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- Title
Kinship, Organisations and 'wannabes': Aboriginal Identity Negotiation in South-western Sydney.
- Authors
Yamanouchi, Yuriko
- 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.
- Subjects
SYDNEY (N.S.W.); NEW South Wales; KINSHIP; ABORIGINAL Australians; RURAL geography; CULTURE; MANNERS &; customs
- Publication
Oceania, 2010, Vol 80, Issue 2, p216
- ISSN
0029-8077
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1002/j.1834-4461.2010.tb00081.x