The Aboriginal outstation movement: reflections on empowerment

Abstract

Aboriginal people in central and northern Australia for the past 20 years have been moving away from Aboriginal towns and fringe camps to establish outstations, or homelands centres: small, isolated communities of close kin and family living on traditional lands. The outstation movement, as the phenomenon has become known, is an attempt to preserve and revive the cultural practices and institutions which give Aboriginal society a sense of resilience. Outstations promote ~ltural identification, social cohesion and community well-being. They are important means of arresting and reversing the social and community crisis which Aboriginal people in the region have been experiencing for more than 100 years, particularly in the last 40 years. The outstation movement is a vehicle for Aboriginal empowerment. It is a,n attempt to recapture control over life, land and society. It is one of the many spontaneous expressions of Aboriginality in Australia today. Aboriginality is an assertion of Aboriginal identity and worth. v.Vhat is the significance of the outstation movement? Is it a form of political action or separatism? Perhaps it is nothing more than a series of desperate attempts by communities to escape a situation of extreme crisis. Or does it constitute something more coordinated and meaningful? What are the goals of outstation aspirants? Can such goals be achieved? Essentially, the outstation movement is about Aboriginal people striving to take control of their own lives. What is the nature of that empowerment? Show more