Wednesday, 2 September 2009

NEWS FROM THE DIRECTOR One of the aims of Integrated Human Studies is to understand what it means to be human, and here at the School of Anatomy and Human Biology at UWA a great deal of research is carried out into what humans are and what they do. Increasingly the research takes into account not just scientific aspects but also social and cultural considerations. A recently completed doctorate by Susan Clifford looked into the effects of Fly In Fly Out (FIFO) work practices in the mining industry on health and relationships. This research showed that popular conceptions about the disruptive effects of FIFO are largely overstated, and many men and women enjoy the benefits of good incomes without experiencing bad relationship or health outcomes. A small proportion of employees and partners, however, find FIFO routines stressful, and Susan points out the possible applications of her work in preventing problems or providing appropriate support.  A report on her research is available on our website at https://www.ihs.uwa.edu.au/research/mining . Susan is now employed at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, located at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, researching childhood obesity.

Professor Neville Bruce
Director, Centre for Integrated Human Studies

NEXT SEMINAR: MULTICULTURALISM: SEPTEMBER 9

“What we need is a great big melting pot.”
Australia has boosted its population through immigration, and Australians are peaceful, tolerant people. Has multiculturalism succeeded here, or are there new stresses and considerations? Chair Prof Dennis Haskell introduces Suresh Rajan , President of the Ethnic Communities Council of WA, who will give an overview of multiculturalism in Western Australia; Maria Grade Godinho , who speaks about personal experience of being a migrant to Australia; and Dr Daniel Stepniak , who will speak about legal issues around cultural diversity.
The seminar is in Seminar room 1.81 at the School of Anatomy and Human Biology, UWA, at the usual time of 530 – 7 pm.

NOTES FROM THE LAST SEMINAR, TELLING OUR STORY

Professor Carmen Lawrence , chairing the meeting, observed that telling stories is critical to our ability to understand ourselves. The Centre for Integrated Human Studies seminar series, in drawing threads together from different perspectives, created stories that contributed to fuller understanding. The suppression of indigenous stories was a common part of colonial histories, and the topic of the seminar, “Telling our story”, addressed the issue of Indigenous history and culture.

Aileen Marwung Walsh , a history lecturer, explained the origin of her name and talked about her family background and country. She took her grandmother’s name, Marwung, to maintain the connection with the Indigenous side of her family, to balance the Irish side. Members of her family came from wide areas of inland Western Australian, so she simply says she comes from the Nullarbor. Aileen’s PhD research is about the names of Aboriginal people of the nineteenth century. Many Aboriginal names were lost to recorded and oral history when entire families were wiped out in epidemics or massacres. Aileen tracks names and Indigenous family movements through historical colonial records and family documents. Aboriginal people were often given English names by settler families for whom they worked; these names may have been an approximate Anglicisation of their language name, or simply an English name. For example, a man named Cabbage was also known as Gidgup and Macintosh throughout his long life. He worked for the Dempster family and moved with them to Esperance, dying there at the age of 86. This man had eight or nine promised or “inherited” wives, and many children. How English names were acquired is an area of interest. Aileen thought the name “Frying Pan” might have derived from Banjo Paterson’s poem “Frying Pan’s Theology” – but the appearance of the name in records pre-dates the publication of the poem. The name Banjo itself was commonly used by Aborigines, and may be an Anglicisation of an Aboriginal name. The name Sambo was also common, but pre-dates the story “Little Black Sambo”. In fact Sambo is an African day-name that was common among slaves, and still has those derogatory connotations. The literature of the time was clearly a source of names, with many Freddys and Fridays deriving from the Robinson Crusoe character Man Friday, while the Trilbys were inspired by the du Maurier novel Trilby and Topsy came from Uncle Tom’s Cabin . “Skin-the-Goat” comes from a figure from Irish history. Aileen uses literature not only to find the source of Aboriginal names, but also to find out about people’s attitudes of the time, unconsciously revealed by authors. Non contemporaneous fiction, such as Matthew Kneale’s English Passengers (Knopf Doubleday, 2007), could give imaginative insight into historical events and inform research. Aileen finished by saying that Indigenous oral history needed to be written so that it was not lost; and that her research aimed to contextualise the individuals whose names she tracked.

Professor Terri-ann White , director of UWA Publishing, said after wide experience of selling, reading, writing and reviewing books, she was relatively new to publishing. Addressing the question of the obligations of publishers in regard to Indigenous stories, she said it was exactly the same as their obligation to other writers and works: to rigorously edit and support the text and the writer to create the best work possible, and to market the work so it found its widest appropriate audience. Publishing of Indigenous works in Australia has flourished since the 60s and 70s in parallel with other previously underrepresented groups such as migrants, women, and gay and lesbian. Prior to this, works were largely about Indigenous subjects, say, by anthropologists, but increasingly books are by Indigenous authors. There are three dedicated Indigenous publishers in Australia: Magabala in Broome; IAD Press in Alice Springs; and Aboriginal Studies Press in Canberra. Each of these has solid Indigenous representation on their boards, and a mix of Indigenous and non-Indigenous staff. Magabala in particular was dedicated to providing training in writing, illustrating, production and marketing of books. UWA Publishing had a proud record of publishing Indigenous writers and topics across genres, always with an overarching aim of fidelity to the best possible project through accuracy, innovation, and the nurturing of individual writers and group collaborative projects.

David Milroy , briefly in Perth from Palyku country, told the story of his own family, where three generations experienced the threat or reality of forced separation from country and family. His mother grew up in Parkerville Children’s Home after being separated from her own mother, who had been taken from her country to work as a domestic servant in Perth. When David’s father died, the family only managed to stay together by complying with stringent conditions imposed by government authorities.

The status of Aboriginal people had changed with the referendum on citizenship, and more recently the Mabo legislation on native title; for David the right to name themselves Palyku people rather than using names imposed on them (historically, “nigger”, Aborigines, Aboriginals, Indigenous) was significant. David highlighted the mismatch between Palyku culture and the culture of government and bureaucracy by showing a map prepared by an anthropologist for a mining company that purported to show the boundaries of Palyku land – ruled in straight lines. He also showed pictures of art in the Burrup Peninsula and the East Pilbara – all site-specific in Indigenous culture; of 264 applications to destroy such sites by mining, only four had been refused.

David’s creative work as a playwright and director is influenced by the need to tell the Indigenous story or represent its viewpoint. He tries to Aboriginalise western theatre forms and introduce traditional cultural elements. Painful themes and stories could include humour, and tragic tales had universal relevance. (His play “Windmill Baby” has been translated into other languages and performed internationally.) He has moved beyond a necessary phase of “catchup theatre” to encompass a broader theme: that we are all indigenous to the planet. Some Indigenous theatre is targeted to Indigenous audiences and has an educative purpose, with themes of domestic violence and suicide. The “Talk it Up” program encouraged Aboriginal youth to discuss issues of mental health and seek help. Personally, he found telling stories could be emotional and therapeutic, as when people displaced from Corunna Downs returned and told their stories.

Questions and comments included:

  • The names given to Aborigines in the nineteenth century often are condescending. Are there any examples that suggest respect?
  • Could the Aboriginal people choose their own names?
  • What happened to the people who remained at Corunna Downs?
  • How do publishers honour the feelings of Indigenous people who may feel “recolonised” when written about by non-Indigenous anthropologists?
  • Is it difficult to create works that are grim in subject matter?
  • Is there a resurgence of the use of traditional Aboriginal names in families?
  • Are there sensitivities around non-Indigenous writers telling Indigenous stories?

GETTING HERE

The School of Anatomy and Human Biology is two doors south of Shenton House on the eastern (Matilda Bay) side of the UWA campus, opposite the Matilda Bay kiosk. There is a map on our website. Bus routes Nos 23, 79, 98, 99,102 and 107 pass UWA on Stirling Highway; after alighting you will enjoy a five-minute stroll through the campus. Go past the Guild Village and turn left immediately after the Psychology building. You’ll be facing the School of Anatomy and Human Biology and will see the lift to the left of the glass doors. The seminar room is on the first floor opposite the lift door. Bus route No 97 also loops around the campus, with stops on Hackett Drive. It starts at Subiaco Station. If you are driving , we are closest to Hackett Entry No 2 to Carpark No 4. Free parking is available after 5 pm in ticket parking areas in UWA, and after 6 pm in Council ticket parking areas. When you arrive at the School, go to the rear and use the lift to come to the first floor.

GLOBAL HEALTH

You still have time to catch two Global Health free lectures:

  • September 7: Mums and Bubs (Women’s and children’s health)
  • September 14: AIDS (The AIDS epidemic)

The lectures are at the Tattersall Lecture Theatre , UWA, and begin at 5:30pm .  Everyone is welcome to come along and learn about some of the important health issues affecting people around the world.

ABOUT THE CENTRE FOR INTEGRATED HUMAN STUDIES

You can find out more about the Centre and about IHS at our web site www.ihs.uwa.edu.au . If you are interested in enrolling in postgraduate courses in IHS, please contact the Director, Prof Neville Bruce on 6488 3292 or email [email protected] .

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK

Please feel free to give us your comments, thoughts or suggestions for future seminar topics by emailing Karen on [email protected] .

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