A Comparison of the Australian Aborigines and The Na’vi in Avatar.
The widely acclaimed movie Avatar, directed by James Cameron, is known as a movie that portrays the treatment of the Aboriginal peoples. It shows many similarities in circumstances and views of the Aboriginal peoples. However there are still some differences between these cultures.
Each group of indigenous peoples have their own culture, lifestyles and beliefs. In Avatar the Na’vi believe that every living thing is connected while the aboriginals believed that if you took care of the land then the land would take care of you. Also the Na’vi worship Eywa, their goddess made up of all living things while the aboriginals worship the land. The Aboriginals are nomadic and
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The aboriginal tribes didn’t have that. On the other hand both groups had the advantage of knowledge on their side. After the invasions there were wars that caused so many to die but the actual war on Pandora took much less time than fights between the Aboriginals and Europeans. In addition the Europeans took the aboriginal children away from their families while the “sky people” tried to blend in with the Na’vi. Parker Selfridge stated in Avatar, “Look. You 're supposed to be winning the hearts and minds of the natives. Isn 't that the whole point of your little puppet show? If you walk like them, you talk like them, they 'll trust you. We build them a school, teach them English. But after - how many years - the relations with the indigenous are only getting worse.” This sentence is about the Westerners reaction to the invasion. It is about how the Westerners are trying to blend in. what they want most is the Unobtanium and are prepared to do anything to get it as Selfridge says in this statement : “Killing the indigenous looks bad, but there’s one thing shareholders hate more than bad press -- and that’s a bad quarterly statement.” They are more worried about money rather than the lives of others.
In conclusion, the Na’vi in Avatar and the Aboriginal peoples have had similar circumstances and have similar views but their stories ended differently. The conflicts between the Aboriginal peoples and the Europeans
As a result of the Europeans killing their people and stealing their land, the Aborigines did fight back. Even though settlers seemingly had much better weapons, Indigenous Australians had a much better understanding of the land they lived on and had other means of resisting the ways of the Europeans. Pemulwuy, for example, was respected by both his people, and the white men who opposed him. He fought for the lives of his people, to protect them and preserve the beliefs and practices that the Europeans wanted to eradicate. The Indigenous Australians’ culture is still often taught and practiced these days, so even though Pemulwuy was murdered in 1802, along with many others, the impact of their efforts was necessary for the development of the Australian multicultural society.
Describe and explain Australian Indigenous people’s historical and contemporary connections to land and sea and the resources derived from them. How have settler discourses associated with colonization affected these connections to country?
There is recurrent tension between the maintenance of Indigenous culture and essentially assimilating to the rules and regulations of the predominantly white society in Australia (Dockrey, 2010). Australia’s Aboriginal culture represented the oldest surviving culture in the world (Aboriginal culture, 2017). The traditions include having at least 270 different language groups and 500 dialects in the indigenous community (Shareourpride.org.au, n.d). The vast amount of languages and dialects were present to represent the intellect of Indigenous Australians. Language is a strong aspect of Indigenous culture as it connects and influences many Indigenous tribes as it is their form of communication. The environment also connects aboriginal people spiritually to their land and provides them with a sense of identity (Jackson 1999). Although there were many different groups and clans in the past, the tribes fighting over the land was a rare occurrence (Treatyrepublic.net 1996). This showcases the connection and respect they exhibited for the land and maintaining structure was their main priority. Additionally common law was a way that Indigenous Australians could preserve the ecosystem and cultural integrity, through their spiritual and emotional connection with the land (Langton 1996, p.10). However due to the colonization, there was less formal acknowledgement for Indigenous
This Assessment will be my personal reflection and analysis of contemporary issues raised for post-colonial Indigenous Australians through two programs on the National Indigenous Television station (NITV), Living Black and NITV News. I will reflect on how these issues have impacted on the relationships between Indigenous Australians and non-Indigenous Australians, and how Indigenous culture impacts 21st century Australia. Through this I will also consider my own feelings and opinions on how these issues are raised and considered.
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Aboriginals or indigenous Australians are the native people of Australia. Aboriginals were nomadic people who came to Australia about 40,000 – 60,000 years ago from Southeast Asia. Religion is a great part of Aboriginal culture. The essay answers these questions: What do Aboriginals belief? What is a Kinship system? What is Dreaming and Dreamtime? What rituals does Aboriginals have?
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