Tribal communities in rural areas

Abstract

This monograph discusses the main socio-economic components of the contemporary lifestyle of Aboriginal people living in tribal communities in Australia. Using information obtained in the course of fieldwork in three Northern Territory Communities - Yuendwnu, Willowra and Numbulwar - in 1978-79, it examines the resources available for the maintenance of Aboriginal social and material life. Difference in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal attitudes towards these resources help to explain why attempts to foster wage employment and services such as formal schooling and health care have met with only limited success. A greater degree of economic independenc e, a basic component of self-management and determination, can only be achieved if Aboriginal attitudes and aspirations are taken into account, a measure which may require greater flexibility in administrative procedures.