Stream 2
Indigenous Health: on our Doorstep & Around the World
“Those who lose dreaming are lost”
– Australian Indigenous proverb
The spectrum of Indigenous peoples traverses an extraordinary number of cultures. These communities have a unique amount of knowledge and skills, all of which influence and enrich the way they relate to the world around them. Indigenous peoples number over 350 million people in more than 70 countries, with more than 5000 languages and cultures.
Unfortunately these populations have often suffered atrocious acts of genocide, displacement, oppression and land expropriation. Even in our contemporary day and age, Indigenous populations still experience racism, poor social integration, poverty and ill-health. All of this acts to threaten the very foundations of their traditional ways of life. Often, poverty and marginalisation can be exacerbated by Western ways of life, with consumerism and imposed modernisation.
In Australia, Indigenous issues have been brought to the forefront of our attention in recent years in politically-charged reports such as “The Little Children are Sacred” report on child sexual abuse in the Northern Territory and in interventions such as the Howard government's Northern Territory National Emergency Response Bill in 2007. Most recently, Kevin Rudd’s apology to the Stolen Generation was welcomed by many Australians, yet simultaneously created a storm of controversy about the long-term solutions to Indigenous health and wellbeing.
Whilst many have criticised the inherent paternalism of government responses, inevitably the dialogue which arises as a result is invaluable. The attention of Australia is focused on Indigenous health, which is indisputably a step, albeit it a small one, in the right direction. There is long overdue public acknowledgement of the dire state of affairs of Australian Indigenous Health.
This academic stream will consider the foundations of understanding Indigenous health, both in Australia and overseas. Through four focused lectures and two workshops running each day of the conference, students will gain an understanding of Indigenous Human Rights and self determination of these populations, which are essential to understanding the social, cultural and political barriers to health for Indigenous peoples. Delegates undertaking this stream will discuss Indigenous concepts of health, difficulties encountered with health services and provision; and problems with assimilation into Westernised lifestyles, occasionally with ensuing loss of traditional ways of life.
Ultimately Indigenous populations must be considered as a diverse group, all of which have varying degrees of integration with modern society and varying affiliation with traditional ways of life. Hence there is no "blueprint" for the delivery of healthcare to Indigenous populations. Delegates must appreciate that in addressing the political, social and cultural aspects of health inequalities in Indigenous populations, there has to be judicious consideration of historical factors as well as the peoples' right to self determination.
References:
Global Health Watch 2005-2006