A network of support: Mothering across the Koorie community in Victoria, Australia

Abstract

The invasion and subsequent colonisation of Australia took a particularly heavy toll on Indigenous families, systematically separating children from their parents under the guise of welfare and assimilation and destroying intergenerational links. Sue Atkinson's case study of mothering in the contemporary Koorie community, however, has shown that traditional patterns of multiple mothering have survived this assault. This article argues for the strength of such patterns, which construct a network of support within the community for children growing up as outsiders in a racist society.