Aboriginal and Social Work Practice the Primary

Aboriginal and Social Work Practice

The primary points shared on how to practice with Aboriginal people is developing awareness and understanding of indigenous traditions and their wealth of knowledge. Social work is not restricted to the office and as a result, the practicing social worker must immerse themselves in the things that are important to the people. Genuineness is important, and the worker or helper must be willing to actively engage the indigenous people by allowing them to know who they are; and conversely, who they are not.

Traditional knowledge is important to acknowledge when working with the Aboriginals because there cannot be a real sense of 'helping' if the worker operates from conventional knowledge and disregards or minimizes the indigenous people's wealth of knowledge. Understanding the importance of spirituality and the relationship to the land is very important to the Aboriginals. Because imbalance has been created due to colonization and other extraneous factors, the Aboriginals seek balance, which can only be achieved through a connectivity to the life force; mother earth. Understanding the importance of the spiritual self is another important part of Aboriginal culture that without acknowledgement of, could serve to alienate the worker from those they are attempting to engage.

In order to prepare to work with Aboriginal peoples in social work practice, the practitioner must understand the importance of being a helper; a holistic helper. To that end, it is important to understand colonization and its history from the perspective of the indigenous people and how they have had to operate within that contextual framework. There has to be more than an intellectual understanding of the hurts caused by the colonization process, and the need for the indigenous people to heal from the internalized wounds, the shame, and feelings of inferiority that accompany it.

Further, it is recommended that indigenous social workers come equipped with a willingness to learn new things, and quite possibly, unlearn some old things (Weaver,1999). They must become knowledgeable of the holistic circle; as that is the primary methodology in practice. The holistic circle "facilitates connectedness, which counters colonial alienation. For indigenous people, it fosters a group memory, power, togetherness and hope" (Absolon, 2011). Fostering an atmosphere where the indigenous people are comfortable sharing their life experiences, feelings, and emotionality, is important to the healing process; particularly when the circle is built on trust and validates how they feel. Moreover, the social worker must learn patience. The effects of colonization are long lasting and it will take time to undo and address what has been done. The worker must understand the externalization of feelings and past hurts that can be manifested as blame and not regard it as a personal attack.