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21.53 Discussion
(і) Secondary school population
In Table 21 the items starred showed the institution with the
і
greatest degree of support on that particular item.
IVhen the school population is considered, the most support for
the positive typification of Aborigines in general came from Augusta
Park, with comparatively more support on 12 items (marked + in Table 21).
Port Augusta High had the least support for a positive typification
of Aborigines in general.
It therefore had
the least favourable typification of Aborigines
by non-Aborigines
I
the least favourable typification of Aborigines
by Aborigines
the most favourable typification of ’Australians’"
by Aborigines.
The hypothesis (2.4a) that the more visible the Aboriginal world
the more positive the typification of Aborigines by Aborigines .was
not supported.
An explanation for this finding could again be found in the
1
notion of distancing. It has been shown that the ’world’ of Port
Augusta High Aborigines is a very heterogeneous one, with people
from different origins and also different social strata. The negative
stereotyping of Aborigines by the Port Augusta group may very well
mean that those few who have struggled to remain on at school, distance
themselves from Aborigines in general. Those Aborigines who persist
above the age of compulsory attendance are already a 'success' story
by Aboriginal standards.
1See Chapter XIX.
4