More than 230 years ago, Captain James Cook, a British explorer, ‘discovered’ the Australian continent and claimed it for Great Britain. From then on, the Indigenous Australian population experienced a drastic cultural and social change. Today around “68% of the Aboriginal population […] live in urban environements” (Knudsen 2004, S. 73). Despite the progress in assimilation, smoldering sources of social friction between Aboriginal people and the white community, like unemployment, poverty, alcoholism and bad health care, remain. These subjects often occur in literature of indigenous authors, especially poetry, “the most popular genre of Aboriginal creative expression in
English” (Shoemaker 1989, S. 179).
Another important theme, which is often worked up in indigenous poetry, is the urban Aboriginal’s relation to their cultural heritage, which will be the topic of this termpaper.
This theme is of high topicality nowadays, considering the increasing number of Aboriginals living in urban environments. It will be important to figure out to what extent the Indigenous’s past does still play a role in their present lives. Also it will be of interest if they still feel connected with their cultural past, if nature still plays a decisive role, even in
“civilised Aboriginals’” lives, and how they generally feel about their situation of being part of two significantly differing cultures. Therefore, the poems will be analysed on the basis of the subtopics nature, identity and past.
The aim of this paper is to provide a small overview of recent poetic works dealing with this topical theme of the urban Aboriginals relation to their cultural heritage to draw the reader’s attention to a new, probably even largely unknown part of Aboriginal’s lives.
This termpaper will first give a short overview about the Aboriginal poetry in general and the authors lives. Later on, poems in which subjects like past, civilisation or nature occur will be analysed. Poems by Oodgeroo Noonuccal and Jack Davis will act as exemplary works to be analysed and interpreted. Therefore, at the beginning of the termpaper some short biographical facts about these poets will be given to become acquainted with their cultural
background.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Background Information
2.1 Biographical Facts about the Authors
2.2 The Development of Aboriginal Poetry
3. Analysis of Poems
3.1 Connection to Nature
3.2 Question of Identity
3.3 Relation to Past
4. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Core Themes
The primary objective of this paper is to explore how urban Indigenous Australians navigate their relationship with their cultural heritage, specifically focusing on the tension between their ancestral traditions and modern urban life as reflected in selected poetry.
- The impact of urban environments on the Indigenous connection to nature.
- Expressions of identity, alienation, and belonging among urban Aboriginals.
- The relevance and preservation of historical and ancestral ties in contemporary times.
- The role of literature as a medium for social and political commentary.
- The contrasting perspectives within Aboriginal poetry regarding assimilation and cultural loss.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1 Connection to Nature
Nature, plants and landscapes are often described in Aboriginal verse. Sometimes poems which include these themes are interpreted in a way in which any political involvement is eschewed and only the aspect of the beauty of nature is stressed. But even when Black Australian nature poetry does not have an overt socio-political dimension, it can be politically significant as an illustration of the singular Aboriginal poetic appreciation of the Australian landscape (cf. Shoemaker 1989, 179-180).
Especially with regard to the situation of Aboriginals who live in urban environments, such poems can convey a certain meaning, because those people are separated from nature, which was their natural environment in former times. By analysing Oodgeroo Noonuccal’s poem “Return to Nature” (Zimmermann 1999, 56), in which the bond between an urbanised Indigene and the land is specified, the relation of nature and civilised Aborigines will be explained. Later on, the poem “Day Flight” (Zimmermann 1999, 74) written by Jack Davis will be analysed too.
As the title already may indicate, the major subject of the poem “Return to Nature” by Oodgeroo Noonuccal is the return to her homeland of an Aboriginal person, who spent the last years in civilisation. The “civilised” speaker tries to come back to her former roots and pick up her old way of life which includes a deep connection to nature. But after a first attempt to find back to her old form of communication with nature, she has to notice that the old bond is broken because of her time in “civilisation” and the transformation into a “brutal”, “impatient” and tired person she made.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the historical context of Indigenous Australians following European colonisation and outlines the research focus on urban Aboriginal poetry.
2. Background Information: Provides biographical insights into the poets Oodgeroo Noonuccal and Jack Davis, and discusses the transition of Aboriginal literature from oral traditions to written forms.
3. Analysis of Poems: Examines specific poetic works through the thematic lenses of nature, identity, and the relation to the past to understand the urban Aboriginal experience.
4. Conclusion: Summarizes the findings, noting the diverse ways Indigenous authors express their longing for the past and the challenges of maintaining cultural heritage in an urbanized world.
Keywords
Aboriginal poetry, urban Aboriginals, cultural heritage, Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Jack Davis, Indigenous identity, nature, post-colonialism, assimilation, oral tradition, cultural loss, Australian literature, social friction, urban environment, ancestral ties.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this academic work?
The paper examines how urban Indigenous Australians express their relationship with their cultural heritage, specifically focusing on how urbanization and assimilation policies affect their connection to traditional life.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The analysis centers on three main themes: the connection to nature, the search for and maintenance of identity, and the evolving relationship with the Indigenous past.
What is the central research objective?
The goal is to provide an overview of how modern Aboriginal poetry serves as a platform to articulate the struggles and complexities of living between two differing cultural realities.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The author uses a literary analysis approach, interpreting selected poems by prominent Indigenous authors such as Oodgeroo Noonuccal and Jack Davis within their socio-political context.
What topics are discussed in the main section?
The main section investigates the poets' backgrounds, the shift to written verse, and a detailed thematic analysis of poems regarding nature, identity, and historical heritage.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Key terms include Aboriginal poetry, urban identity, cultural heritage, Oodgeroo Noonuccal, and assimilation.
How does the paper differentiate between the poetry of Oodgeroo Noonuccal and Jack Davis?
The author notes that while both poets emphasize a longing for nature, they differ in their outlook; Noonuccal often suggests a permanent rupture caused by civilization, whereas Davis’s works sometimes reflect a more complex, persistent affinity despite urbanization.
What conclusion does the author reach regarding urban life for Indigenous people?
The author concludes that most of the analyzed poems reflect a lack of satisfaction with urban existence, showing a strong desire to preserve cultural traditions even when they feel the "old ways" are being lost to modernization.
- Quote paper
- Ilona Sontag (Author), 2008, Urban Aboriginals and the relation to their cultural heritage, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/114579
