One of the significant differences between America and Australia that I saw while abroad is the culture surrounding our respective Indigenous peoples. I observed this firsthand and was also fortunate to have learned a lot about this in an Aboriginal studies class that I took where we focused on the history of Australia’s Indigenous peoples, their interactions with colonialism, and contemporary efforts to reconcile. I saw how, despite a deeply flawed past of colonialism and racism, there are efforts being made in numerous aspects of Australian society to restore respect and move them towards a more inclusive, multicultural, and united culture.
For example, upon landing in Australia, the pilot read an Acknowledgement of Country which is a statement recognizing and paying respects to the local First Nations people whose land we had entered. These statements were a very common occurrence at the end of emails, the beginning of events, the first part of any class presentations or papers, and so many other instances. Additionally, my fellow study abroad students and I were officially welcomed to the country with a traditional smoking ceremony performed by members of the local Aboriginal people. I was shocked at the stark difference in how contemporary Australian culture addresses their Indigenous peoples compared to America. They are making sincere efforts in multiple levels of education, medical care, and politics to respect Indigenous peoples and encourage social unity. As I got to know my classmates, I learned that Aboriginal studies classes are a standard degree requirement for all education, psychology, and social work majors so that they will go out into the workforce prepared to deal appropriately with cultural differences. On the other hand, in my experience with the United States educational system since moving here several years ago, there are minimal resources for learning about Native American history and culture and policy tends to focus on separatism rather than acknowledgment or inclusion. Since my father is of Comanche descent, this has made it apparent to me all the cultural knowledge that we have lost because of that approach and causes me to wonder how things may have turned out differently for my family if the circumstances of Australia and America were reversed. Obviously a respectful and inclusive view is not unanimously help by every single non-Indigenous Australian, especially considering the recency of racial conflict, but it is clearly the majority of the younger generations which forebodes a bright future for the improvement of Indigenous Australian peoples’ lives.
The Australian perspective on Indigenous relations and the things I learned about in my Aboriginal studies class really opened my eyes to the vast differences that exist between cultures and the steps society can take towards multicultural acceptance. I learned that, despite Australia and America’s many similarities, there are just as many differences, and even within Australia the differences between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians’ culture are so profound. I believe that education is the first and most important step in the process of bringing people together and bridging these divides because “hate is the consequence of fear” (Cyril Connolly) and “knowledge is the antidote to fear” (Ralph Waldo Emerson) therefore I believe that understanding can cure hate and create unity across differences.