Community and Remembrance

Community and remembrance is the idea of how Australia's history has impacted the community. For example, Australians have ANZAC day to remember the day Australia and New Zealand joined together in World War I and to remember the unfortunate but noble defeat at Gallipoli. It is now a day to remember all war veterans and bring the people of the community together. Australian communities commonly come together at the Dawn Service which is held at the time when the soldiers landed at Gallipoli. Here is some more information on ANZAC Day and why it is important to Australians (AWM n.d.). Here is a youtube clip of the 2013 ANZAC Dawn Service in Melbourne (ChannelEgoiste 2013).

ANZAC Day Ceremony in Canberra at the Australian War Memorial (news n.d.).

When looking at what ACARA says about community and remembrance it mentions looking at the roles diverse groups have played in developing the community. This would be a good time in a lesson to incorporate Australia's relationship with Asia. Since Asia is so close to Australia, immigrants from Asian countries have come to Australia, bringing their own culture and their own accounts of history with them. As they have become residents of Australia they have become important people in Australian communities. If I were to put an activity with a lesson on this topic I would have the students research where their family comes from and see if they can identify how the culture affected the community they now live in.

References:
Australian War Memorial n.d., The ANZAC Day Tradition. http://www.awm.gov.au/commemoration/anzac/anzac-tradition/ [Accessed 27 April 2014].

Channel Egoiste 2013, video. ANZAC Dawn Service 2013 (Melbourne) - ABC News, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB5iet9HvAs  viewed 22 May 2014.

News n.d., Galleries: Anzac Day Ceremonies. http://www.news.com.au/national/photos-e6frfkp9-1111120113727?page=7 [Accessed 28 April 2014]

History Versus Heritage

When teaching history to a class the lesson can often become a personal narrative of how one views the past. History is much different than Heritage. History is the facts, the non-biased account of what really happened. However, people have different beliefs, ideas, and customs. Heritage is often brought into the mix when telling a historical account. Heritage is personal narratives that sneak their way into history. For example, I am an American and when I was in primary school we learned that Christopher Columbus founded America in 1492. Whether the founders were the natives or Columbus is another story, but that date is the history that I learned. My heritage in relation to the history would be a story of how I am affected by that historical event. The fact that Columbus found the Americas affects my existence alone and is therefore part of my heritage in some way.

When teaching history versus heritage to students I can make sure to include how the Aboriginals view this concept. Aboriginals tell their histories by telling dreamtime stories. Dreamtime stories explain how things came to be, depict an important value of a certain tribe, or explain a person’s birth, conception, or skin totem. They are essentially accounts of history as the Aboriginals see it. Here is an example of a dreamtime story. Aboriginals also view their history as circular whereas westerners view it as linear. This means that Aboriginals believe that history is a cycle. What happens today not only affects the future, but today was affected by the past. Just as we pass down our histories and heritage to younger generations, Aboriginals pass down their dreamtime stories to make sure important information, cultural aspects, and certain beliefs are continued throughout the years (Australian Government 2008). When helping students relate to this topic have them write a dreamtime story of their own that relates to their life. 

This link will take you to a youtube clip what will give more information about Aboriginal dreamtime as well as give you more information about Aboriginal culture and life (Renderyard 2012).

The picture above is an example of an Aboriginal dreamtime story (Peter Muraay Djeripi Mulcahy n.d.).

References:

Australian Govenrment (2008), The Dreaming.  http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/dreaming. [Accessed 27 April 2014].

Cloudskipper Dreaming 2011, video. How the Kangaroo got its pouch YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sWFAGGWvUA.  viewed 27 April 2014.

Peter Muraay Djeripi Mulcahy n.d., Wayamba the Turtle. http://www.aboriginalaustralianart.com/dreamtime_art.php [Accessed 28 April 2014].

Renderyard 2012, video The Dreamtime, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKQDoVguoIk. viewed 22 May 2014.