Second Semester 2023

7736840000-3429000ABS2001

Second Semester 2023

Main Essay

2000 words, worth 50% of the total mark.

Due: Sunday 29 October 2023-the very end of Week 12!

General aim of the Main Essay

The main essay for ABS2001 allows you to draw on the various topics explored in this subject. The essay requires you to focus on a particular and key aspect of Indigenous Australian life; in doing so you will also examine the relationship between the past and present in the constitution of contemporary Indigenous life.

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The Question

Critically discuss the relationship between the Indigenous past/traditional (or if you prefer to use the term classical) and the Indigenous present/contemporary (or if you prefer to use the term post-classical) in Australia with reference to ONE of the following themes:

Land

Families and Kinship

Storytelling and Music

Religion

What are some of the key continuities and changes in these areas? And what are some of the key forces causing continuity and change in Indigenous Australia?

OR YOUR OWN?

You may wish to devise your own question for the main essay. Often, we are inspired by materials, events, readings or films and seek to enquire further. If, you are so inspired, thats fine, but your question should be discussed with me, and refined between us, before you start writing.

Resources and References

All of the essay themes will have an abundance of easily found references you can refer to. However, it is important that course readings and LMS content be utilized in your essays. Your use of at least three pieces of course material is a REQUIREMENT of the essay and will be assessed under the criteria of engagement with, and understanding of, course themes and materials.

There is no set number of references required, beyond the three from ABS2001, but you will need to demonstrate that you have done adequate and more research to answer the question.

Please note: The School of Social Enquiry uses the HAVARD system of referencing.

Some More Guidance

** Submit your essay via Turnitin on LMS.

** If you require an extension please discuss this with your tutor immediately or as soon as possible.

** Please use the online request for extension form on the right hand side of the LMS page.

We will discuss the essay in class at various times over the second half of the semester. Your essay will be assessed against the criteria listed below.

Assessment Criteria Excellent Very Good Competent Passable Unsatisfactory

KNOWLEDGE & UNDERSTANDING OF KEY THEMES AND ANALYTICAL LENSES

Investigates at least one key theme as per the essay instructions (e.g. Land OR music & storytelling) and examines this topic through a range of analytical lenses covered in the subject (e.g. past in the present/present in the past; traditional /contemporary; myth/history; essentialism & resistance; etc).

Develops a sustained argument that critically draws on the literature (including films) and ethnographic examples (if possible) examined in this subject and other sources (where relevant).

Demonstrates understanding and awareness of the key continuities and changes that have impacted upon the selected theme and the forces that have shaped continuity and change. STRUCTURE & ORGANISATION

Introduction: clearly identifies the essay topic and contextualises the main issues. Provides a road map of the rest of the essay.

Body: presents an orderly and coherent discussion, that addresses all components of the topic

Conclusion: provides a summary and concluding statement ENGAGEMENT WITH QUESTION/PROBLEM

Command of subject matter and key themes and concepts

Use of at least 3 references-readings, lectures, film, videos, from the course materials;

Use of relevant case studies as discussed in lectures/tutorials and extra (those not included in subject materials)

Research approach demonstrated by selection of relevant sources, theories and examples ARGUMENTATION

Argument flows logically and builds momentum

Appropriate application of concepts linked to key theme(s)

Arguments are persuasive focusing on key points using uncomplicated language

Alternative perspectives are acknowledged and addressed

Examples used are relevant and provide effective support to overall argument CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION

The authors voice is clear and originality is demonstrated. PRESENTATION

Written expression (spelling and grammar) and style/prose. Scholarly conventions and requirements (inc. referencing)

COMMENTS & OVERALL GRADE:

ANT2ABA FINAL ESSAY

Critically discuss the relationship between the Indigenous past and the Indigenous present in Australia with reference to storytelling and music. What are some of the key continuities and changes in these areas? And what are some of the key forces causing continuity and change in Indigenous Australia?

*Please note that below is confirmation of my extension request to 2/11

This essay will discuss the relationship between the Indigenous past and present in Australia with reference to storytelling and music. It will draw on three modern forms of artistic expression of theatre and film, and music, and the ways in which artistic expression have presented an opportunity to preserve a connection to culture and maintain a relationship between the past and the present. In doing so, key continuities and changes in these areas, and the forces causing continuity and change in Indigenous Australia, will be examined, in particular, the effects of essentialism on the continuity of Indigenous culture. The focus of this essay will be on the dangerous notions of essentialism in the maintenance of culture and culture practices, and thus the approach of culture as an ever-changing, rather than static phenomenon will be used to explain the reasons for continuity and change in the Indigenous past and present.

Anthropologists today practice their discipline in many ways, but an almost universally agreed upon standard is used, whereby they condemn the essentialism of people and cultures, and they strive for cultural relativism in their practice, both theoretically and in the field. It is no coincidence that with the invasion of Australia by the British, and the subsequent genocide of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and their culture came the doomed race theory, which became popular in the wake of Charles Darwins The Origin of the Species. Much like Darwin purports that in evolution, only the strongest species survive, anthropologists of the late-nineteenth century deemed the same fate of cultures: that only the strongest would survive, and thus the European standard of culture was the evolutionary peak (McGregor 1997). In the wake of the Stolen Generations and White Australia policy, came the new policy of multiculturalism in 1974, bringing an influx of new migrants from around the world. Suddenly, instead of the insistence of assimilation, different cultures were to be celebrated, and the rich Indigenous cultures of Australia were used to showcase to the world what the country had to offer, mainly in an effort to attract tourists (Parsons 2002). Much of the documentation of Indigenous culture in the mid-twentieth century revolved around the essentialism of the stereotypical Indigenous person: a (preferably) man, adorned with traditional paint and dress, playing the didjeridu or clapsticks, attending a Corrobboree (Langton 1994). As such, not much consideration into the meanings of the stories told and music played was given, and the Indigenous culture was created into a spectacle. The importance of stories, passed down through generations through Dreaming, has only been recognised as an important way of documenting Indigenous culture and history in recent times, and the inclusion of women in these documentations. The result of this, in the present day, is there is still an entrenched idea of what Indigenous culture should look like, and what constitutes it (Langton 1994), (Langton 2011) Culture is not a static phenomenon; rather, it is fluid, malleable, and ever-changing. Indeed, the disastrous effects of colonialism, the Stolen Generations, and assimilation have caused the culture of Indigenous Australians to change. Essentialism is fraught when discussing Indigenous Peoples and their culture, even in post-classical ways of storytelling and music (Langton 2011). Many post-classical Indigenous playwrights and writers (which will be discussed in the subsequent paragraph) in the twentieth century were countering essentialised notions of Indigenous people, such as all Indigenous people being from the same country or language group, rather than from some 200 represented language groups, pre-invasion (Langton 1994). With many Indigenous Australians being displaced from their traditional lands, through assimilation and the Stolen Generation periods, many now live in urban centres, as well as regional locations. This is not to say that there is a disconnect from the classical ways of storytelling and music for Indigenous Australians of today, but the ways in which storytelling and music is continuing to live on is a testament, and example of, culture as a fluid phenomenon, changing through the ages to remain relevant. Increasing numbers of Australians are identifying with their Indigenous heritage, and although many of the 200 languages have been lost, efforts are being made to document the surviving languages. Increasingly, scholars are acknowledging that Indigenous culture is not just about men, adorned in traditional dress, playing the didjeridu, and that the only Dreaming is that of The Rainbow Serpent. Post-classical storytellers and musicians are using what would be regarded as laymen as traditional ways of being Indigenous and reappropriating them with modern ways of being Indigenous to create new ways of storytelling and music. The Indigenous present is not less authentic than the Indigenous past; it is simply a representation of what it means to be Indigenous now, and the Indigenous present will eventually become the Indigenous past.

Although Australian film, theatre, and television is notoriously white-washed in its representations of Australians, there is increasing awareness of the contributions of Indigenous Australians in these areas of the arts. These modern forms of storytelling often depict post-classical Indigenous stories, although their connections to the past are also prevalent. However, performance is not a new mode of cultural expression for Indigenous Australians, as performance is deeply entrenched in their culture. Performance, in almost all its choreographed forms, has served a purpose in social, political, and spiritual ceremonies, and has used dialogue, mime, song, dance, music, and visual artistic expression, such as costumes (Casey 2013). Thus, for Indigenous Australians, performance has played a crucial role in telling the stories of past and present. Performance also played an important role in cross-cultural exchange between Indigenous Australians and the first European colonial settlements in Australia, whereby performances were created by the Indigenous Peoples to proclaim their authority over their land, in an effort to communicate their culture to the settlers. This essentially was a way in which to communicate and engage with the British settlers, and has also been documented by many settlers (Casey 2013). Through to the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, Indigenous drama has continued fulfil its ultimate functions of storytelling, education, and socialising. In particular, generalisations surrounding Indigenous Peoples, and to counter stereotypes have been the focus of many writers such as Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Hyllus Marsh, Eva Johnson, and Gerry Bostock. Many stereotypes of Indigenous Australians in the twentieth century revolved around the false notion that all Indigenous Peoples were the same. Many non-Indigenous Australians were not aware of the many different language groups across the Australian continent (some 200), with their only knowledge of Indigenous history and culture being that of the aforementioned Corrobboree (Langton 1994). Theatre became a means of education for whitefellas, in particular Koori playwrights (the collective name of the language grouping of Victoria, some parts of New South Wales, and some parts of Tasmania) of the 1970s, and also challenged the silence around the survival of the Koori people (Casey 2013). Although these plays have modern characteristics, structured similarly to European plays, they are often regarded as forays into the expression of Aboriginality: a defining way of being Indigenous, or doing Indigenous (Carroll 1997). Conversely, in visual modes of storytelling, such as film, theatre, and television, there is an assumption that Indigenous Australians are able to make accurate representations of all Indigenous people, as being Aboriginal gives a greater understanding (Langton 1994, p. 95). Langtons assertion of this, that Indigenous people do not necessarily have greater insight into what is a more accurate representation of Indigenous people, shows that with neoliberal political pressures, under the guise of inclusivity, this is just another form of essentialism, with non-Indigenous people assuming Indigenous people are all the same (Langton 1994). Other contemporary theatre productions, such as Wesley Enoch and Deborah Mailmans play On the Seven Stages of Grieving (1996), echoing the Kubler-Ross model of the stages of grief, instead played upon the plight of the Indigenous Australians from the time of the Dreaming, through the British invasion, to the longing for reconciliation. Here, Mailman portrays the Indigenous Everywoman, with her role to depict the personal and political history of Indigenous Australia; Mailman and Enoch drew upon their personal experiences and family histories when writing the play (Enoch & Mailman 1996). Poignantly, Enoch states, The Seven Stages of Grieving is a celebration of our survival, an invitation to grieve publicly, a time to exorcise our pain (Enoch 1996, p. 16). The play, written in both English and Murri, draws upon traditional Indigenous performative styles, and uses physical theatre as well as oral theatre to tell the Everywomans story. The Seven Stages of Grieving is just one contemporary example of Indigenous theatre, which share the common themes that make them distinctive from Australian types of theatre. The collective experiences of forced separation, racism, identity struggles, struggles with poverty, the desire to reconnect to family and to country, and, of course, the strong ties of family, kinship, and community. As demonstrated by Larissa Behrendt, contemporary Indigenous theatre:

is a reminder of the strength of contemporary Aboriginal cultures, a continuation of the tradition of storytelling in our communities as a way of teaching, as a way of retaining history and as a way of communicating across time (Behrendt 2007, p. 9)

Thus, the notion of a wrong or right way of being Indigenous is an essentialised ideal, and this transcends into the present ways in which storytelling is done. Change will always happen, as that is the nature of culture, as a malleable phenomenon, and it will continue, for as long as there are Indigenous Australians sharing their stories, both of the present, and the past.

Music has played a vital role in Australian Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, from accompanying theatrical modes of cultural expression in the dreamtime, to modern political resistance forms of music. One such band, Yothu Yindi, originates from Arnhem Land, and the original members identify as Yolngu People. In discussing the origins of the bands name, founding member, the late Mandawuy Yunupingu, stated that while in Yolngu language Yothu Yindi refers to mother and child, and the responsibilities Yolngu children have to both their mothers and fathers places and people, the name also refers to the balance between black and white people (Yunupingu 1993). This was explained just two years after the release of Yothu Yindis most successful song, Treaty: written in both English and Yolngu matha, taking inspiration from both Balanda (white) rock music, and Yolngu music. Yothu Yindis popularity can be seen as part of the growth and recognition of Indigenous music in line with the era, fuelled by movements in Australia, such as increasing political profiles of Indigenous Australians, an overall awareness of Indigenous culture, including changes in school curriculums and media policies, the successes of Indigenous writers (such as Sally Morgan), increased popularity of visual artists, and governmental enquiries into Indigenous treatment by police (Stubington & Dunbar-Hall 1994). The lyrics in many of Yothu Yindis songs refer to political issues, in particular Treaty, and demonstrate how race related problems in the Australian landscape are no closer to being solved, as succinctly put in the songs chorus: treaty yeah, treaty now. The issue of treaty, whilst a Balanda word, has been at the forefront of Indigenous Australian politics since the mid-twentieth century, referring to the issue of Australia being classified as terra nullius by the first Colonial invaders, refusing to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land (Stubington & Dunbar-Hall 1994). In a similar vein to that of the playwrights aforementioned, Yothu Yindi reappropriated their Indigenous identities, with both western and Indigenous music featuring heavily in their musical works (Corn 2010). Their success, both commercially, and otherwise, was not due to pandering to pre-conceived notions of Aboriginality, and the essentialist view of what Indigenous Australians are like (once again, the image of the stereotypical man at a Corrobboree, playing the didjeridu). Rather, showcasing new ways of incorporating perceived traditional elements of Indigenous music, with the contemporary, to continue the rich musical heritage of Indigenous Australians for generations to come. In the more present-day, this can also be seen with the advent of Indigenous rap and hip-hop, genres that originated in the impoverished African-American neighbourhoods of Los Angeles and Brooklyn in America. Rap and hip-hop began as a means of storytelling, in particular, the hardships faced by rappers, such as systemic racism, and poverty, and the struggles of their ancestors. Suffice to say, Indigenous Australians associated these genres with their own struggles, and are now using the genres to express the same themes as intended by the originators of rap and hip-hip: systemic violence, oppression, racism, and poverty being key themes (Morgan & Warren 2010), (Mitchell 2006). Some of the pioneering artists of the genre included lyrics in their native languages, Dreamtime stories, and discussed the history of the Indigenous Australians as a means of educating other Indigenous Peoples about the importance of maintaining the traditional culture (Mitchell 2006). Much like Yothu Yindis influence on their community and the education of the wider Indigenous population (Yunupingu 1994), (Corn 2010), hip hop played an educational role in Indigenous communities, with a three-week workshop held in 1999 with young Indigenous people in Alice Springs, organised by the radio station Triple J (Mitchell 2006).

As demonstrated in this essay, culture is a phenomenon that is ever changing. It changes from generation to generation, to keep communities together, as a means of continuing at its core, what it means to be a part of the greater community. In the case of Indigenous Australia, storytelling and music is no different. There have been preconceived notions surrounding what it means to be Indigenous, shrouded in essentialism, since the twentieth century, and these notions have transcended into the right and wrong ways of storytelling and music. Some of these changes, however, were indeed forced onto Indigenous Australians, through barbaric means, from the periods of invasion, right up to the Stolen Generations. The Indigenous present showcases a number of ways in which storytelling and music are performed, each of which are as unique as the many Indigenous nations represented in Australia. By demonstrating this through contemporary forms of storytelling in theatre, contemporary Indigenous music, it becomes clear that there will always be continuity of the Indigenous past in the Indigenous present. Storytelling and music are just two of the ways in which Indigenous Australians communicate their oral history across time and place, teaching future generations, and for this reason, there will always be continuity.

REFERENCE LIST

Behrendt, L 2007, Introduction, in V Cleven (ed.), Contemporary Indigenous Plays, Currency Press, Sydney

Casey, M 2013, Bold, black and brilliant: Aboriginal Australian drama, in B Wheeler (ed.), Companion to Australian Aboriginal Literature, Camden House, Rochester

Carroll, D 1997, Some defining characteristics of Australian Aboriginal drama, Modern Drama, vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 100-110

Corn, A 2010, Land, song, constitution: exploring expressions of ancestral agency, intercultural diplomacy and family legacy in the music of Yothu Yindi with Mandawuy Yunupingu, Popular Music, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 81-102

Enoch, W 1996,Why do we applaud?, The Seven Stages of Grieving, Playlab Press, Brisbane

Enoch, W & Mailman, D 1996, The Seven Stages of Grieving, Playlab Press, Brisbane

Langton, M 1994, Aboriginal art and film: the politics of representation, Race & Class, vol. 35, no. 4, pp. 89-106

Langton, M 2011, Anthropology, politics, and the changing world of Aboriginal Australians, Anthropological Forum, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 1-22

McGregor, R 1997, Imagines Destinies: Aboriginal Australians and the Doomed Race Theory, 1880-1939, Melbourne University Press, Carlton

Mitchell, T 2006, Blackfellas rapping, breaking and writing: a short history of Aboriginal hip hop, Aboriginal History, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 124-137

Morgan, G & Warren, A 2010, Aboriginal youth, hip hop and the politics of identification, Ethnic and Racial Studies, vol. 34, no. 6, pp. 925-947

Parsons, M 2002, Ah that I could convey a proper idea of this interesting wild play of the natives: Corroborees and the rise of Indigenous Australian cultural tourism, Australian Aboriginal Studies, no. 2, pp. 14-26

Stubington, J & Dunbar-Hall, P 1994, Yothu Yindis Treaty: Ganma in music, Popular Music, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 243-259

Yunupingu, M 1994, Yothu Yindi: Finding balance, Race & Class, vol. 35, no. 4, pp. 113-120

MAJOR ESSAY--- SOME HELP AND CONSIDERATIONS.

The Question

Critically discuss the relationship between the Indigenous past/traditional (or if you prefer to use the term classical) and the Indigenous present/contemporary (or if you prefer to use the term post-classical) in Australia with reference to ONE of the following themes:

Land

Families and Kinship

Storytelling and Music

Religion

Or make up your own in consultation with Claire James. You can discuss any aspect of the course, using the films, readings, and other materials.

Or you can refer to a contemporary event, and use the course readings and films, to explore and analysis it.

Or you may wish to reflect, explore your own reactions to an issue in the course, or a contemporary event, using course materials to do so, of course!

What is the question asking me to do?

As we have observed in tutorials the course primarily interrogates one of the major outcomes of Australian anthropological thinking and analysis. That is, the positing of traditional/ Classical Aboriginal peoples, as the real, authentic Aboriginal group. Then there are the others-the Contemporary, Non- classical Aboriginal peoples, who are fair-skinned, of mixed heritage, living in the south- east and south -west of Australia, and whom for many years, anthropologists found had lost their culture. As early as week two we learned that these two categories were problematic.

As the course proceeded, we have studied both Traditional and Contemporary Aboriginal societies, and found that there are many continuities between them, as well we have seen many changes and contrasts between the two.

Thus, we arrive at the heart of the essay question: choose one topic- LAND, FAMILIES AND KINSHIP, STORY TELLING AND MUSIC or RELIGION.

Then consider the continuities and changes between the Classical/traditional and Non-Classical/ Contemporary societies in relation to your chosen topic.

Structure of the Essay

This is always up to you!!

But you might start with Traditional/Classical features connected with your chosen topic. Let them be the benchmark; explain them and how they have changed, or continued on, even in changed form.

When considering the changes, you should provide some analysis of the reasons for them. What impact did colonization have? Was it the nature of traditional culture itself that encouraged change? Has clinging to traditional culture in the modern contemporary world been positive for Indigenous peoples? How have contemporary Indigenous peoples created their own historical myths, that reflect contemporary identity?

Lots of questions and different approaches arise.

Getting Started

Visit our LMS, and at first, go over the power points of lectures, and summaries of the readings, to determine which course materials will best help you.

Dr. Maddens lecture in week 7 sets out a ready reference of differences between contemporary and traditional societies.

Pick what helps from initial research, then do the readings, to look for good quotes.

How many references do I need?

The number is up to you. It is important however that your reference list show engagement with the course and course materials. There should be at least three references from the course itself There are plenty of other good materials available, so do your own research or ask Claire James.

You and Artificial Intelligence

There are two ways to use artificial intelligence in essay writing. First, just type your question, wait for the answer, put your name at the top and put the essay through Turn-it-in!

Second, you can use the essay as a basis for revision, editing and including your own ideas, and inserting relevant information from the course materials and readings.

But I strongly recommend that you be critical, creative, and analytical on your own, using your own ideas and genius!