How Globalization Has Affected Aboriginal Traditions
Globalization is a term that is loosely defined because it can have both a positive and negative connotation. When a society or culture becomes globalized it accepts the traditions of another culture and incorporates these traditions into its own. This can be seen as a good thing because it shows acceptance of other cultures but it can also be perceived as bad because the original traditions can be long forgotten once globalization occurs. Rolf de Heer does an excellent job of portraying the original Aboriginal culture in his film Ten Canoes showcasing two different time periods of the culture. Ernie Blackmore encompasses globalization in his play Buckley’s Hope in Australian aboriginal society. By watching the movie then reading the play a person can see the vast differences and what globalization has accomplished within the Aboriginal culture.
Australia is a continent that has been around for tens of thousands of years but up until recently (the 1800’s) it was not on the map because no one had really paid any attention to it. Until the British realized that Australia was a great place to hold prisoners, the aboriginal cultures were thriving throughout the land. “But on the east coast the white sails of the English ships were a symbol of a gale which in the following hundred years would slowly cross the continent, blowing out the flames of the countless campfires…silencing the sounds of hundreds of languages, and stripping the ancient Aboriginal names from nearly every valley and headland,” (Issacs 279). There were both inland and coastal tribes that inhabited the beautiful landscapes throughout the continent. Sadly, their cultures dissipated after the British invasion and many traditions were long forgotten.
The role of men and women was very important during the time when aboriginals reigned over the Australian continent. Everyone had their place in society and this worked very well to keep their tribes alive. Men hunted big game and women were considered the gatherers. “In Yamminga times, there was once a tribe of jandu (women) who used to live by themselves, at a place called Yardagurra, in the Great Australian Bight. Now it is the law of the tribe that men and women should live together, not separately, and that the men should hunt for wallee (meat) while the women go out to gather mai (vegetable food). But these jandu did not observe the law: not only did they live by themselves, but they went out meat-hunting each day, armed with men’s weapons…” (Issacs 166). From this quote one can see there were different ways of living in each tribe, but most women and men lived side by side. In the film Ten Canoes Rolf de Heer shows a great presentation of what life was like ten thousand years before the British invasion. The main character Ridjimiraril has three wives (Nowalingu, Banalandju, and Munandjarra) each with a different role in the relationship as well as in the tribe such as caretaker of Ridjimiraril, the provider of food for Ridjimiraril, and the lover of Ridjimiraril. Each woman also helps provide for the tribe, but their main focus is their husband. Aboriginal men are the hunters and if war comes between two tribes, they are the ones who fight. Men also pass down the traditions to the children in the tribe and teach them to hunt, gather, and provide for everyone once they are of age. These roles worked well for everyone because it kept the tribe running smoothly and created bonds between the tribesmen.
Aboriginal diet thousands of years ago was an interesting one yet it can still compare to some foods that the people of Australia eat today. “The food-debris in the Oenpelli camp sites shows that the diet of these people included tortoises, bandicoots, possums, fish, shellfish, nuts, and the root of the lotus-lily, foods still abundant in the area, and used by Aboriginal people leading a traditional life style today,” (Issacs 25). These foods were easy to find and because of their availability it was easy to feed an entire tribe. Women were an asset to the finding and cooking of food as Issacs says, “Women were expected to gather vegetable foods and fruits, grind seeds, cook damper and dig for roots. Of course if small edible animals came past they were not forbidden to capture them, thought it was often the young children, accompanying their mothers, who pursued small lizards and marsupials,” (Issacs 166). Also more gamey animals were hunted and eaten such as “kangaroo, wallaby and emu,” (Australian food and drink). Honey was a food that was a little more scarce yet loved by many in the tribes. Birrinbirrinn in the movie Ten Canoes shows his love for honey by constantly speaking of it and wanting the smaller children to climb trees to fetch it for him. BirrinnBirrinn is the tribal leader in the older time period of Ten Canoes and because he is eldest he makes important decisions for the tribe although not always by himself.
The Sorcerer in Ten Canoes was not just an added character for comic relief or interest. This was an actual person that lived with the tribe in Aboriginal culture thousands of years ago. Their importance to the tribe was great because they were often consulted with the death of a tribe member or when a decision of going to war had to be made. In Ten Canoes the sorcerer is consulted when both of these problems arise in the ancient time period and the tribe waits for an answer. The Sorcerer is a respected elder that uses magic to help aid the tribe in their decision making process. When The Stranger arrives at Ridjimirail’s campground the sorcerer is called upon to see if the man is there to cause harm and what he wants with the tribe. The Sorcerer also assists in the passing of Ridjimirail by easing him into the afterlife. His magic is only used for a good cause in Ten Canoes.
Their means of transportation was mainly walking, but canoes were used to go longer distances or to help the men with their hunting and fishing. The men were extremely fit because of the long walks they had to go on to find food to bring home to the rest of the tribe. By building canoes the men were able to travel across swampy areas to locate goose eggs for nourishment as seen in the more recent time period in Rolf de Heer’s Ten Canoes. The lack of transportation was difficult for the tribes especially when they had to relocate because food was scarce.
Recreational activities were few and far between in the time of the Aboriginal tribes. So much other work had to be done such as building camps, hunting and cooking food, and raising children. When the people did have time for fun they usually spent it hunting small game with spears, paint and engrave stones, and tell stories about their heritage. “The earliest Indigenous art forms were paintings and engravings on boulders, rock shelters and cave walls, some of which date back 30 000 years,” (About Australia: Indigenous). Aboriginals also used song and dance to pass the time when they were able to. “Traditional Indigenous music was predominantly vocal but musical instruments like didgeridoos were used as accompaniments,” (About Australia: Indigenous). The didgeridoo is an instrument that is extremely hard to play but the Aboriginals loved to use it in spiritual dances.
There was no set religion but each tribe had special rituals that they performed when certain events happened such as a death ritual. Death was not taken lightly and the ritual that was performed when a person died was sacred. In Ten Canoes Ridjimirail is injured during a spearing from another tribe in a fight. His fellow men return him to the camp and his wives begin to care for him. The sorcerer even visits, but there is no hope for him to continue living. Once this is discussed, Ridjimirail gets up and dances his last dance because he knows his death is looming upon him. He dances until he can’t stand anymore and when this happens the men of the tribe take over the dance and continue it until Ridjimirail dies. This tradition helps him go safely into the afterlife. Without these special customs, the Aboriginal culture would have been forgotten long ago. “Amongst Aboriginals, however, death is seen as inevitable only in the very old. Death of a healthy man or woman must have been caused by evil magic and sorcery of some enemy of the dead person. Natural causes of death are seldom admitted except in the case of very young babies and very old people whose death causes little disruption to the pattern of society,” (Issacs 213).
As time passed by the Aboriginal culture slowly changed. Racism and hatred soon became part of the original people that lived on the vast land of Australia. These people began adapting more to newer ways of life through the threat of force yet they still kept their Aboriginal roots active in their daily lives. “Many children were sent to training schools and then apprenticed to white people. Typically, boys were sent to work as farm hands and girls as domestic servants,” (Wilson). The old traditions of living in tribes, hunting, and sacred death rituals had to be left in the past. Though these things are no longer practiced, the Aboriginal population has not forgotten them. As seen in Buckley’s Hope the traditions are still remembered and passed down from generation to generation. The man known as “Uncle” in the play makes sure that Maree’s sons will continue to learn the way of their ancestors when he says:
UNCLE: Who’s going to teach them their culture?
MAREE: What? What bloody culture? Yours?
UNCLE: That’s one of your problems. You don’t know nothing about your people, and you don’t care. It’d do you good to listen sometime. (Blackmore 2.8)
Uncle is referring to the old traditions of Aboriginal culture like the ones I spoke of earlier. It is important for present day Aboriginal people to keep their culture alive through stories because if the storytelling ceases to exist, so does the culture.
The role of men and women has changed drastically over the course of thousands of years. Women were once looked at as an essential part of the society, but now they are looked down upon and even shunned for being Aboriginal. In Buckley’s Hope Maree, an Aboriginal woman living in the 1950’s is looked down upon not only because of her race, but because she is Aboriginal. Maree’s role is a provider as well as a mother because her husband was killed and left her with two small children. Although she is a strong independent woman she has been through a lot because of her race including being raped by cops as she tells Lydia her sister, “The bastards put me in a “Black Maria” and took me somewhere and four coppers raped me. I don’t even know if Paul’s father was Kenny or one of those dirty fuckin’ coppers,” (Blackmore 2.1). The male role has taken on a more violent theme but he is still supposed to be the provider and continue the oral traditions that the tribe has either created or become accustomed to. Uncle is an excellent example of an Aboriginal man who has let time make him into a violent person, yet he still upholds his duty to provide as he states, “And that’s another thing. Why should I go out there all bloody night shooting to feed you and your kids, eh?” (Blackmore 1.9) and to continue teaching Aboriginal culture, “Them boys of yours is the last men in this family after me. You take them away and they don’t learn about the old ways, our history dies,” (Blackmore 2.8). Even though time has changed the men in Aboriginal culture, they still realize their duty to uphold the customs and continue teaching as long as they can.
Present day Aboriginal diet is a lot different than the ancestors as well. Diet today is much like an average American diet. Since globalization has occurred throughout Australia there have been fast food and restaurant chains built on every street corner. Foods from every part of the world have migrated to Australia including Indian and Chinese cuisine. “Where once the Australian diet was based strongly upon its British and Irish heritage, by the end of the 20th century, Australians were regularly enjoying Italian, Greek, Chinese, Indian and Vietnamese cuisines cooked in restaurants and homes,” (Australian food and drink). Beer and wine are also popular items in Australia as well, both with the Aboriginal cultures as well as the rest of the population. In Buckley’s Hope Eric offers an invitation to John saying, “We’ve got a great RSL Club. You should come over. The first drinks are on me,” (Blackmore 1.4). An RSL Club is a club for men that are part of a social group (a lot like the Eagles club in the United States). Kangaroo is no longer a meat that is eaten often and is considered a specialty meat (Australian food and drink). Many other items have also disappeared from the Aboriginal menu such as emu, wallaby, and crocodile but shellfish still remains as a staple in their diet.
Transportation has evolved a lot since the times of canoes. There are buses, planes, cars, boats, and trains as are depicted in Buckley’s Hope. “They had been on the same train and ended up sharing a compartment for the last hour and a half of what had been a marathon journey from Sydney to Buckley’s Creek,” (Blackmore 2). All of these modes of transportation act as a helping hand to the Aboriginal people because they can easily visit one another in a much faster way than by foot or a canoe. By having different types of transportation, Aboriginal communities can be connected easier than before as well.
Recreational activities have changed immensely over the course of thousands of years as well. Activities such as walking through a man made park and going to a soccer game have become popular things to do on a weekend. Even though many years have passed since spearing small animals was something to do for fun, some things have stayed the same. Dancing is a large part of Aboriginal culture and even in present day society it is still a popular way to pass the time as seen in Buckley’s Hope:
JOHN: There’s a dance at the RSL next week. I was wondering if you wanted to go with me. Are you planning on going?
MAREE: We might.
JOHN: We?
MAREE: Lydia and me. If we go, we’ll be going on our own. (Blackmore 1.6). Though the dancing is very different and not as spiritual the act of it still thrives within the Aboriginal people today. Art is another form that has continued to live on throughout the many years. “Today, Indigenous performing arts feature in cultural festivals across Australia. New styles of Indigenous music have developed and merged with other musical genres, like rock music,” (About Australia: Indigenous). Globalization has taken music to a new level and now Aboriginal music can be heard throughout the world just like their dancing seen throughout the world.
Religion and spiritual beliefs have continued to live on through the changes in the Aboriginal culture. “Most Indigenous belief systems centre on the ‘Dreaming’ or ‘Dreamtime’ to explain life and the origin of the world. In the Dreaming, ancestral beings created features of the land, sea and sky, as well as humans, animals and plants.” (About Australia: Indigenous). This spiritual belief has surpassed all of the other religions including Christianity which is the religion the British brought with them when they came to Australia. “Indigenous Australians have their own unique religious traditions and spiritual values,” (About Australia: People). Though Australia is predominatenly Christian, the Aboriginals have kept their values alive well over 60,000 years which is longer than nearly every other religion known to the world.
Globalization on the Aboriginal people of Australia does have positive effects and this can be shown over time. One positive element of globalization is the growth and use of technology. Computers, television, and telephones have all been implemented into the Aboriginal societies allowing the people to easily connect with one another. Before this technology the Aboriginals mainly kept to themselves and only communicated to those in their own tribes who were located close by. Now with the use of technology the Aboriginals can spread their special culture and customs to the entire world. Another positive aspect of globalization on the Aboriginal culture is the myths that the culture itself holds. In Issac’s book, she writes about the many myths and legends that the Aboriginal people handed down from generation to generation. Each myth has a special meaning and by knowing the myths, the Aboriginals can learn more about their rich history and where they came from. “Instead of dying out, many local art forms are flourishing as never before in the new global marketplace, because they’ve been able to find so many new patrons,” (Cowen 80). Technology can help preserve these myths because of the ability to record videos of a reenactment of a myth or the ability to type them into a book like Issacs did.
Globalization can negatively impact culture because it can tear apart the people and turn them against one another. Blackmore uses Maree and John’s relationship to show the negative aspects of globalization by turning their co-workers and families against them. “The attitude of the townspeople creates the tension when MAREE tries to lift herself from the institutionalised way of life the local Aborigines endure. The family conflict, MAREE’s indomitable attitude to life, the relationship with JOHN HODGSON and his inability to accept the townspeople’s attitudes push the drama to the limits,” (Blackmore 3). The racial tensions are high in this play because of the dislike of the Aboriginal people by the British who now call Australia home.
When they invaded, the British took over most of the continent, “In general, as the white men pushed further into the continent, taking over land for farming and cattle raising, the Aboriginal population was decimated,” (Issacs 286). The British also brought new diseases that took the lives of many Aboriginal people since medicine was not widely used. All of these things started to impact the Aboriginal culture in a harmful way causing disruptions and eventually disbandment from the original traditions of the Aboriginal people. “The Aboriginal instinct for survival and adaptation was very strong, however. Communities of part-Aboriginals developed in many areas of Australia where the tribes had broken down and these perpetuated the links with the Dreaming past and continued to follow the way of life of the Ancestors,” (Issacs 288).
Globalization throughout the 60,000 years that the Aboriginals have inhabited the continent of Australia has both positively and negatively impacted their traditions. Technology has helped to keep traditions alive as well as decimate them as well. By comparing Ten Canoes that uses ancient Aboriginal themes and Buckley’s Hope that has a more modern aspect of Aboriginal culture, one can see that their traditions have been greatly changed by globalization.
Works Cited
