Cultural Differences: The Australian Aboriginal Culture

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This culture and the Australian Aboriginal culture have more similarities than differences regarding their cultural values and beliefs. One of the major similarity was the importance of transferring culture from generations through connecting culture in all aspects of life, such as traditional dances, where participation in such cultural traditions expressed one 's identity. In both these cultures, there are mainly three ways cultural wisdom have been passed onto younger generations, which are through family, society, and school. One such knowledge is the importance and benefits of a healthy lifestyle, emphasized through an individual 's diet and exercise (Crowe, Stanley, Probst & McMahon, 2017). These cultural values and traditions help …show more content…

There are also differences between customs at the time of birth, where a totem given to a child can also specify rights and role within the community of an Aboriginal child (Connection to Values & Beliefs, 2018). In Kerala culture, the child is given our traditional food when they are of 6 months of age, where the mother’s milk is the main diet of the child until 6 months. Also before the age of 3, the child is taken to a temple and taught how to write the beginning letters of our mother tongue on a plate of rice on an auspicious day by a scholar, which is considered a formal introduction to the language. Cultures are major influences of an individual 's perspective of life, and how they express this view through elements such as customs, beliefs, and communication. Culture can determine how major life transitions, such as death, are perceived. Although, the age can dominate culture about how death is viewed, where older people viewed death as a part of life. (Ohr, Jeong & Saul, 2017). Beliefs concerning health can also vary from culture, where interpretations can differ in the meaning of a health issue. One example is obesity, wherein Western cultures it is believed obesity can result in worse health problems. This health issue in one culture can show one 's wealth and way of living in …show more content…

Cultural competence affects the patient and healthcare professional positively. Healthcare professionals can gain knowledge and skills to tailor to a patient’s satisfaction. A study by Soulé (2014), identified awareness, engagement, and application as the fundamental components of cultural competence in a health care workforce and health care system. Awareness can be likened to mindfulness of self and others. A health professional should understand their own culture, such as their naturally occurring stereotypes. Health care workers should be able to accept different cultural beliefs to create an understanding work environment. A healthcare workforce can achieve cultural competence by accepting new information and knowledge and having the ability to respect different perspectives. Engagement can be demonstrated through the intention to engage leading to the process of engagement and thus eliciting outcomes such as empathy, where participants in Soulé’s (2014) study understood flexibility, such as listening not hearing and being a learner and a professional, was needed for communication. The application is the combination of knowledge and skills that aid a workforce to include, respond to and negotiate. Soulé’s (2014) study found this component was less developed than the others. To develop this element of cultural

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