Housing. Part 1, A history of Aboriginal housing

The task of writing about 'Aboriginal housing' in a modern sense is more complicated than it might appear. This is because the idea of the house, home or dwelling presupposes certain moral obligations, living arrangements and habits of life that are Euro-centric and culturally-laden. Norms associated with private space and property, fixed residence accommodating a nuclear family unit, neighbourliness and meeting the regular financial obligations associated with housing do not fit neatly with traditional and some contemporary Aboriginal social and cultural practices. The history of Aboriginal housing is therefore part of a larger history of resistance and adaptation to cultural assimilation.