Some Aboriginal children are coping with life stressors (e.g. family death, intergenerational poverty, poor health, such as hearing impairment, family violence) that inhibit their ability to connect with their school. Some Aboriginal children also deal with complex familial relationships that can induce bullying incidents, such as family feuding and payback and intra-racial dynamics. As a result of these factors physical confrontations may occur at school or general community events, such as sport, movies, outings and family gatherings.
It is helpful for school staff working with Aboriginal students to remember that Aboriginal children are often encouraged to be independent at an earlier age than non-Aboriginal students. Comparatively, Aboriginal students may play rougher than non-Aboriginal students. If staff are in doubt about whether particular behaviour is bullying, they should consult an AIEO (ATA or AEW).
- Yamaji wangi
- ‘Conflict may arise between Aboriginal children when one group appears more immersed in their Aboriginal culture than the other; this can cause conflict because one group may not feel supported by the other.’
- Yamaji AIEO
The impact of racism
Racism is a major influence on bullying in an Aboriginal context. Yamaji kids and their families who participated in the Solid Kids, Solid Schools project felt that racism in a school environment was covert. Participants described feeling excluded, alienated and/or and ‘made to feel bad’. Aboriginal parents and carers find racism a difficult issue to address because of the poor treatment of Aboriginal people by Australian governments.
- Yamaji wangi
- ‘…racism is a big issue…Aboriginal kids are more likely to be victims of bullying than non-Aboriginal kids because of things that happened in the past…’
On occasions when Aboriginal students bullied non-Aboriginal students, Aboriginal students who were bystanders felt there could be negative ramifications for them if they sided with the non-Aboriginal students.
- Yamaji wangi
- ‘Not letting people play, swearing at them, wanting to fight them and stuff. And you know sometimes when you stick up for kids, like one time when some girls were picking on some white girls I went and stuck up for them because they was so nasty to them and they kept picking on the white girls. Don’t know why, but the black girls pick on the white girls.’
- Yamaji student
- Yamaji wangi
- Intra-racial bullying (between Aboriginal children) was considered more hurtful than interracial bullying (between Aboriginal children and non-Aboriginal children).
- Some Aboriginal children with fair skin described being left out and teased about not being Aboriginal enough.
- Feeling rejected and teased because of how you look by Aboriginal kids seems to have a deeper negative impact that being rejected or teased by non-Aboriginal kids.
The role of the family
Aboriginal students may have family obligations, such as caring for younger siblings, which non-Aboriginal students do not have until they are older. Some parents and carers who participated in the Solid Kids, Solid Schools project expressed concern that their school did not allow younger students to play and mix with their older siblings. These parents and carers felt that separating students could put the younger children at greater risk of being bullied.
- Yamaji wangi
- ‘…the oldest one is responsible for everyone in that family… they’ve got to make sure that all those little kids have got to be walking home together…and make sure no harm comes to them right through the day…’
- Yamaji AIEO
- Yamaji wangi
- Well, yes I was teased a lot. That’s the same as bullying unna. Yeah I was so angry when they teased me and then because I was a little skinny thing and couldn’t fight back I used to go home and take my anger out on my little baby brother; he [was] two years younger than me.
- I found that for a long time I couldn’t talk up for myself; I was too scared of getting shot down. Even when people used to ask my opinion on things I would just say, ‘Umm, oh I don’t know’. I even got to a point where people would pick on my girls and I would be frightened to speak up. I would just liar say [pretend, tell lies], ‘He right, just stay away from them’. You know, make excuses so I could avoid … confrontation.
- Yamaji parent/carer
Yamaji parents and carers also shared their observations of bullying in their families and community. The majority of incidents described by parents and carers were physical retaliations to prevent future bullying for being ‘winyarn’. Parents and carers were also concerned about the level of acceptance by adults of bullying behaviour as normal.
The influence of parents and carers
Parents and carers who participated in the Solid Kids, Solid Schools felt that a close-knit family helped protect children from bullying and being bullied.
More research on socialisation and parenting practices is needed to investigate ways to help Aboriginal parents and carers support their children. Some parenting styles are not conducive to helping their children feel safe or supporting them to share with adults in their life when they have problems.
Family feuding
Family feuding can be complex and take place over many years. When feuding carries over to school it is difficult for school staff to manage. Many participants in the Solid Kids, Solid Schools project believed that family feuding had a significant impact on bullying behaviours at school.
Payback
The concept of payback has a powerful influence in the way some Aboriginal children respond to bullying behaviour. If children think they have been dealt with unfairly, or a situation is unresolved, they wait until there is an opportunity to retaliate.
Age groups
Generally, participants in the Solid Kids, Solid Schools perceived bullying to be ‘bigger kids on little kids’. Consequently, bullying incidents tend to go unnoticed if it involves two children who appear equal in size and development.
- Yamaji wangi
- ‘Well as far as I can look back I was bullied by bigger kids and when my kids get bullied it is by bigger kids. Even when I see bullying in the schools (when I take my kids lunches up) it’s bigger kids picking on the little kids. But it doesn’t mean that kids the same age don’t bully each other because they do. I just think sometimes that we don’t see it as bullying because they are the same age, yeah and I think the Yamaji mentality is that bullying is when big kids pick on little kids – making them feel inferior’
- Yamaji parent/carer
- Yamaji wangi
- ‘There isn’t much difference, well not these days, when they get bullied if they are around the same age. They threaten one another then start to smash it out, but things are still pretty much the same when it comes to the weaker ones; they just take it from the older kids and suffer silently, poor fella.’
- Yamaji parent/carer
Boys and girls
Most parents and carers, AIEOs (ATAs or AEWs) and school staff who participated in the Solid Kids, Solid Schools project felt there was little difference between boys and girls involved in bullying. There was a sentiment among participants that in the past physical fighting only involved boys; today, physical fighting is increasing among girls.
- Yamaji wangi
- ‘Well I know before when I was young there was a big difference. Girls just used to carry yarns for each other and have a good swearing argument and the boys used to argue but it never really got out of hand. But these days, oh my goodness, they carry yarns, argue and then have a big smash then they go home and tell their parents. Then the parents get involved and it gets bigger and bigger and before you know it is way out of control.’
- Yamaji parent/carer
- Yamaji wangi
- ‘Well with girls when they bully I see that they try to get as many girls as they can on their side before they tease another girl properly. Then when she’s got all the girls behind her (she must feel braver) she goes and starts on the other girl because she got backup see. And with boys, well what I see with my young cousins and nephews, they smash straight out; they don’t usually need backup, they just hop straight into one another. And girls tend to bitch more and carry on more than what boys do. Boys have their fight and in a couple of hours or maybe a day or so they right again, back to friends like nothing happened.’
- Yamaji parent/carer
