Essay Aboriginal Customary Laws and Australian...

Aboriginal Customary Laws and Australian Contemporary Laws Aboriginal customary laws, before white settlement in 1788, were considered primitive by the British, if considered at all. But Aboriginal laws and customs had lasted hundreds of years, based on traditions such as kinship ties and rituals. These laws were formed by ancestors, spirits, and Aboriginal beliefs, and were passed down the generations by word-of-mouth instead of written down. Being over 500 tribes (each with its own clans) in Australia at one point, there were many variations to their guidelines, customised to each area of the land. Although the laws varied throughout the ages, this way of life remained until white settlement. The roots of Australian laws are†¦show more content†¦Children were taught how to be proper children until they were old enough to be told their adult customs. Australian laws have two forms, public and private law. Public law is an individual versus the Australian government, for example, criminal law, constitutional law and environmental law. It involves public bodies, public matters and is the concern of everybody in Australia. Private law involves disputes between private citizens or entities, for example, contract law, family law and probate laws. Traditional Aboriginal marriages were very different to English marriages and Australian marital laws today. Aboriginal girls were to be married when they reached puberty, and were married to much older men, who could marry (and have numerous wives) once a certain age. This meant that sex at a young age was acceptable. Australian law states that no person can legally marry until the age of 18, or have sex until the age of 16, and it is socially unacceptable for people to have numerous partners. Australian law declares under-age sex as child abuse and a criminal offence. All Aboriginals were involved in their customs and laws, with rules being imposed by the communities. Each clan was tight-knit and respected their ancestry and customs. Punishments varied, depending on the severity of the crime committed. Types of punishment included revenge, social ridicule, ostracism, insulting, spearing (aimed at the leg, but sometimes resulted in death) and death byShow MoreRelatedAboriginal Customary Law1594 Words   |  7 PagesAboriginal law had lasted for hundreds of years before white settlement of Australia in 1788. The laws were based from the Dreamtime and were formed by ancestors, spirits and Aboriginal beliefs. These laws were passed down by a word-of-mouth tradition and as there were many different tribes consisting of many clans spread out over a large area, separate laws were adapted to specific tribes and areas. Aboriginal customary laws were developed and based on the aboriginal relationship to the land asRead MoreAn Indigenous understanding of Reciprocity3568 Words   |  15 Pagesprinciple expressed throughout Aboriginal societies. Outline and illustrate the importance of this fundamental concept in the econom ic, social, spiritual and political spheres of Aboriginal life (refer to reciprocity in the index to Edwards 2005). The word ‘reciprocity’1 conjures up a feel good image of ‘caring and sharing’ (Schwab 1995: 8). However according to Peterson (1993: 861) there is a darker more sinister side to this word when applied to Indigenous Australians. He defines it as ‘demand sharing’Read MoreUnderstanding The Aboriginal Understanding Of Country, And The Australian Environment2291 Words   |  10 Pages When non-Indigenous Australians establish their understanding of their perceived notion of country, their response is straightforward. A place in which they live. Aboriginal people have diverse relationships with connections and understandings of â€Å"country† and the Australian environment. Some of their relationships are based on the traditional knowledges and practices that have been passed down from generation to generation while others are a direct result from recent colonisation. RelationshipsRead MoreIndigenous Studies2750 Words   |  11 Pagesof terra nullius. Compare and contrast the consequences of terra nullius on the experience of Australian Indigenous people, with indigenous peoples’ experiences of colonisation in Canada. Word count: 2,014 Making cultural or political comparisons between Canada and Australia is not a new phenomenon. Both are now independent former colonies of Great Britain, who have inherently adopted many of its laws, identity and traditions. Geographically, the nations are both large, relatively isolated, withRead MoreCaptain Cook s Exploration Of Exploration And Discovery2756 Words   |  12 Pagesromantic fascination with the science of mapping, charting and classifying the world. Cook was a supremely gifted surveyor and star navigator. His discoveries and the accurate cartographic depiction of them, were of incomparable benefit to his contemporaries. Captain Cook made three exemplary voyages of exploration and discovery. These voyages brought unimaginable new views of scientific, geographic, and cultural knowledge to a modernizing European world on the verge of the Enlightenment. AlthoughRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesFlorence Luscomb and the Legacy of Radical Reform Michael Adas, ed., Agricultural and Pastoral Societies in Ancient and Classical History Jack Metzgar, Striking Steel: Solidarity Remembered Janis Appier, Policing Women: The Sexual Politics of Law Enforcement and the LAPD Allen Hunter, ed., Rethinking the Cold War Eric Foner, ed., The New American History. Revised and Expanded Edition E SSAYS ON _ T WENTIETH- C ENTURY H ISTORY Edited by Michael Adas for the AmericanRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 PagesCalifornia State Polytechnic University These examples work quite well. Their diversity, literacy, ethnic sensitivity, and relevancy should attract readers. Stanley Baronett. Jr., University of Nevada Las Vegas Far too many authors of contemporary texts in informal logic – keeping an eye on the sorts of arguments found in books on formal logic – forget, or underplay, how much of our daily reasoning is concerned not with arguments leading to truth-valued conclusions but with making choicesRead More_x000C_Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis355457 Words   |  1422 Pagessources. Most examples and exercises in the book are of this nature; they cover a very wide range of disciplines and subject areas. These include, but are not limited to, health and ï ¬ tness, consumer research, psychology and aging, environmental research, law and criminal justice, and entertainment. A Focus on Interpretation and Communication Most chapters include a section titled â€Å"Interpreting and Communicating the Results of Statistical Analyses.† These sections include advice on how to best communicate