on 11-03-2014 10:44 PM
I was just watching Hannah Gadsbys (brilliant!) show on the ABC on Australian Art and they brought up some interesting ideas about indigenous culture. It was particularly interesting given the debate on Q&A last night about Bolts "white aborigines" tirade.
So how many generations can pass before you shed your culture?
I am a first generation Italian and my kids are second generation. But we all call ourselves Italian if asked what culture we are. I imagine my grand and great grand kids will also refer to their Italian culture. Not sure beyond that.
My husband embraces his dads Canadian culture and his mothers Englishness. Yet his mothers ancestors came out from England in the early 1900s. Can he still really claim that his culture is English?
How would you relate your culture if asked what your background is?
11-03-2014 11:53 PM - edited 11-03-2014 11:53 PM
I class myself as Australian, came here when I was one and am naturalised. I am of dutch descent, never get asked about my heritage but hubby is quick to tell everyone, why I do not know as my family have embraced this country and to be honest I can not answer too many questions asked by people about the country I was born in.
on 11-03-2014 11:53 PM
i was born here, i celebrate all aussie holidays, i wear thongs and tanks, so dress the part and I eat pies 😄
I mum says she is an aussie with a funny accent. My family left england and took up a life here including culture and identify as aussies, so thats what i am
on 11-03-2014 11:57 PM
Wasn''t Hannah wonderful on Q&A.
I felt her rage with Bolt and that nutter in the audience.
I am a blow in seventh or eight generation Australian.....too far back to relate to my Scottish ancestors.
on 12-03-2014 06:41 AM
My mother's forbears were granted land in 1804 along the Nepean River, New South Wales. The bloodline includes English, Irish, Spanish, Scottish.
I eat food from recipes from around the world. I have worked and lived amongst Australian Aboriginals, Chinese, Maltese, Italians, Lebanese, Indian and many more nationalities, so I am multicultural.
DEB
on 12-03-2014 06:51 AM
@lloydslights wrote:My mother's forbears were granted land in 1804 along the Nepean River, New South Wales. The bloodline includes English, Irish, Spanish, Scottish.
I eat food from recipes from around the world. I have worked and lived amongst Australian Aboriginals, Chinese, Maltese, Italians, Lebanese, Indian and many more nationalities, so I am multicultural.
DEB
So at what point did your spanish ancestors (or your english or your irish) stop regarding themselves as THAT culture and start to call themselves Australian?
Do you think it happened with the first generation? Second generation? We have concluded on here that by the 5th generation, cultural heritage is well and truly gone.
on 12-03-2014 07:22 AM
Well, if we want to go back through just a couple of generations, I'm English, Irish, Scot and German, with one parent raised in the English culture, the other of English parentage raised in India.
So what does that make me?
on 12-03-2014 07:52 AM
Maybe it's after your family has decamped more than once.
I'm born in NZ but am now a naturalised Australian. My grandfathers, grandfather came from Scotland (no idea where my fathers family were from, might be Wales I think because of their name). I call mysef a Kiwi although when pressed I might volunteer that I have scottish heritage.
My kids would say Australian and nothing else. I tried to get them to barrack from the All Blacks but no luck
on 12-03-2014 07:57 AM
I am an Australian .As an Australian my culture one of diversity .I can be, look ,come from anywhere,have any accent ,attend any church and fit being Australian and the Australian Culture.Being Australian has it all covered
on 12-03-2014 08:04 AM
@i-need-a-martini wrote:
@lloydslights wrote:My mother's forbears were granted land in 1804 along the Nepean River, New South Wales. The bloodline includes English, Irish, Spanish, Scottish.
I eat food from recipes from around the world. I have worked and lived amongst Australian Aboriginals, Chinese, Maltese, Italians, Lebanese, Indian and many more nationalities, so I am multicultural.
DEB
So at what point did your spanish ancestors (or your english or your irish) stop regarding themselves as THAT culture and start to call themselves Australian?
Do you think it happened with the first generation? Second generation? We have concluded on here that by the 5th generation, cultural heritage is well and truly gone.
Martini, what do you consider to be Australia's culture ?
on 12-03-2014 08:18 AM
If you know,accept and like Australia and it's culture there is no need to change anything ...that is our Culture .
To suggest that people need to change to be Australian goes against our Culture