Aboriginal social problems are destroying the culture from within.
Unfortunately in order for the Aboriginal culture to survive there must be young men who become initiated in order that the laws and sacred stories can be passed on to them and then on again.
Fewer and fewer young men will go completely through the initiation process of ceremonies today because of lack of interest and the interference of social problems.
Suicide is a major problem with the Aboriginal youth.
This also affects the quality, style and content of Aboriginal paintings.
Aboriginal Social problems can be described as assaults, domestic violence, rape, gambling, and drug and alcohol abuse.
Domestic violence is so bad that at regional hospitals and clinics many women are known by all staff and by first name because they routinely present with injuries sustained from domestic violence.
The police are unable to do anything because the violent acts are not seen and the victim will not bring charges against her attacker for real fear of retribution.
Women live in such fear that when her man is charged with any crime
and is in the lock up that she will go to the place in which he is
locked up and sing to him all night outside his cell so that he knows
she is there. She knows that if she does not do this harm will surely
come to her.
Alcohol abuse is the number one problem in Aboriginal communities because Aboriginal people do not handle alcohol with any since of the damage it is doing to their mental capacity, bodies or culture.
When available it is consumed until it is finished with all other responsibilities forgotten or put on hold.
The problem is that when it is all consumed they are no longer having a capacity to function normally.
Since alcohol in excess is a depressant it is impossible to reason with these individuals as well.
Unfortunately public drunkenness, with fighting and loud swearing brings unwanted attention on these individuals and shame upon a race.
People do not see the Aboriginal people in their camps but do see the drunks who make a nuisance of themselves in so many small communities.
It is this group of individuals that people remember seeing.
Gambling is another major Aboriginal social problem in the communities.
Every time there is a payment from the government or royalties are paid into a community, massive card games are in place and the rest of community life comes to a stop.
Since the Aboriginal people have never had to worry about money they have no money handling skills.
Money comes in automatically on a given day and you go to the store or machine to get it.
When you get it you immediately go to a card game and usually spend the next several hours loosing it to someone else.
The ultimate winner instead of doing something good with the money moves on to another gambling venue or casino until it is also gone.
When the money is gone it is no problem because it will be back again next Tuesday or Thursday.
A large segment of the adults in Aboriginal society are of the Stolen Generation which has both good and bad aspects
Sexually transmitted diseases are a major problem in Aboriginal communities with children often becoming infected.
Infection rates are as high as 25% or one in every four people in some communities in children and adults over 12.
Screening programs and even wholesale community treatments are used to try and stem this problem.
If left untreated many women would become sterile and others would end up with the sores and eventually mental problems or blindness caused by the diseases.
Drugs are the new alcohol affecting mostly younger persons and young adults.
People will go to almost any length to smuggle drugs into a community.
When the young people want it they place demands on the older people in their families to provide the money.
Drug abuse usually coincides with
the payments or money coming into a community.
Aboriginal people live for today.
Tomorrow they will worry about what they will need tomorrow.
They will accept no responsibility for any action as every action has its catalyst in some previous action of someone else.
Aboriginal cultural law did not take into account the changing world with drugs and alcohol.
It did not allow for schools, permanent housing, and responsibilities outside of their clan group or family.
This is a crisis of two very different cultures trying to meld together and it is causing social chaos within the Aboriginal culture.
When you have visited some of the communities and have seen the Aboriginal social problems it is easy to seize on the paintings as the best that they can be done from these communities.
To see Aboriginal Social Problems to the extent that they are and see that some still are struggling against the odds to keep their culture alive in their paintings it is truely remarkable.