Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Tourists' Perceptions Of Aboriginal Heritage Souvenirs, Janet Chang, Geoffrey Wall, Jul-Cheng (Richard) Hung

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Heritage souvenirs are an indispensable part of indigenous tourism and the authenticity of indigenous heritage is a vital aspect of such tourism. This study adopts a mixed methods approach to explore the perceived authenticity of glass bead souvenirs of the Paiwan Tribe in Pintung County, Taiwan. The study explores differences in the evaluations of authenticity among stakeholders and the factors that influence perceptions of authen- ticity. An understanding of tourists’ perceptions of indigenous heritage offers valuable information for the creation of indigenous souvenirs and for reviving the promotion of indigenous culture.

How To Make Climate Change Research Relevant For Indigenous Communities In Torres Strait, Australia, Claire O'Neill, Donna Green, Willie Lui

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Several Torres Strait communities have significant infrastructure and sacred sites located only a few metres above sea level. As a consequence, these areas are vulnerable to erosion due to the projected increase in storm surge intensity caused by climate change. Common sense suggests that Islanders would welcome new scientific research about how climate change might affect them, in order to understand the significance of these impacts and the timeframes involved. However, one leader has taken a seemingly counterintuitive stance, and has refused to let new climate research occur. We explore why this position was taken, and the implications of this …

Strategies To Improve Health Coverage And Narrow The Equity Gap In Child Survival, Health, And Nutrition, Mickey Chopra

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Implementation of innovative strategies to improve coverage of evidence-based interventions, especially in the most marginalised populations, is a key focus of policy makers and planners aiming to improve child survival, health, and nutrition. We present a three-step approach to improvement of the effective coverage of essential interventions. First, we identify four different intervention delivery channels—ie, clinical or curative, outreach, community-based preventive or promotional, and legislative or mass media. Second, we classify which interventions’ deliveries can be improved or changed within their channel or by switching to another channel. Finally, we do a meta-review of both published and unpublished reviews to …

Poverty, Work And Social Networks: The Role Of Social Capital For Aboriginal People In Urban Australian Locales, Julie Lahn

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

In this article, I present the key findings from a project entitled “The Social Context of Indigenous Poverty”. The research involved a series of interviews with Aboriginal people in urban SE Australia on issues of poverty, social capital and social exclusion. In the article I draw together Aboriginal perspectives on the meaning of poverty to reflect on the relevance of social capital concepts for understanding Aboriginal economic disadvantage and hence, the merits of policy framed in these terms.

The Quest For Universal Health Coverage: Achieving Social Protection For All In Mexico, Felicia Marie Knaul, Eduardo GonzáLez-Pier, Octavio GóMez-DantéS, David GarcíA-Junco, HéCtor Arreola-Ornelas, Mariana Barraza-LloréNs, Rosa Sandoval,, Francisco Caballero, Mauricio HernáNdez-Avila, Mercedes Juan, David Kershenobich, Gustavo Nigenda, Enrique Ruelas, Jaime SepúLveda, Roberto Tapia, Guillermo SoberóN, SalomóN Chertorivski, Julio Frenk

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Mexico is reaching universal health coverage in 2012. A national health insurance programme called Seguro Popular, introduced in 2003, is providing access to a package of comprehensive health services with financial protection for more than 50 million Mexicans previously excluded from insurance. Universal coverage in Mexico is synonymous with social protection of health. This report analyses the road to universal coverage along three dimensions of protection: against health risks, for patients through quality assurance of health care, and against the financial consequences of disease and injury. We present a conceptual discussion of the transition from labour-based social security to social …

Indigenous MéTissage: A Decolonizing Research Sensibility, Dwayne Donald

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

This paper is a report on the theoretical origins of a decolonizing research sensibility called Indigenous Métissage. This research praxis emerged parallel to personal and ongoing inquiries into historic and current relations connecting Aboriginal peoples and Canadians in the place now called Canada. I frame the colonial frontier origins of these relations – and the logics that tend to inform them – as conceptual problems that require rethinking on more ethically relational terms. Although a postcolonial cultural theory called métissage offers helpful insights towards this challenge, I argue that the postcolonial emphasis on hybridity fails to acknowledge Indigenous subjectivity in …

Suicide In Young Men, Alexandra Pitman, Karolina Krysinska, Michael King

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

No abstract provided.

Canada Curbs Aboriginal Health Leadership, Paul C. Webster

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

No abstract provided.

Magic And Superstition In Baseball In Taiwan: An Examination Of The Puyama Aborigines’ Use Of The Betel Nut, Junwei Yu

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Much work has been published on the place of rituals in numerous areas of life with reference both to general activities and, more specifically, to sport. As yet, however, there has been no significant study of the use of magic by and on behalf of players in Taiwan where baseball can legitimately be described as the national sport. This article seeks to fill that void by focusing in particular on the practices of the island’s Puyama aboriginal people and the use of the betel nut to cast spells on opponents. The data for this study were collected during two research …

Bridging The Gap Between Theory And Practice In Climate Change Vulnerability Assessments For Remote Indigenous Communities In Northern Australia, Donna Green, Stephanie Niall, Joe Morrison

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

This paper considers the Australian federal government’s approach to climate adaptation policy for remote northern Indigenous communities through the close examination of a seminal Scoping Study. This approach is taken to illustrate the lag between adaptation theory and practice, and to highlight important considerations to enable the development of a just and effective policy. The analysis suggests that policy in this area would benefit from the further consideration of three factors, namely the role of uncertainty in climate policy, the need for meaningful consultation with communities, and the benefit of integrating contextual and bottom-up assessment of vulnerability with decision-making in …

Effect Of Dialect On Identification And Severity Of Speech Impairment In Indigenous Australian Children, Bethany J. Toohill, Sharynne Mcleod, Jane Mccormack

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

This study investigated the effect of dialectal difference on identification and rating of severity of speech impairment in children from Indigenous Australian backgrounds. The speech of 15 Indigenous Australian children identified by their parents/caregivers and teachers as having ‘difficulty talking and making speech sounds’ was assessed using the Diagnostic Evaluation of Articulation and Phonology. Fourteen children were identified with speech impairment on the Diagnostic Evaluation of Articulation and Phonology using Standard Australian English (AusE) as the target pronunciation; whereas 13 were identified using Australian Aboriginal English (AAE) as the target. There was a statistically significant decrease in seven children’s severity …

Natural And Unnatural Disasters: Responding With Respect For Indigenous Rights And Knowledges, Richard Howitt, Olga Havnen, Siri Veland

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

A key challenge for contemporary democratic societies is how to respond to disasters in ways that foster just and sustainable outcomes that build resilience, respect human rights, and foster economic, social, and cultural well-being in reasonable timeframes and at reasonable costs. In many places experiencing rapid environmental change, indigenous people continue to exercise some level of self-governance and autonomy, but they also face the burden of rapid social change and hostile or ambiguous policy settings. Drawing largely on experience in northern Australia, this paper argues that state policies can compound and contribute to vulnerability of indigenous groups to both natural …

Justice, Culture And The Political Determinants Of Indigenous Australian Health, Dominic O'Sullivan

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Indigenous Australian health is distinguished by a median age of death in the order of 20 years less than that of the non-indigenous population (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2009). This makes Australia unique among comparable post-colonial societies in failing to make substantive reductions to the indigenous/non-indigenous health differential. Relatively poor indigenous housing, educational attainment, labour market participation and access to traditional resources for economic purposes contribute to the differen- tial. These contributing variables have an inherently political character which is integral to examining the just distribution of public authority, the purpose of political activity, equal political participation and cultural responsiveness …

Aborigines, Sport And Suicide, Colin Tatz

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

It is surprising that a nation so dedicated to sport has ignored its role in trying to alleviate youth suicide. Involvement in sport has shown to deflect, even deter, juvenile delinquency. Similarly, there is evidence (and reason) enough to show a strong connection between sport and suicide among the young. Sport is a major element in contemporary Aboriginal life: it provides meaning, a sense of purpose and belonging; it is inclusive and embracing in a world where most Aboriginal youth feel alienated, disempowered, rejected and excluded.

An Aboriginal Parenting Crisis, Lynn Barnett

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

No abstract provided.

Area-Based Differentials In Childhood Cancer Incidence In Australia, 1996–2006, Danny R. Youlden, Peter D. Baade, Patricia C. Valery, Timothy E. Hassall, Leisa J. Ward, Adele C. Green, Joanne F. Aitken

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Background. International studies examining the association between the incidence of childhood cancer and characteristics of the area in which the patient lives have generally reported inconsistent patterns. Area-based differentials in childhood cancer throughout Australia have not been previously published at a national level. Procedure. Population-based information from the Australian Paediatric Cancer Registry was used to identify all children aged 0- to 14-years old diagnosed with invasive cancer or intracranial and intraspinal tumors of benign or uncertain behavior between 1996 and 2006. Age-standardized incidence rates per million children per year and the corresponding incidence rate ratios were calculated, categorized by remoteness …

Australian Approaches For Managing ‘Country’ Using Indigenous And Non-Indigenous Knowledge, Emilie J. Ens, Max Finlayson, Karissa Preuss, Sue Jackson, Sarah Holcombe

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

This paper synthesises the lessons learnt and challenges encountered when applying Indigenous and non-Indigenous knowledge and methods in natural and cultural resource management (NCRM) in northern and central Australia. We primarily draw on the papers within this special issue of Ecological Management & Restoration, which originated largely from the Indigenous land management symposium at the 2010 Ecological Society of Australia conference. Many of the papers and therefore this article discuss practical experiences that offer insight for enhanced on-ground cross-cultural NCRM and can inform broader thinking and theoretical critiques. A wider literature is also drawn upon to substantiate the points and …

Decolonizing Indigenous Disability In Australia, David Hollinsworth

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Cultural diversity and social inequality are often ignored or downplayed in disability services. Where they are recognized, racial and cultural differences are often essentialized, ignoring diversity within minority groups and intersectionality with other forms of oppression. This is often an issue for Indigenous Australians living with disability. This paper argues that understanding Indigenous disability in Australia requires a critical examination of the history of racism that has systematically disabled most Indigenous people across generations and continues to cause disproportionate rates of impairment. Approaches that focus on the cultural ‘otherness’ of Indigenous people and fail to address taken-for-granted normative ‘whiteness’ and …

Emplacement And Displacement: Perceiving The Landscape Through Aboriginal Australian Acrylic Painting, Fred Myers

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Aboriginal Australian acrylic paintings have long been considered representations of mythologically invested landscape. This understanding has been made problematic by recent writings on ‘dwelling’. As common usage of the term ‘landscape’ seems to prioritize vision, to suggest that the acrylic paintings are landscapes only strengthens the suspicion that they are artifacts of displacement or distancing, rather than examples of the emplacement emphasized in this ‘dwelling perspective’. However, this paper will demonstrate that the relationship between acrylic painting and the land is more complex than such an interpretation. It will argue that the Aboriginal objectification of their relationship to the land …

Evaluation Of A Culturally Adapted Training In Indigenous Mental Health And Wellbeing For The Alcohol And Other Drug Workforce, Racheal Hinton, Tricia Nagel

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Indigenous Australians have high rates of mental illness comorbid with substance misuse. The complex needs of this client group create challenges for the alcohol and other drug (AOD) workforce. This paper describes the outcomes of an Indigenous-specific “Yarning about Mental Health” training for the AOD workforce to strengthen knowledge and skills in mental health approaches and in their engagement with Indigenous clients. The training provides culturally adapted strategies and tools for understanding mental health, promoting wellbeing, and delivering brief interventions in the substance misuse setting. A nonexperimental evaluation which incorporated pre-post questionnaires was conducted with workshop participants attending one of …

Gender, Culture And Intervention: Exploring Differences Between Aboriginal And Non-Aboriginal Children’S Responses To An Early Intervention Programme, Gary W. Robinson, William B. Tyler, Sven R. Silburn, Stephen R. Zubrick

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Evaluation of a group parenting programme in the Northern Territory of Australia showed significant differences in benefits for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal boys and girls. The analysis considers whether boys and girls from different cultural backgrounds present with different problems; whether parental expectations for boys and girls differ and whether the intervention activates different responses in different settings. Conclusions suggest that there is a need to closely examine the ‘cultural logic’ of interventions, the appropriateness of their assumptions about child development and hypothesised mechanisms of change in different settings.

Have The Health Gaps Between Indigenous And Non-Indigenous Australian Children Changed Over Time? Results From An Australian National Representative Longitudinal Study, Lixin Ou, Jack Chen, Kem Hillman

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the changes of health gaps between Indigenous and non- Indigenous children over time and to explore critical factors that contribute to the changes. We employed data consisting of two cohorts of Australian children: infant (0/1 year) and children (4/5 years) that are part of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Health outcomes were measured by physical outcome index (POI) and parent-rated health during 2004, 2006 and 2008. We used first-order autoregressive modelling to examine the longitudinal relationship between the changes in health outcomes and possible contributing risk factors. The results showed that …

Growing Up Our Way : The First Year Of Life In Remote Aboriginal Australia, Sue Kruske, Suzanne Belton, Molly Wardaguga, Conceptual Narjic

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

In this study, we attempted to explore the experiences and beliefs of Aboriginal families as they cared for their children in the first year of life. We collected family stories concerning child rearing, development, behavior, health, and wellbeing between each infant’s birth and first birthday. We found significant differences in parenting behaviors and childrearing practices between Aboriginal groups and mainstream Australians. Aboriginal parents perceived their children to be autonomous individuals with responsibilities toward a large family group. The children were active agents in determining their own needs, highly prized, and included in all aspects of community life. Concurrent with poverty, …

The Role Of Assertive Outreach In Ending 'Rough Sleeping', Rhonda Phillips, Cameron Parsell

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

No abstract provided.

Utilising Indigenous Seasonal Knowledge To Understand Aquatic Resource Use And Inform Water Resource Management In Northern Australia, Emma Woodward, Sue Jackson, Marcus Finn, Patricia Marrfurra Mctaggart

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Indigenous ecological knowledge can inform contemporary water manage- ment activities including water allocation planning. This paper draws on results obtained from a 3-year study to reveal the connection between Indigenous socio-economic values and river flows in the Daly River, Northern Territory. Qualitative phenological knowledge was analysed and compared to quantitative resource-use data, obtained through a large household survey of Indigenous harvesting and fishing effort. A more complete picture of Indigenous resource- use and management strategies was found to be provided by the adoption of mixed methods. The quantitative data revealed resource-use patterns including when and where species are harvested. The …

Who’S The Boss? Post-Colonialism, Ecological Research And Conservation Management On Australian Indigenous Lands, Wayne Barbour, Christine Schelesinger

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

The involvement of Indigenous people in the national conservation effort is increasingly being acknowledged and valued in Australia. Ecological research can play an important role in reinforcing the efforts of Indigenous land managers; and interest from Indig- enous and non-Indigenous ecologists and land managers to work together on ecological issues of common concern is increasing. Although there are many examples of successful collaborations there are also many instances where expectations, particularly of the Indige- nous partners, are not met, and this is less frequently communicated. This paper, written from the perspective of an Arrernte researcher in partnership with his non-Indigenous …

Children And Adolescent Exposure To Alcohol Advertising During Bathurst 1000, Sondra L. Davoren, Craig A. Sinclair

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

No abstract provided.

Do Indigenous Australians Age Prematurely? The Implications Of Life Expectancy And Health Conditions Of Older Indigenous People For Health And Aged Care Policy, Philippa R. Cotter, John R. Condon, Tony Barnes, Ian P.S. Anderson, Leonard R. Smith, Teresa Cunningham

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Objective. To assess whether Indigenous Australians age prematurely compared with other Australians, as implied by Australian Government aged care policy, which uses age 50 years and over for population-based planning for Indigenous people compared with 70 years for non-indigenous people.

Methods. Cross-sectional analysis of aged care assessment, hospital and health survey data comparing Indigenous and non-indigenous age-specific prevalence of health conditions. Analysis of life tables for Indigenous and non-indigenous populations comparing life expectancy at different ages.

Results. At age 63 for women and age 65 for men, Indigenous people had the same life expectancy as non-indigenous people at age 70. …

Management Of Type 2 Diabetes, Susan Harch, David Reeve, Carole Reeve

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Objective: This article describes the evaluation of a new model of partnership care using an audit cycle.

Results: Statistically significant improvements in foot examination, body mass index, urine albumin creatinine ratio, total cholesterol, triglycerides and visual acuity measurements were observed. Significant increases in the proportion of patients achieving cholesterol and triglycerides therapeutic targets occurred. Most other outcome indicators demonstrated a nonsignificant improvement, which may be due to the short time interval in the audit for potential change.

Conclusion: A dedicated chronic disease team and a clinical information system to coordinate culturally appropriate, multidisciplinary chronic disease care enables effective management of …

Using First Nations Children's Perceptions Of Food And Activity To Inform An Obesity Prevention Strategy, Ashlee-Ann E. Pigford, Noreen D. Willows, Nicholas L. Holt, Amanda S. Newton, Geoff D.C. Ball

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

No abstract provided.