“Our best chance of not totally losing our young to these contemporary competing interests is to tell our stories through another medium – book, stage or film – so when the time comes, and they've had their fill of modernity, it will be there for them.”Īboriginal elders are under pressure to pass on their knowledge about the Dreaming, or tjurkurpa. “What hope is there for our existing Elders, especially those in rural and urban areas, to take our youth for walks into the bush to learn of the old ways or to sit around a camp fire on the banks of the river to hear of their connection to country,” asks Stephen Hagan, an Aboriginal author and academic. What have an XBox and an Aboriginal elder in common?īoth compete for the attention of young Aboriginal girls and boys, along with American culture on television and in cinemas. This was a big concern during the corona virus pandemic in 2020. Most elders are suffering from a mix of chronic illnesses like diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and thus belong to the most vulnerable group of Aboriginal people. But at the same time they have a presence of authority that commands respect. Some describe elders at events as "butterflies": They fly in, sit down and rest and talk and yarn and joke, then fly out. Then and now it's a gesture of respect for the knowledge and wisdom holders of the community. This custom has its origins in traditional culture where elders were the first to receive the best bits of food. They don't need to be elders.Īt many activities and events the protocol is "elders first".
They are used for people held in esteem, generally older people who have earned that respect. Įlders are usually addressed with "uncle" or "aunty" which in this context are terms of respect.
In some communities men and women are elders with equal standing in others it may be a few men who hold that status. Though there is no single leader (as the early explorers assumed), Elders can hold a lot of power. Aboriginal communities are hierarchical structures.