Empowerment.....Let+the+healing+begin.

**Artefact- “Guilty Your Honour” ** Gordon (2008) Gordon Syron is an aboriginal artist who began his painting skills from a prison cell. The painting above called “Guilty Your Honour” is a representation of the colonisation of Australia and the bureaucratic system the Aboriginal people endure. As an artist he has painted with anger and emotion to share the story, culture and spirituality of the aboriginal population. Additionally he has now become Australia’s first aboriginal art valuer. This was due to the profits being taken by the overseas market. In Syron’s words, “whites have stolen our land - and now they're trying to steal from our culture as well." The painting depicts the history of unfair and unjust treatment of the aboriginal populations.  ** Public Health Issue  **  My artefact represents a history of racist intervention, continuous stigmatisation, loss of cultural identity and the unhealed wounds of colonisation that has given rise to an era of substance abuse causing aboriginal unemployment, family violence, criminal activity and law enforcement . The aftermath of years of these events are many and the major issue to address is the staggering inequities in Aboriginal health outcomes. A review of how substance abuse began, the effects in aboriginal health and communities, and strategies to reduce these inequities. Stafford, L. (2013)  **Literature Review ** The average lifespan of Indigenous people is ten to twelve years less than non-Indigenous Australians. (Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet 2013). This is due to the dependence on addictive substances of Alcohol and drugs. Substance abuse within Indigenous communities is increasing, with 28.2% using illicit drugs compared to 13.5% of Australian populations (Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet 2013). Alcohol consumption in Indigenous and non-Indigenous at similar high risk drinking levels of 33% of drinkers (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2013). Additionally tobacco smoking is 45% in Indigenous people verses in 16% of Australian populations (National Drug Strategy 2013). These substance uses are one of the key determinants in the disparity in health outcomes for our indigenous (Aboriginal) populations compared to non-indigenous Australians.
 * __Inequities in Australian Aboriginal health outcomes through substance abuse __**

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2013) the main chronic diseases associated with substance abuses are heart diseases, diabetes, liver diseases, chronic lower respiratory disease, stroke and Cancer. Furthermore these diseases are responsible for 80% of the mortality gap between the Indigenous and Non Indigenous Australians. According to Gracey (1998), other risks of substance abuse are birth defects, physical and mental disabilities, inadequate parenting, child infections and illness, undernourishment, household abuse and dysfunction, leading to social disruption and community breakdown. Additionally these lifestyle diseases evolve into the chronic diseases mentioned above (Gracey,1998). The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2013) also found anxiety disorders, severe depression , blood borne virus, suicide, hypertension, brain and lung damage causes of substance abuse.

Indigenous people account for under 3% of the Australian population, although their rates of illness and death, due to chronic diseases are greatly higher than non-Indigenous Australians. Cardiovascular disease accounted for ¼ of the deaths in Indigenous people and 1.7 times the rate than non-Indigenous people, cancer 1.4 times, diabetes almost 7 times, suicide 2.4 times, kidney disease 4 times and the overall deaths 2.6 times the rate of non-Indigenous people. (Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet 2013).

In the study by Priest, Paradies, Stewart & Luke (2011), **t**he causation of these disparities in health and wellbeing are due to colonisation, oppression and the continual racism into the present-day, and are recognised and confirmed nationally as the key determinates of the health outcomes for Indigenous persons. Continuing on, over half the Aboriginal persons in the study reported treatment of racism including stereotypes, prejudices, bigotry and numerous injustices stemming from non-Indigenous belief systems. Racism is strongly linked to substance abuse, behavioural issues, mental illness and chronic disease (Priest et al., 2011).

Senior and Chenhall (2008), incorporated this poem below in a study regarding changes in patterns in substance abuse through government regulations and how it did not solve the problem as it did not empower the people. The poem eloquently builds a picture of substance abuse in Indigenous people.


 * __<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Ganja Song Kasley Daniels, the lonely boys __**

//<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I get up, walk now, sit down on the veranda // //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I watch my brother follow his friends // //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">They go to the shop and ask anybody for money // //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">My brother looks for my mother, he humbugs her for money // //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">My mother digs out fifty dollars and gives it to my brother // //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">She gives my brother that fifty dollars // //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I see my brother coming back with his friends // //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">They go into the room, sit down and make a big circle // //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">They smoke, smoke all day long now // //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">When the ganja is finished they go out and look for more money // //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">They ask anyone for money, they get a little bit here and there // //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Then they get all the money they need //
 * //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">They are looking for, looking for marijuana //**
 * //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">They are looking for, looking for marijuana //**
 * //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">They are looking for, looking for marijuana //**
 * //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">They are looking for, looking for marijuana //**
 * //<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">They are looking for, looking for marijuana //**

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The importance of improving the health inequities through self-determination in Indigenous populations are outlined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (Bailey and Hunt, 2012).. They state, these rights specify “Indigenous peoples have the right to self-determination by virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development”. As a result evidence proves that self-determination harvests healthy self-esteem, cultural empowerment, improved health outcomes creating positive reinforcements (Bailey and Hunt, 2012). Therefore when John Howard the Prime Minister of Australia in June 2007 enforced an intervention to stop alcohol use and abusive behaviours, improve education, housing and unemployment, all being great initiatives costing hundreds of millions of dollars (Martin, 2012). However the associated limitations of enforcing, overpowering with total domination within the aboriginal community created feelings of loss of control strongly associated with colonisation and mistrust, hence the strategies implemented without consultations or cultural consideration within the community, were shunned, squandered and regulations disregarded to feed addictions (Martin, 2012). <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">Conflict and Change (2011). <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">A soft entry approach was trailed in a study delivering services for drug and alcohol abuse to aboriginal communities, whereby the power was shifted from the government to the community through removal of bureaucratic processes (Allan and Campbell, 2011). Consequently the staff subtly made themselves available to the community by mentioning what services were available and then built relationships. It was an open door policy, resulting in an increased usage of the treatment services within in the Indigenous community (Allan and Campbell, 2011). Studies have shown that forming partnerships by removing power imbalances is a step towards building trust, mutually respectful solutions that empower the Indigenous communities to reduce the gap in health inequities in Indigenous Australians (Bailey and Hunt, 2012). The government must say to Aboriginal people: “We are sorry. We have tried our way and it does not work. Here is the money we are spending on Aboriginal health. Please tell us how best to use it to give your communities some sense of hope. You cannot do worse than we have done” (Eggington, 2012). Hence building community autonomy, empowerment and respect for Aboriginal cultural values”

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The current “Closing the Gap” for <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The National Indigenous reform agreement til 2030 is a holistic approach including the United Nations Declaration on the rights of Indigenous People, tackling chronic disease, health services, prevention strategies, education, employment opportunities, continual focus committee in the resolution and reduction of barriers. Furthermore and most importantly collaboration and consultation involving the Indigenous people creating agreed Indigenous community outcomes (Oxfam Australian, 2013). It is essential, and pivotal to the success of ‘Closing the Gap’, that the Indigenous community is actively involved, so history doesn’t repeat itself, accruing further losses of lives and cultural identity, and wasted resources. A limitation to the agreement is the time frame of completion by 2030, as it took over 200 years for the near destruction of the Indigenous communities and we owe the Indigenous population time to heal, time to be empowered and time to rebuild, to begin to right the wrongs of history.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">Close the Gap (2013)

**<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 20pt;">Cultural and Social Analysis **

According to Cox, Young and Bairnsfather-Scott (2009), the social theory of Racism towards Aboriginal people and their suffering of extreme injustices began since colonisation involving loss of land, freedom of choices in their tribal culture, family values and all general human rights. This included living under segregation, unwanted government policies, restriction of geographic location, controlled relationships, the removal of offspring, and both adults and children forced into slavery under abusive conditions physically and mentally. Pursuing this further Cox et al, says all their rights and choices were removed causing total devastation of the traditional Australian Aboriginal Culture creating economic dependence, with limited purpose in society through lack of employment and education opportunities.

The accumulation of these events has caused extreme trauma leading to substance abuse, family violence, criminal activity, imprisonment and a breakdown of sense of community, social cohesion, spirituality and empowerment into the 21st Century (Tousignant and Sioui 2009). Furthermore another article, Wilson (2004) explained that racism connected with skin colour, represents the beliefs that the victim is unable to feel or be affected by actions of the racist perpetrator. The evidence is shown in a letter in the Sydney Morning Herald of 19th September 1838 saying aboriginals are comparable to animals with no depth of thought or feelings, and the anxiety of the separation of offspring is momentary and short lived (Wilson, 2004).

According to Mellor, (2003) contemporary racism exists in Australia, shown in a study of Indigenous Australians, describing the feelings of exclusion and the ‘outsider’ group in Australian society. The Indigenous population believes that white Australians have a greater ownership to being Australian and this is demonstrated many years after the referendum which acknowledges Aboriginal population as the original inhabitants of Australia. Mellor, (2003) continues that the forms of racism felt are verbal, relating to skin colour in name calling, jokes and threats, behavioural racism of exclusion, condescendence, assault and harassment mainly by police and finally discrimination of being treated differently due to their race. Furthermore non-Indigenous persons hold negative stereotypes that have been socially constructed through history and maintained in society and media, nurturing racism within Australians. Racist practises accumulates negative effectors of gaps in living standards and health outcomes, loss of education and employment opportunities, disparities in incomes, limits freedom to practise their culture and undue treatment in the justice system. The major concerns with contemporary racism, although viewed politically incorrect and socially unacceptable, is its subtlety compared to historical racism, creating a tolerance and can be unnoticed or even more concerning occur without awareness (Mellor, 2003).



<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">St Phillips High School

Racism is a barrier to equality and equity of day to day life and human rights of Aboriginals. Australians are Indigenous and non-Indigenous, the focus on developing a healthy level of respect for the Indigenous culture by forming partnerships throughout the community will reduce the gaps we face today. (Bailey and Hunt, 2012). Australia can achieve this through education in our schools, employment of Indigenous people in businesses and organisations through equal employment conditions for all Australians, and government policy to support these strategies. Hence the Indigenous culture would develop improved health outcomes, reduced levels of racism and be empowered to recreate their culture into their future generations.



<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">Anderson, M. (2012)

**<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 20pt;">Analysis of the Artefact and Learning Reflection **

I have developed a greater depth of understanding of the social and cultural forces underpining public health issues in Indigenous people. ‘Guilty Your Honour’ by Gordon Syron not only represents the artist’s personal experience of domination and racism, but a long history of hundreds of years of suffering, loss of freedom and persecutions to Aboriginal populations by non-Indigenous people. Contradictorily it represents hope, strength and resilience for the aboriginal populations, as Gordon Syron and his painting is symbolic in overcoming adversity, fighting back, empowerment, and to strive for the best for ourselves and community.

Lack of knowledge regarding the history of our aboriginal ancestors, apart from some cultural rituals and social problems portrayed in the media, is central to the racism in Australia. I have lived next door to an aboriginal elder in Mackay several years ago and always said hello, but I never took the time to get to know my neighbour and see an opportunity to build a relationship. The barriers of a busy life of material goals and pressures, inhibited my motivation to build a friendship, as I assumed without great thought, we had limited commonalities. In hindsight this is not true as we were both mothers, lived in similar housing and probably had common interests.

I feel a great remorse for the atrocities to the Indigenous culture and now understand the implications and how the political role and society have contributed to today’s outcomes for Indigenous People. As a non-Indigenous Australian it starts with me to build my cultural competencies and invest time to break down the racist barriers existing today. I believe all non-Indigenous Australians should ‘walk lightly in Indigenous persons foot prints’ and help build an equitable tomorrow.



<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;"> Walk lightly in my footprints. (2013) **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 20pt;">Learning Engagement and Reflection task **   //__**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">No. 1 Wikki Reflection - <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;">“Wall of Vagina against the Designer Vagina” **__// **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.5;">Link to Wikki below as the speech bubble will not allow we to attach my reflection. ** http://pub209healthcultureandsociety.wikispaces.com/Wall+of+Vagina+Against+the+Designer+Vagina //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Student Name: Emika Kazama // //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Student Number: 08331758 // //<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tutor: Cindy Phelan // <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: left;">The “Wall of Vagina against the Designer Vagina” was respectfully discussed exploring the pros and cons of labiaplasty surgery. I didn’t realise that labiaplasty surgery had become a growing concern in western society. The Wikki raised some great issues and was well analysed with both benefits and limitations. As discussed, the concerns of having the surgery completed professionally is of great importance, but I think the greater concern is why women are considering the surgery in the first place. The statements made regarding a ritual of purification, most women think their genitals are unattractive and women “complementing” and “complimenting” men through engaging in beauty practices, are the greatest concerns to me. I believe women have the right of choice of undergoing labiaplasty surgery for reasons that will benefit the person as a women, and not for the benefit of others. A solution discussed, of an assessment process prior to cosmetic surgery of genitalia, should be a criteria of undergoing the surgery to decrease the detrimental effects and to ensure women are empowered to make the right decision to benefit them. And, or conversely, educate and promote, to be happier with what we were given, and see the beauty in our body parts for what they were designed to look, be and do………………….mind blowing amazing!!!!

__//**<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">No. 2 Wikki Reflection - <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 1.5;">Rip & Rolled. Practicing Safe Sex, Always **//__ Jasmine Wilton Student Number: n8830142 Tutor: Judith Meiklejohn

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