ASC 202 - Indigenous Cultures in Australia & Aotearoa (New Zealand)

Credits: 4

This unit emphasizes the histories of Indigenous people of Australia and New Zealand. Aboriginal people living in Australia today are the present “face” of ancient cultural lines that stretch back over eons of time. These lines contain knowledge about connections to Country; family relationships and kinship systems; an education system that is ‘holistic’; teaching about the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual levels of an individual; practical knowledge for daily survival; the Ancestral Spirits and Creation stories; ceremonies, songs, dances and music. The Māori people are a vibrant influence in the cultural makeup of Aotearoa/New Zealand. Many of the exceptional qualities of this nation come from the interactions between Māori and non-Māori (or Pākehā). This unit will begin by looking at the various lines that cover the following: Aboriginal and Māori concepts of Country, spiritual belief systems, kinship and family relationships, totemic systems, foods and medicines, education systems and spiritual beliefs, including the Creation stories. Other lines will include the arrival of Europeans; the disruption to Indigenous ways of life; Aboriginal & Māori resistance; racism and its consequences, the church’s involvement; government policies, including the removal of Aboriginal children from their families; land rights; Māori rituals (or tikanga), and Indigenous identity in the 21st century.

Corequisite(s): Available only to students participating in the BestSemester Australia Studies Centre program.