Introduction
Colonization generated multiple health impacts among the indigenous aborigines. Before colonisation, the aborigines participated in tracking animals and gathering plant materials for food. The native people lived for decades separately from supplementary communities. They depended on their traditionally attained food, which availed low sugar, nutritional energy, fat, and sugar. Further, these foods also contained massive fibre quantities together with compound carbohydrates. The aborigines utilized magnanimous bodily energy in securing sufficient food and drinking water necessary for their continued existence. Before gaining contact with colonialists, the aborigines never suffered persistent ailments. Notably, the colonialists’ interaction with the indigenous people caused the emergence of devastating communicable ailments. These illnesses generated multiple deaths among the aborigines. It emerges that colonisation took away indigenous Australians’ autonomy, health together with well-being. This occurred because certain principles motivated the colonization process. This paper comments and assesses the links that exist between the principles underlying aborigines’ colonization and their health.
Indigenous people’s difficulties regarding vigour and wellbeing cause massive predicaments in their lives. Unfortunately, their disadvantage originated from the British imperialists’ actions (Pyett, Crowe & Strerren 2008, p. 180). According to Cunningham (2006, p. 581) and (Burgess et al. 2008, p.2), their difficulty leaves them approximately seventeen-year discrepancy in life anticipation. Similarly, their transience rates escalate approximately five times advanced than non-aboriginals. The aboriginals regularly suffer chronic illnesses that begin from early ages (Murray& Param 2008, p. 166). They suffer more coronary and diabetes diseases resulting in higher rates of hospitalization. It is noteworthy that aboriginal’s youngsters suffer diverse health predicaments more than non-aboriginal children do. The aboriginals fail to attain the basic elements of superior health. Indigenous people’s children health status also worsens because of alcohol drinking by parents, domestic violence, and diminished parental cerebral well-being (Pyett, Crowe & Strerren 2008, p. 180).
Diverse actors have already initiated numerous health care programs that attempt to improve the aborigines’ health status (Rosewarne & Boffa 2004, p. 89). Notably, the establishment of certain organizations has augmented health reforms that seek the improvement of aboriginal healthcare. “These associations include Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organizations” (ACCHOs) (Rosewarne & Boffa 2004, p. 89). Further, the “National Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Organization” (NACCHO) has also contributed massively towards addressing health disparities (Rosewarne & Boffa 2004, p. 89). These organizations stimulate superior health services provision tactics including designing policies, advocacies, and funds sourcing.
Dispossession of land and links to health and well-being
Land appears among the principles that triggered Australian colonisation by British imperialism. The colonisation caused diverse predicaments among the aboriginal people. The biased initiation of Aboriginal Law facilitated the uprooting of indigenous people from land that formed a basis for their lives (Sherwood & Edwards 2006, p. 179). The notion of mounting British monarch necessitated confiscating aboriginal’s land. Additionally, the seizing of indigenous people’s land occurred because authorities appeared concerned with settling colonizers. Furthermore, indigenous people’s attempts to avert such initiatives caused escalated conflicts. These signs of progress hurt the relationships that aboriginals had created with their land because colonialists forced them to shift to novel locations (Richmond & Ross 2009, p. 403). Outstandingly, landforms a basic component of aboriginal’s civilization and is core to their health and wellness. Thus, physical relocations of Aboriginals’s from their customary lands and boundaries significantly threaten their comprehensive well-being.
Notably, relocations of these populations cause cultural loss thus leading to severe trauma and depression. Further, such forceful relocations also caused family ties breakdowns because of persistent movements. Many youngsters that lost touch after their isolation from their parents died because of depression-related illnesses (Richmond & Ross 2009, p. 404). Additionally, their surviving relatives also suffered trauma because of overwhelming pain emanating from the disappearance of youngsters.
Indigenous people’s reliance on customary-food sources also presents significant risks to their health because of the contamination caused by colonizers developments. These contaminants emerge from manufacturing progresses initiated by British imperialists thus diminishing the quality of food and medication sources that populations rely upon (Richmond & Ross 2009, p. 403). The novel anthropogenic actions produce contaminants that eventually integrate with the customary-food sources. The pollutants potentially cause considerable risks to populations’ health because aborigines relied on gaining food from their environments. Furthermore, the removal of aborigines from their lands also escalated poverty that generated far-reaching consequences on their health (Pyett, Crowe & Strerren 2008, p. 181).
Land dispossession also contains certain links with the aboriginal’s health system. This is because they intend to reclaim and improve their well-being programs through decolonization (Sherwood & Edwards 2006, p. 181). Indigenous people attempt efforts directed at gaining recognition that lands occupied by settlers belonged to aborigines. The progress that takes place entails augmented emancipation among indigenous people thus escalating their opportunities of availing their healthcare (Sherwood & Edwards 2006, p. 181).
Racism and links to health and well-being
Racism also emerges as another principle that motivated the colonisation of Australia. Indigenous people face diverse predicaments including joblessness thus making them gain diminished revenues. The aborigines also have limited access to schooling opportunities and training. This causes them to have reduced engagements within Australia’s economy (Fuller, Howard & Cummings 2004, p. 559). Notably, these shortcomings present multiple social predicaments including drug abuse, poor health, limited shelter, and escalated incarcerations. Outstandingly, racism also perpetuates the social problems facing aboriginals. The government initiates certain policies, which bar aboriginals from non-aboriginals communities, exclude them from accessing fiscal and societal gains attained by non-aboriginals (Fuller, Howard & Cummings 2004, p. 560). It emerges that these tactics hamper efforts directed at addressing social predicaments aborigine’s face.
Anecdotal evidence indicates that discrimination actions directed at aboriginals minimize their opportunities to attain administration services. The discriminatory undertakings appear to occur in diverse agencies and echelons of administration (Fuller, Howard & Cummings 2004, p. 567). Prejudicial conducts regularly occur in many programs including those that target aboriginals. Intolerance has caused diverse detrimental consequences on the fiscal social development initiatives that seek to empower the aboriginals. The aboriginal’s culture that frequently appears inferior diminishes their chances of accessing government-sponsored projects (Martin 2000, p. 83). Notably, indigenous people miss such projects established by government agencies and delivered by non-aboriginals because of inferior culture and conversational barriers.
Health issues among aboriginals appear intricate against the prejudicial notions. Racism has links with indigenous people’s well-being because of the diminished and imbalanced access to diverse basic resources. Joblessness, inferior schooling, Medicare, among others entail the services that aboriginals lack thus compromising their wellness (Paradies, Harris & Anderson 2008, p. 9). Murray and Param (2008, p. 166) also assert that indigenous people live under deplorable conditions that demean their humane. Racism also causes indigenous people to experience escalated undesirable risks related to poor health. These include biased promotional initiatives for harmful goods thus predisposing aboriginals to ill health. The non-indigenous people’s superior feelings also make them inflict pain intentionally on aboriginals (Paradies, Harris & Anderson 2008, p. 10). The non-aboriginals regularly exude inferiority feelings about indigenous people thus causing them to impose pain upon aboriginals.
Racism also generates diverse trauma and emotional depression response that causes aboriginals to suffer poor health. Furthermore, certain racist actions significantly affect body protection and cardiovascular systems. Interpersonal prejudice also affects aboriginals’ health because it escalates poor personal assessment of health status. Interpersonal racism has significant links to mental suffering, diabetes, and drug abuse (Paradies, Harris & Anderson 2008, p. 17). Furthermore, the urban aboriginals suffer ill health because of racism that occurs in service provision centres.
Unfortunately, aborigines’ healthcare provision also fails to gain magnanimous state funding. This predicament emerges from indigenous persons’ poverty and persistent group segregation that results because of racism (Pyett, Crowe & Strerren 2008, p. 180). It appears that the government segregation tactics borders on alcoholism because aborigines’ drunkards viewed as unworthy fail to gain state attention. This ensures that discriminatory funding availed by the government seems to address healthcare predicament in piecemeal manners including focusing on minute issues (Pyett, Crowe & Strerren 2008, p. 180).
British Imperialism and Effects on Indigenous People’s Health
The notion that Britain wanted to spread their imperialism to other regions formed its principle of colonizing Australia. The expansionism thinking facilitated their colonisation advances into the indigenous people’s territories (Alfred & Corntassel 2005, p. 599). These thoughts emanated from Britain observations that Indigenous people’s lifestyles exuded backwardness. The colonisation escalated infectious diseases that had ravaged aborigines’ health. The diseases included common cold, smallpox, STIs among others (Rolls, Johnson & Reynolds 2011, p. 86). These occurred amid ignorance among the indigenous people regarding treatment knowledge of such illnesses. Similarly, they also had diminished resistance to these illnesses. The immediate effects of these diseases included massive population reduction through people’s demise. The dispossession of aboriginal land and further limitation of access to food sourcing grounds escalated the decline of indigenous people’s health (Sherwood & Edwards 2006, p. 179).
According to Sherwood & Edwards (2006, p. 179), British imperialism also had links with the indigenous people health and well-being because of recognised the importance of augmenting health care to indigenous people (Bailiet, Sibthorpel, Gardner & Damin 2008, p. 53). This recognition facilitated the initiation of diverse efforts to address aborigines’ health. The colonizers interacted with the aborigines’ thus escalating disease incidents affecting the heart, kidney, breathing tracts, skin among others (Rolls, Johnson & Reynolds 2011, p. 87). The westerners also introduced alcoholism, smoking, sniffing petrol thus causing diverse health outcomes. Anecdotal evidence points out that before colonisation, suicide never occurred among indigenous people and was ignorant of the predicament. Suicide currently emerges as a haunting predicament connoted by the escalated vulnerabilities among indigenous people Burgess (Berry, Gunthorpe & Bailiel 2008, p. 12).
Cultural Heritage and Links to Indigenous People’s Health
Cultural legacy emerges among the principles that motivated the colonisation of indigenous people. This is because Britain observed that the cultural heritage of the aborigines was substandard. They embarked on upgrading aborigines’ cultural ignorance to match the British traditions (Brasche 2008, p. 95). The British thought colonization facilitates the process of upgrading the aborigine’s culture. Cultural inheritance among the aborigines entailed identity, faith, society, and linkage to land (Sculthorpe 2005, p. 172). The notable tactic used by British colonialists in upgrading the aborigine’s culture entailed relocating them to novel regions. This aimed at stopping their backward activities including sourcing of food. This interruption of indigenous people’s cultural activity resulted in diverse consequences including health impacts (Martin 2000, p. 83).
Most importantly, the health impacts of this progress among aborigines entailed changing nutritional sources. Inadequate access to customary nutrition necessitated their reliance on marketable foods thus causing malnourishment among aboriginal youngsters (Gracey & King 2009, p. 67). Food deficiency together with inabilities for proper-food storage escalated malnutrition. Diminished nutrition among youngsters emerges from maternal deteriorated health and undernourishment that undesirably distress pregnancy. This predisposes expectant women to premature deliveries and related predicaments during giving birth (Gracey & King 2009, p. 67). Youngsters’ growth rate also decreases thus potentially causing higher mortalities.
Conclusion
In summary, the principal issues that motivated aborigines’ colonization contained certain links to the indigenous people’s health and wellness. Notably, British imperialism and expansionism informed their acts of dispossessing the aborigines’ lands. Britain noted that she needed to augment her territories thus colonizing aborigines’ facilitated this course. Once dispossessed from their land, the aborigines’ culture was altered by the colonialists. This is because their reliance on traditional-food sources through hunting animals and searching for vegetables significantly changed. This progress presented diverse impacts on the aborigine’s health thus compromising their well-being. The inability to gain customary foods caused a reliance on marketplace foodstuffs thus leading to nutritional shifts. These changes escalated malnutrition and undernourishment among aborigines. Their youngsters and expectant women suffered consequences of food deficiency thus leading to diverse health predicament incidents.
Racism also emerges as another issue that motivated the colonisation of aborigines. Racism linked to indigenous people’s health entails access and disparities in the provision of health services. The low opinion held by non-indigenous people, government, and some health actors affected the aborigines’ abilities to gain superior healthcare. This is because government health services design and avail bar aborigines from access. Discrimination exuded by non-aborigines also affects health services delivery to the indigenous people. Notably, most aborigines’ diminished schooling levels ensure that non-aboriginals occupy administration positions thus compromising healthcare quality availed to aborigines. The depressions associated with indigenous people’s racial abuse generate ill health. British imperialism also informed the colonisation of aborigines because the British administration had objectives of boundary extensions. This escalated interaction among the aborigines and novel inhabitants. The westerners introduced diverse diseases and lifestyles that initially never existed among aborigines.
References
Alfred, T & Corntassel, J 2005, ‘Being Indigenous: Resurgences against Contemporary Colonialism’, Government and Opposition, pp. 597-614.
Bailiet, R, Sibthorpel, B, Gardner, K & Damin, P 2008, ‘Quality Improvement in Indigenous Primary Health Care: History, Current Initiatives and Future Directions’, Australian Journal of Primary Health. vol. 14, no.2, pp. 53-57.
Brasche, I 2008, ‘Cultural Resilience and Social Well-being: A Case for Research on Groote Eylandt’, Australian Aboriginal Studies, vol. 2, pp. 93-98.
Burgess, C, Berry, H, Gunthorpe, W & Bailiel, R 2008, ‘Development and preliminary validation of the ‘Caring for Country’ questionnaire: measurement of an Indigenous Australian health determinant’, International Journal for Equity in Health, vol. 7, no. 26, pp. 1-14.
Cunningham, J 2006, ‘Diversity of Primary Health Care Providers for Urban Indigenous Australians’, Australian Journal of Primary Health, vol. 30, no. 6, pp. 580-581.
Fuller, D., Howard, M & Cummings, E 2004, ‘The impact of institutional racism upon indigenous economic and human development in Australia’, Development in Practice, Vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 559-568.
Gracey, M & King, M 2009, ‘Indigenous health part 1: determinants and disease patterns’, Lancet, vol. 374, pp. 65–75.
Martin, B, 2000, ‘Place: An Ethics of Cultural Difference and Location’, Educational Philosophy and Theory. Vol. 32, no.1, pp. 81-91.
Murray, A & Param, R 2008, ‘Culture-Specific Care for Indigenous People: A Primary Health Care Perspective’, Contemporary Nurse, Vol. 28, pp. 165-172.
Paradies, Y, Harris, R & Anderson, I 2008, The Impact of Racism on Indigenous Health in Australia and Aotearoa: Towards a Research Agenda, Cassuarina, CRCAH.
Pyett, P, Crowe, P & Strerren, A 2008, ‘Challenging our own practices in Indigenous health promotion and research’, Health Promotion Journal of Australia, vol. 19, no.3, pp. 179-183.
Richmond, C & Ross, N 2009, ‘The determinants of First Nation and Inuit health: A critical population health approach’, Health & Place, Vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 403–411.
Rolls, M, Johnson, M & Reynolds, H 2011, ‘Historical dictionary of Australian Aboriginals’, Plymouth, Scarecrow Press.
Rosewarne, C & Boffa, J 2004, ‘An analysis of the Primary Health Care Access Program in the Northern Territory: A major Aboriginal health policy reform’, Australian Journal of Primary Health, vol. 10, no.3, pp. 89-100.
Sculthorpe, G 2005, ‘Recognising Difference: Contested Issues in Native Title and Cultural Heritage, Anthropological Forum, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 171-193.
Sherwood, J & Edwards, T 2006, ‘Decolonisation: A Critical Step for Improving Aboriginal Health’, Contemporary Nurse, Vol. 22, pp. 178-190.