ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an examination of the historical and cultural background of Australian Aboriginal people, particularly as it pertains to understanding their view of giftedness and talent. It discusses the issue of language and its relationship to Aboriginal worldviews. This discussion leads into the examination of specific conceptions of giftedness. The chapter highlights particular domains where Australian Aboriginal people have excelled, although we are wary of the danger of creating or sustaining stereotypes through these analyses. Along with the attempts of assimilation and cultural annihilation through laws, Aboriginal communities were subjected to an extensive program of Western education practices, which largely upheld an assimilation policy in terms of content and instructional methods. The research described in this chapter suggests some broad principles that need to be taken into consideration for the appropriate education of gifted Australian Aboriginal children. Many of these implications resonate with other cultural groups and with the needs of gifted children more generally.
