By: Karen Ober, Brittany Cusick, Andrea Brightwell, and Chakeya Hutchins

I. Background Culture

Andrea Noel Brightwell

Aboriginal Australia

● The Indigenous people of Australia ● In, “Australian Geograpic” a new genetic study has found that

“Australian Aboriginals are the oldest continuous culture on Earth’ (Australian Geographic, 2011)

● Discovered to be the first humans to leave Africa.● Before colonists Australia was divided into different

territories/countries each with their own unique name● There were around 700 dialects in the Aboriginal culture● To the Aboriginals the Earth was considered a “spiritual

phenomenon” (Bourke)● They are polytheistic, and all of Earth, people, and its landscape

are believed to have been created by different deities during a creation time

● It is believed that certain landscapes represent certain deities● Each tribe had their beliefs and deities, but tribes for the same

areas usually overlapped in their beliefs. (Religion and Ceremony)

Andrea Noel Brightwell

torres strait islandersConsidered to be the second group of Aboriginals, these people are considered to be original inhabitants of the close country of Papua

New Guinea. Even though this group of people are considered to be Aboriginals that are completely separate in tradition and culture from

the mainland Aboriginals. (Shnukal 2001)

● From James Cook and Britain’s claim of the islands the Torres strait islands were legally a part of Queensland, Australia.

● Each island is completely different in culture, economy, and tradition. ○ Just like in the mainland the different islands speak different languages and have different ways of life,

such as, fishing or farming. ■ This is due to the geographical differences between each island.

● Knowledge about Torres strait traditions have been preserved by oral traditions and different European seamen journals

○ Due to the strong culture and nature of the islanders, Europeans believed the islanders “to be superior to mainland Aboriginal people” (Shnukal 2001)

● A huge part of the island economy was the pearling industry which also attracted other maritime men from different countries

○ This led to the islanders being able to obtain cultural adaptation, yet be suspicious of all outsiders.

Colonization

Many different European explorers landed on Australia, however, Great Britain was the only European sovereignty that colonized the land.

● The Joseph Banks and the British first landed in Botany bay in 1788 (Convicts and the British Colonies in Australia)

● A majority of the new settlers were convicts, soldiers, and their families○ Australia was used as a penal colony until 1868 (Convicts and the British Colonies in

Australia) ● There were many different colonies within Australia, but all of the colonies made a huge

impact on the aboriginal population. ○ By law aboriginals were considered citizens, however, they were not treated as such

■ Even though a majority of the British settlers were treating the Aboriginals badly, some settlers believed that the other “settlers were unjustly treating the original inhabitants and exterminating them when they resisted” (Moses 7)

● In 1901 when these colonies became the Commonwealth of Australia the Aboriginal’s were given “protection” from the frontiersman

○ Aboriginal act of 1869Andrea Noel Brightwell

…

…

…

…Holidays:

● Australian’s celebrate both holidays that we do and one’s that we do not. These are their annual ones:

“-New Year’s Day, which is on 1 January every year. The most common time for people in Australia to take their annual leave is between mid-December and the end of January.-Christmas and Easter, two of the most important dates in the Christian calendar. Christmas Day is on 25 December every year, while Easter is observed at some point between late March and late April each year. -Boxing day, the day after Christmas Day, is also a public holiday. -Australia Day, on 26 January, is the day Australians celebrate the founding of the first European . settlement in Australia in 1788. . -Anzac Day, on 25 April, is the day the Australian and New Zealand Army . Corps (Anzac) landed at Gallipoli in Turkey in 1915 during World War I. This . day is set aside in memory of those who fought for Australia and those who . lost their lives in war. The day is a national public holiday and is . commemorated with ceremonies, the laying of wreaths and military . parades.”

…

…

…

…

…

slides done by Karen Ober

Intercultural Interaction

Karen Ober

III. Intercultural Interaction● English is the primary language

Even though the majority of the population speaks english, it can be difficult to understand and their lingos because of their accent

Their accent is derived from a British accent

Karen Ober

● Australians are very welcoming, but they tend to be soft spoken.

● They are very polite, but their communication style is not as proper as the British

Face to Face

Karen Ober

When my family friend visited America from Australia, it was sometimes difficult to understand her sayings. Even though the language is english, sometimes I had to concentrate and use context clues to decipher the meanings of words.

Australian Lingo

Karen Ober

Lemonade =Tomato paste =Rubbish Bin =Chemist Shop =Mum =Hot Chips =Primary School = Afternoon tea =

Australian vs American Lingo

Karen Ober

SpriteKetchupTrash CanDrug StoreMomFrench FriesElementary SchoolSnack

Describing Food

In Australia if their food is tasteful, they describe their meal as being “Nice” or “ Beautiful”

Non-verbal communication

Afternoon teas are common between Australians, since Australians are very polite, they will invite guest to have an Afternoon tea with them!

Karen O

How are Aussies perceived by Americans?

Adventurous.the media is to blame for this, due to the popularity of Steve Irwin and his show, Americans often associates Australians with

the Adventurous crocodile hunter.

Karen Ober

How are Aussies perceived by Americans continued

Nice. Besides of natural causes that can kill you (dingos, sharks, spiders, kangaroos, box jellyfish) the violence rate is really low. For example, you can only own a gun if you are a farmer, and it is only a shotgunFavors savory food. They grow up eating savory food, so their taste buds end up preferring them. Since most food in the country is more savory than sweet.Vegemite is an extremely popular spread throughout all ages in the country

Cautious. They are very hesitant when it comes to their citizens. For example, they just past a P.plate(drivers license) law. It states that you can only have one person in your car at a time until you are 25. And no driving between 12am and 5am. Karen O

VI. Improving Intercultural Communication

Karen Ober

Problems

Being soft spoken. Australians view our American accents as being very loud and bold. We are known to them as being very opinionated.

Knowing what they want to do for a career. Australians choose the career they want to go into in the middle of high school. After choosing it, you take classes that will help you get into the right Uni ( university) for it. And when you are in Uni, you only take classes that will help you with your future career. You do not need to take classes that wont be applied in your field of study. Like how colleges in America work.If an Australian moves to America after high school, a strong culture shock will hit them because they will have to take pre requisite classes in order to attain their degree.

Karen Ober

Problems Continued

Portion Sizes. American sized meals are HUGE compared to Australian meals. Even the plate sizes differ. Americans also go out to eat more often, and Australians tend to cook healthier foods from scratch. And using home grown vegetables is more common

Karen Ober

More problems Driving . Cars in Australia are different. So when Aussies come over to America, it is difficult for them to get used to driving on a different side of the road. Also the steering wheel is on their passengers side.

Karen Ober

How can intercultural communication be improved?

● Being open minded about Australian culture. ● Traveling. The more time one spends traveling and lives in another

country, the more knowledgeable they will be about their culture.● Accepting. Accepting Australians taste of food(vegemite). And

accepting their accent, and learning what their sayings are. The more knowing both cultures are about the lingos used, the better communication will be. Because they are able to understand one another.

Karen Ober

Chakeya Hutchins

Chakeya Hutchins

Group Membership

Chakeya Hutchins

Group Membership

Chakeya Hutchins

Group Membership

Chakeya Hutchins

Group Membership

Chakeya Hutchins

Group Membership

Group Membership● Family Statistics:-Since 1976 to 2006 a lot has changed in the household and family types. -For example: ”In 1976, 48% of households were couple families living with dependent children and 28% couples living with no children. By 2006, there were equal numbers of households that were couple families with dependent children and couple families living with no children (dependent or otherwise). (37%)” Within the 30 years, thats a 10% difference either way. -Chart (on next slide) shows the statistics.

Andrea Noel Brightwell

Trends in Household and Family

Types

Andrea Noel Brightwell and Chakeya Hutchins

Works Cited

Australia - Culture, Customs and Etiquette." The Translation Agency For A Complete Professional Translation Service. Kwintessential, 2013. Web. 24 July 2014.

Craik, J. (2009). Is Australian Fashion and Dress Distinctively Australian?. Fashion Theory: The Journal Of Dress, Body & Culture, 13(4), 409-441.

Hayes, Alan, Ruth Weston, Lixia Qu, and Matthew Gray. "Families Then and Now: 1980-2010." Families Then and Now: 1980�2010. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 July 2014. http://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/pubs/factssheets/fs2010conf/fs2010conf.html

McCornack, Steven. Reflect & Relate: An Introduction to Interpersonal Communication. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007. Print.

"Our Natural Environment." Australian Government. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 July 2014. http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/our-country/our-natural-environment

"People, Culture and Lifestyle - About Australia - Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade." People, Culture and Lifestyle - About Australia - Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. N.p., Feb. 2012. Web. 18 July 2014. http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/people_culture.html

Penney, Barry. Australia Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture. London: Kuperard, 2010. Print

Translations — Australian into American & Other Versions of the English Language." Translations of Australian English Words into American English. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 July 2014

Karen Ober, Brittany Cusick, Andrea Brightwell, & Chakeya Hutchins