Ancient but New: Developing Locally Driven Enterprises Based on Traditional Medicines in Kuuku I'yu Northern Kaanju Homelands, Cape York, Queensland, Australia

Abstract

Since European arrival, indigenous peoples of Australia have suffered from the effects of chronic social, political and economic disadvantage. The statistics on health outcomes and life expectancy remain tragic and unacceptable. Data published in 2008 indicates that indigenous Australians have a life expectancy some 17 years lower than the national average, are hospitalised at twice the rate of non-indigenous Australians, and are twice as likely to report high or very high levels of psychological distress.¹ The social disadvantage of indigenous peoples is reflected in low rates of literacy and school completion, and high rates of unemployment, violence, suicide, drug abuse...