Disastrous

The Idlers is a delightful ABC radio program reporting on travellers doing the Big Lap. Whenever they are asked which part of Australia impressed the most, they invariably nominate The Kimberley in Western Australia

However it’s a totally different story for that regions indigenous population. A people who have, once again, made the news for all the wrong reasons,

AN absence of leadership in the delivery of Aboriginal services in Western Australia's Kimberley region contributed to "disastrous" living conditions and high suicide rates, the state coroner has found.

Whenever this periodic tale of woe resurfaces I’m reminded of a previous passenger encounter...

A middle-aged female boarded the cab complaining how ‘f***ed’ Sydney was, and how she couldn't wait to return to the Kimberley where she worked with 'Kooris' as a nurse for the Area Health Service.

This was around 2001 when the Daily Telegraph had just published a horrifying front page pictorial of numerous aboriginal women who had been intentionally disfigured by their men. They did this to discourage other suitors to their women.

After mentioning this I asked the nurse, “What's the talk amongst your colleagues when patients present with such disfigurements?” Much to my surprise she airily dismissed the query, “Oh, there's a certain inevitability about it”.

I then suggested that, as a woman, she would have some natural empathy for her sisters and their defenceless position. “Oh no, one can't get involved in Koori business - it's a cultural thing.”

Comments

[steve at the pub]

This stuff happens every day. Some white middle class health worker (or other in the aboriginal industry) openly accepts horrific domestic/sexual violence performed on aboriginal women or children, excusing it as "cultural".

Often, despite spending their entire working week with indigenous, and excusing such stuff on "cultural" grounds, they actually are clueless about the culture they are immersed in.

Eg, I have never known a non-urban, or a non-Sydney-centric indigenous to use the word "koori" to describe themself - a proliferation of service delivery brochures writteb by the aboriginal industry using the word "koori" usually leads to enraged indignation that they are being lumped in with some "koori" mob, when "us fellers are Arrunte (or Ligakawa or whatever) and we got culture, we nothin' to do with them half-white sydney fellers!"

This gaffe is a common one by many who believe themselves to have some sort of "dibs" on authentic cultural empathy with Australian Aboriginals.

[Grendel]

Yup, I sure don't see any of the folks I know from the Kimberley EVER describing themselves as Koori.

The 'culture' excuse is one that has been discussed recently among a lot of Aboriginal communities - mostly with the intent of ensuring that both the white community, and men within the Aboriginal community understand very clearly that there is no such thing as cultural abuse.

Its abuse plain and simple. Culture becomes an issue when you attempt to resolve it, but the abuse itself has no historical cultural purpose.

[PQ]

I also smell a rat concerning the bona fides of your woman passenger, Adrian.

Kimberly people, both aboriginal and white simply do not use the word "koori" to describe local indigenes, in fact they get pretty upset about it and regard the word as insulting (as noted in comments above)

I think your passenger was telling you porkies.

[Daveact]

I used to work for IBA (Indigenous Buisness Australia) a few years ago in one their business related units. (IT WAS GOOD PROGRAM GUYS)

As an ex-Bankie learning PS ways, and the sensitivities of this ex-ATSIC program, I learnt a lot from the indigenous crew there.

Koori's are Victoria OK. Murri's from southern NSW (I think) etc etc.

Yep, I used the K word in reference to a non-Victoriano rganisation very early on in my time there. The error was gently pointed out to me - and I then proceeded to learn a lot from some very good people.

[Rainer.the.cabbie]

It just proves my theory that reconciliation has a long way to go, on both sides. And a big hallo to yesterday's [real] Koori passenger Marilin, who went through a fair bit of trouble to make sure she could pay the fare. Nice change, that was.

[adrian]

This passenger was definitely authentic. I recall being somewhat bemused when she paid the fare with a Health Department Cabcharge voucher, despite it being a weekend, after she had emerged from a major surburban mall loaded down with shopping bags. My guess is she was down in Sydney on business and/or a visit back home. 

Whilst Koori applies only to some south eastern Australian indigenous peoples, there appears to be no similar descriptor covering the 29 indigenous groups of the Kimberely.

Given this I can only presume the passenger reverted to the popular Sydney venacular of the time, commonly used within NSW and Victorian health departments and universities. Thus Steve at the Pub's explanation sounds reasonably accurate.

On a lighter note, it helps to fully understand how white people view authenticity and experience.

[Rhys Needham]

Daveact, Murris are from Queensland.

[kae]

Kimberley aboriginals are WA ones, so they'd be nyungahs (pronounced noong-ahhs). I think it's spelt nyungah.

[kae]

oops, looked at your link, Adrian, Noongar.