Kinship, Organisations and ‘wannabes’: Aboriginal Identity Negotiation in South‐western Sydney

Abstract

This paper explores the ambiguous and dynamic nature of Aboriginal identity in south-western Sydney. While for most of the Aboriginal people in rural and remote areas, identity has been primarily a matter of kinship ties associated with their perceived place of origin, Aboriginal people often recognize each other as Aboriginal by sharing and recognizing certain 'Aboriginal' cultural mores and traits. These two principles of identity are flexible enough to be extended to those who are not raised in an Aboriginal family environment; one meeting with their Aboriginal family is a minimum requirement. In south-western Sydney, where organizations dealing with Aboriginal issues provide ways of connecting Aboriginal people from various backgrounds, in line with the government's homogenized notion of Aboriginality, Aboriginal people from Aboriginal family environments encounter those who cannot even meet this compromised criterion. Their presence gives rise to tension and conflict revolving around the concept of Aboriginality. Aboriginal cultural values that emphasize actual engagement provide ways of overcoming such dilemmas. Through common participation in the activities of the aforesaid organisations, Aboriginal people in south-western Sydney develop a new sense of 'Aboriginality', which embraces those who cannot claim kinship ties.

RE-IMAGINING INDIGENEITY THROUGH PERFORMANCE: Creative Pathways to Urban Aboriginality and Cultural Survival

“…As a result of colonial intervention into Indigenous life-ways, there has been a dramatic shift in the practices and patterns of Aboriginal culture and communication (see Cowlishaw 2011;Yamanouchi 2010;Everett 2009). These cultural fissures are reflected in the current social realities of Indigenous Australians, which include significantly higher levels of infant mortality, incarceration, poverty, ill health and a lower life expectancy than those of their non-Indigenous counterparts.6 While these figures point to serious social, medical and economic needs, emphasis on the 'gaps' between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians (as represented in public discourse and particularly, the media) seems to further enforce notions of Aboriginal culture as dependent and deficient (Gorringe, Ross, and Fforde 2011).…”

Mythologising culture

“…The ability of suburban Aboriginal people to discover common relatives and common stories of the past when meeting for the first time is striking. These kin‐based networks vie with a new form of community based on funded bodies and the kind of activism that is responsive to government agendas (Yamanouchi 2010). ‘The Darug’ are affirmed locally as traditional owners, but there is disagreement about who among those claiming Darug identity has authority 21…”

“…16 16 Yuriko Yamanouchi (2010) discusses terms like ‘wannabes’ in relation to Aboriginal identity in south‐west Sydney. …”

Maree's Backyard: Intercultural Collaborations for Indigenous Sovereignty in Melbourne

“…Important precursors arguing for greater recognition of Indigenous cultures/identities in ‘settled Australia’ include Barwick ; Beckett ; Cowlishaw ; Keen ; MacDonald ; and Yamanouchi , although none of these have taken the co‐production of knowledge in contemporary Melbourne as their object of study/analysis. Land is an exception; see also Lea , Kowal .…”