was illegitimate but valid. This thesis attempts to identify the underlying structures beneath this and other contradictions and inconsistencies by tracing the features of a recent determination of a native title claim back through time. In 1994, the Yorta Yorta people of south-east Australia made a claim under the Native Title Act of 1993. The Court framed its determination of the claim within the metaphor of the 'tide of history'. To make his decision, Justice Olney reconstructed the Yorta Yorta people's ancestors as native inhabitants from within expansionist ideology. Within that ideology, the term 'native inhabitant' is synonymous with inferiority, incompetence and externality. This thesis argues that these representations justified the processes of cultural modification. Modification is a feature of colonisation that seeks to make natives resemble Europeans. This thesis argues that these processes are linked to dispossession and are the essence of the 'tide of history'. A feature of expansionist ideology is the sovereign imperative to maintain exclusive power to make, enforce and suspend law. This thesis argues that the sovereign need for exclusivity in Australia is central to the Native Title Act and the Yorta Yorta decision. To trace the 'tide of history', this thesis begins with the early Roman Church and follows its development as it pursued the Petrine mandate. It continues into the secular era of discovery and considers how the 'tide of history' manifested in North America and produced the Marshall judgements. It follows the 'tide of history' into Australia from the Crown's claim to discovery and considers its role in the Mabo decision and the Native Title Act. It analyses the Yorta Yorta people's claim for native title through the logic that underpinned the majority judges' reasoning. This thesis concludes that the 'tide of history' that washed away the Yorta Yorta people's native title is a product of European expansionist ideology. From within that ideology, the judiciary and the legislature imposed a two-way loss on the Yorta Yorta people, which enhanced the Crown's exclusivity, rendering benign the conception of the Crown's acquisition of sovereignty as illegitimate but valid.

The Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (AlAS) was set up to record Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures before they disappeared forever. Proposed by Liberal parliamentarian WC Wentworth in 1959, the Commonwealth Government established it in 1961 and made it permanent through an Act of Parliament in 1964. This history focuses on its first thirty years, ending in 1989, the year the Institute came under a new Act, which introduced changes to its character and governance. In the 1960s, the Institute's focus was on 'traditional' Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and most research took place in remote Australia. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had no input into the Institute's activities other than as 'informants'. By 1989, they were involved in all facets of the Institute's operations including its governance. Informed by the work of Michel Foucault on power/knowledge and truth and on governmentality, and in the context of the broader political and social environment, this thesis will explore the history of AlAS to identify the factors, both internal and external, that led to the changes. It will address the Institute's relationship with the Academy (including the conflict between academic disciplines within AlAS), and the ideological battles for its control between academics; Aboriginal people and the Academy; and Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal scholars and the government. It will seek to explain how a relatively powerless group of Aboriginal people (with the help of their non-Aboriginal supporters) managed, over time and in the face of the power of the Academy, to control the Institute.

As an artist and musician, ‘place’ has always been entwined in my creative work and thinking. This arts-based autoethnography (Manovski, 2014), and music-based research (Leavy, 2015) draws deep connections between being an artist, researcher and educator in relation to the conceptual and physical local landscapes I move through. Situated in local places this research explores the dynamic overlaps (Yunkaporta, 2009) found across cultures, places, time and space. In response to this sense of place this thesis presents an intertextual artistic and scholarly celebration of this Wurundjeri landscape—this southern place—while critically gazing at myself in relation to land, people, climates, skies, waterways, and animals as I co-create with, and in ‘the south’ (Connell, 2007b). A complex polyphonic layering and re-presentation is thus expressed through the arts-based knowledge and narratives created as part of this artful inquiry. In this way a multimodal engagement with place, autoethnography and arts-based narratives is established.