The role of culture and connection in improving Aboriginal health

UNSW Sydney researchers are calling for a rethink of the health system’s approach to closing the gap following their research highlighting the role of culture and connection in improving Aboriginal health outcomes.

Study co-author Dr Aryati Yashadhana, from the School of Population Health at UNSW Medicine & Health, said “Our research shows that when Aboriginal people have the freedom to practise culture on Country, it has a positive impact on their health and wellbeing.”

Around 280 people attended cultural camps or wallays across Yuwaalaraay, Gamilaraay (Northwestern NSW) and Yuin (Far South Coast NSW) in 2022. Of these, about 100 people participated in yarning circles or surveys for the study by the Gaawaadhi Gadudha Research Collaborative (translating to “from saltwater to freshwater”).

The camps were held in ‘cultural landscapes’ minimally impacted by colonisation and urbanisation, and facilitated by cultural knowledge holders of Country. They provided exposure to sacred teaching sites, sharing of language and cultural knowledge, and participation in cultural practices such as weaving, woodwork and ceremonial dance.

The researchers examined how these camps affected the cultural health and wellbeing of attendees.

“These camps had an overwhelmingly positive impact on indicators of self-rated cultural health. This included an increase in people’s sense of connection to Country, mob and ancestors, pride in Aboriginal identity, and knowledge of cultural stories, foods, and medicines,” Yashadhana said.

“The vast majority of those who attended reported a sense of healing, with the camps helping with stress relief, inter-generational healing, and the journey to overcoming trauma, which in turn had a positive impact on their overall health and wellbeing.”

Study co-author Associate Professor Brett Biles, UNSW’s Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous Engagement and Research, said the research underscored the importance of cultural health and the need to integrate Indigenous knowledges into public health strategies and programs. A shift away from the deficit-focused ‘gap’, which measures individual health outcomes against non-Aboriginal counterparts, was also needed.

“Aboriginal peoples have sustained their cultural practices for over 60,000 years, yet we continue to focus on these gaps which inadvertently position Aboriginal people as deficient and also neglect Aboriginal ways of understanding health,” he said.

“While comparative epidemiology remains a useful tool in addressing health inequity, it is not the only way; we should also be focusing on the strengths that have been practised as part of Aboriginal cultures for thousands of years.”

The shift would need to start with policy reforms to ensure Aboriginal knowledge was respected and incorporated into health approaches, Biles said.

“Adopting Aboriginal ways of understanding health is crucial. In Aboriginal knowledge, the health of people, family, Mob, culture and Country are symbiotic. They also involve spiritual, emotional and physical dimensions.”

Acknowledgement and engagement on the importance of supporting cultural health initiatives, like cultural camps, would be a good starting point, Biles added, noting more support would be needed to overcome challenges like limited access to Country and funding.

“We also need further research that explores the largely untapped potential and long-term impacts of cultural engagement on health and wellbeing,” he said.

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