Land and culture: necessary but not sufficient for the future. Identity in the 21st century

...So what is it that is important to retain in this process of change? In times where land and culture appear to have forsaken us, what is it that we need to establish more than anything? I put it to you that if we are to accept change then it must not come at the expense of identity. The concept of identity is complex and includes the symbolic importance of land and culture but it also allows for an individual response to change. Identity as an Aboriginal person, acceptance of yourself, is the most important piece of knowledge that Aboriginal people can have for the future. Identity is not a right as such. Rather, it is something you develop yourself.

A lot of our people today do not know where they belong. They can’t go forward and they can’t go back and they are becoming aggressive and self-destructive. You lose your culture through the choices you take or the choices circumstance forces you to take, albeit reluctantly. Culture cannot be taken away; it is given away or reinforced with every decision that an individual makes...