Tjapukai...

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I have always related the Aboriginals in Australia as being similar to the Indians in the United States. Their history and presence in Australia goes back way before Captain Cook discovered Australia and the English ruled what was once their land. It's true. The Aboriginal situation is not unlike that of the Native Americans. But, here, Aboriginals are seen as another breed and the tension and discrimination they face is painfully obvious.

While I was living in Sydney I did not encounter the Aboriginals. My one experience was with David, a half Aboriginal and half white man, who I had the pleasure of getting to know and babysitting for his daughter, Kaiya. A friendly, compassionate man, David also took great pride in his Aboriginal descent and encouraged me to visit the Aboriginal communities in the Outback and learn about his culture... something I have yet to do.

Since coming to Cairns, I have had several experiences involving the Aboriginals. They are very apparent in Cairns - roaming the streets and sleeping on benches. One day, as my friend, Jaime, and I sat on the steps of a building in the city centre, I was taken back by an aboriginal lady who seemed to be deliberately yelling at me and Jaime. We looked at each other in awe, as if to say, "Is she yelling at us?!" I turned around to see if anyone was behind us or even in sight. No sign of anyone else. She really was screaming at us in midday for no apparent reason...

These experiences have made me more interested in the Aboriginal history, culture, and modern day struggles in which they face. In my discussions with Australians, I have often brought up the subject and the way they seem to see things is that the Aboriginals "are given money and don't have to work. They are taken care of. And if they do make it, they're bound to be set because of their Aboriginal descent. They are rarely successful. A dying race with no ambition or drive for success."

I still struggle to fully understand why their race is on such a downhill spiral, or so it seems. I recently visited Tjapukai, Queensland's Aboriginal culture center, and I found the center to be an enlightening experience and the people there to be full of pride for their culture. As the workers sang their song, "Proud to be an Aboriginal," they were happy, funny, and full of life. It is true that with respect to Australian history, the Aboriginals abolishment from certain lands is relatively recent. And it is unfortunate that so few of the Aboriginals have been able to adjust to the modern day world when they were forced to cope. But, as I continue to learn and educate myself on the Aboriginal culture and history, I still think there must be something that can be done to salvage what is often referred to as "a dying race."

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