Decolonizing the Indigenous Australian Socio-Cultural Practices

Indigenous Australians have lived on Australian land for more than 65,000 years. It appears that there are still stereotypes, prejudices and biases regarding Aboriginal people in Australia which suggests that their pre-colonial as well as post-colonial socio-cultural practices have not been understood or acknowledged. Their beliefs in bonding of humans and nature which were passed on generations through stories of Dreaming should be re-examined and re-valued. Based on the indigenous theory and theory of decoloniality, this article is an effort to contribute to better understanding of the Australian Aboriginal people's pre-colonial cultural practices. Furthermore, it presents some contemporary challenges experienced by Australian Aboriginals in preservation and continuation of their culture. It is proposed that the perspective based on the colonial assumptions that Western cultures are superior to Aboriginal ones should be changed in many aspects, and that embracing the Aboriginal perspective and knowledge can provide numerous benefits and contribute to better co-existence of people at the global level. Keywords: Australian Aboriginal cultural practices, bonding of humans and nature, Dreaming, indigenous theory, theory of decoloniality