Expressions of identity by Aboriginal young peoples’ stories about historical trauma and colonisation within the Gamilaroi Nation

Abstract

On Country, Aboriginal young people yarned with an Aboriginal woman about historical trauma as a result of colonisation. Data analysis was achieved through place-based meaning using a Gamilaroi (an Aboriginal nation located in the north-western plains of New South Wales) practice called winanga-li (to listen, to hear, to know, and to remember). Where this was strengthened by the use of an abductive analysis from a standpoint that is reflective of Country and relationality. Aboriginal young people expressed historical trauma through their understandings of how it has impacted their identity. Young peoples’ experiences of identity are varied, fluid, ever-changing, and highly dependent on their experiences within various spaces. These experiences potentially strengthened or unsettled young peoples’ identities, creating both strength and disruption socially. This article emphasises young peoples’ insights, offering hope and a way forward for future generations guided from within and by connection to Country, culture, Elders, and community.