Re-figuring 'Indigenous culture'

![CDATA[Governments and social scientists possess a growing capacity to represent social phenomena in quantitative terms. 'Indigenous culture' is no exception to our willingness to measure everything. Here is an interesting example of the measurement of 'culture' leading to conclusions that governments and op-ed writers should consider. The Curtin Business School's Alfred Michael Dockery has used official statistics to develop a numerical index that measures 'adherence to Indigenous culture'. He includes the following variables: language (main language spoken in one's home, and whether one speaks an Indigenous language); whether one identifies with a tribal group, language group or clan; whether one lives on or is allowed to visit a 'homeland'; whether one has attended or participated in various kinds of 'cultural event' in the last twelve months; and, whether one has participated in various kinds of 'social event' (such as hunting, funeral) in the last twelve months. Using such data, now routinely collected by the Australian government, Dockery can examine the characteristics of people who score high on 'Indigenous cultural adherence'. Do such people tend to decline educational opportunities - as 'commonsense' might suggest - he asks? After comparing the educational attainments of those scoring high and low on 'Indigenous cultural adherence', he concludes that 'culture' is no barrier to training. Where there is ready access to vocational education and training, Indigenous Australians embrace it; they do not find it culturally alien. Physical remoteness is a much more significant barrier to formal learning, if you are a person who 'adheres' strongly to Indigenous culture, writes Dockery. With appropriate caution, he calls for more research to disentangle 'remoteness' from 'cultural' factors.]]