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In New Zealand even though the grand majority speak English and even a few other languages, the Maori language is still in the national languages. New Zealand in general seems to give way to customs and traditions that highlight their humble beginnings and the culture of the Maori people. Before basketball games or rugby games, the New Zealand national team does their ceremonious tribute to their Maori culture.
This is not the case in Australia, which like the United States has largely neglected its indigenous roots compared to advanced Western customs and idealisms. The aboriginals in Australia seem to be marginalized culturally speaking compared to the Maori's in New Zealand.
Is this or is this not the case? Am I off base or does Australia do more to preserve and invest in its indigenous culture? Will it ever reach the point where New Zealand is or is that too much of a pipe dream?
In New Zealand even though the grand majority speak English and even a few other languages, the Maori language is still in the national languages. New Zealand in general seems to give way to customs and traditions that highlight their humble beginnings and the culture of the Maori people. Before basketball games or rugby games, the New Zealand national team does their ceremonious tribute to their Maori culture.
This is not the case in Australia, which like the United States has largely neglected its indigenous roots compared to advanced Western customs and idealisms. The aboriginals in Australia seem to be marginalized culturally speaking compared to the Maori's in New Zealand.
Is this or is this not the case? Am I off base or does Australia do more to preserve and invest in its indigenous culture? Will it ever reach the point where New Zealand is or is that too much of a pipe dream?
Maoris are a far larger % of the NZ population. In fact, even in raw numbers there are more Maori than aboriginals. When you consider that Australia is 5-6x bigger it puts the relative influence of Maoris in NZ culture in perspective.
Aboriginal culture is foreign to the overwhelming majority of Australians. If people want to celebrate it then that's fine, they can do it in their own time and place.
In New Zealand even though the grand majority speak English and even a few other languages, the Maori language is still in the national languages. New Zealand in general seems to give way to customs and traditions that highlight their humble beginnings and the culture of the Maori people. Before basketball games or rugby games, the New Zealand national team does their ceremonious tribute to their Maori culture.
This is not the case in Australia, which like the United States has largely neglected its indigenous roots compared to advanced Western customs and idealisms. The aboriginals in Australia seem to be marginalized culturally speaking compared to the Maori's in New Zealand.
Is this or is this not the case? Am I off base or does Australia do more to preserve and invest in its indigenous culture? Will it ever reach the point where New Zealand is or is that too much of a pipe dream?
During ceremonies for Australian Rules football games, the local land of the Aboriginals is formally mentioned. There is also a round of football entirely dedicated to the Aboriginal culture.
I acknowledge that we still have some work to do to have a better relationship, and this is both sides that need to work together.... but this international perception that we are inherently culturally insensitive, is quite off the mark.
During ceremonies for Australian Rules football games, the local land of the Aboriginals is formally mentioned. There is also a round of football entirely dedicated to the Aboriginal culture.
I think I'm the only person who cringes everytime that happens.
lol..you mean the welcoming ceremony?... .it doesn't really bother me...
It's so contrived. Then again, I don't really see the point of many of these feel good gestures. Have they improved the average indigenous Australian's lot? Not from the reports I've read. It seems to be more about soothing white guilt than actually making a difference.
Can you really have an inclusive society when one group is treated with faux reverence?
In New Zealand even though the grand majority speak English and even a few other languages, the Maori language is still in the national languages. New Zealand in general seems to give way to customs and traditions that highlight their humble beginnings and the culture of the Maori people. Before basketball games or rugby games, the New Zealand national team does their ceremonious tribute to their Maori culture.
This is not the case in Australia, which like the United States has largely neglected its indigenous roots compared to advanced Western customs and idealisms. The aboriginals in Australia seem to be marginalized culturally speaking compared to the Maori's in New Zealand.
Is this or is this not the case? Am I off base or does Australia do more to preserve and invest in its indigenous culture? Will it ever reach the point where New Zealand is or is that too much of a pipe dream?
Really IMHO I think the reason why the Maori were successful if having their culture recognised better, has nothing to do with the settlers, and everything to do with the Maori themselves.
The very fact that the Maori language even exists, would indicate they would be better able to communicate with each other on a large scale, and form some kind of unifying force against the colonialists.
Pre colonial Australia was basically 200 disjointed groups, that spoke 200 different languages.
Daniel, that's mainly the result of the tiny size and the very very recent arrival of the Maori. They were only there for about 500 years before Europeans started arriving, aboriginals had been in Australia for 50,000 years. The European infiltration of New Zealand was also different, because first there were the whalers who traded, then the missionaries who taught them to read and write, and only then did they try to settle... after signing a treaty giving them permission to do so. In Australia they just turned up and said it was their land now.
But even with a treaty (Waitangi) guaranteeing them rights as subjects of the queen Maoris still got shafted. If the OP does some reading he'll see that it hasn't been a cakewalk for them either.
Last edited by WildColonialGirl; 05-05-2015 at 05:21 AM..
Ceremonial tribute to Indigenous culture is a nice symbolic gesture, but it doesn't do anything to improve the standard of living, access to higher education, health care, etc. Australia, OP, has been marketing aboriginal art internationally since the late 1980's/early 1990's. Where is Maori art? I never see Maori art in Native art galleries, or any type of art gallery, though there's a good deal of financial support for Maori art in Aotearoa, itself.
Both Australia and New Zealand (along with the US, Canada, and Russia) fought the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People at the UN the entire 15 years that it was being discussed and worked out. In fact, it was because of their opposition that the process took so long. Oz and NZ still haven't ratified the Declaration. I don't see either one providing significant leadership in Native rights, health and welfare, education, or economic development.
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