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187

12.45 Autonomy and the white world

ɑi) The Nomads

Strelley needs to interact with the white world in order to
obtain supplies of food, clothing, building materials, etc. and
to arrange for marketing of cattle. The Nomads organisation operates
from Perth for this purpose.

The accountants and staff in Perth, while identifying themselves

with the Mob and its needs, nevertheless have to relate to a white
value system that is at odds with that of the tribal world. It is
conceivable that at times there will be differences in points of
view taken in Perth and Strelley, and that the Mob will, in fact,
be dependent to some extent upon the good offices and judgement of

Perth, and their ability to manage financial arrangements without
undermining the autonomy of Strelley.

(ii) White teaching staff

While the teachers are employed by the Mob, and are carefully
screened, they nevertheless bring with them a history of integration
into the different value system of white society into which they
themselves were socialised as the ’given’ world.

The Mob is dependent upon the white staff to be sensitive to
the reality construction that is taking place, and to be ’strong
minded’ to the degree that their own identity is not threatened in
their efforts to interact with the Mob, in the process of building
identity with them.

It must be recognised that when white teachers undertake
employment they also undertake in some cases a re-orientation of
their own identity - that is their location in society.

12.45

ɑiiiɔ Business interests

The autonomy of the Strelley ’world’ is confronted by the interests
of big business - in particular activities of mining companies.

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