The Aboriginal outstation movement: reflections on empowerment
Date
1992-11
Authors
Goff, Jeremy C.
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Publisher
Macquarie University
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?
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Keywords
Aboriginal Australians, Social conditions, Migrations, Civil rights
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Thesis (Honours)(non-ANU)
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Open Access
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