First Nations people

Social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) means the social, emotional, spiritual and cultural wellbeing of a person.

If you have good connection to Country, culture, spirituality, family and community you may have better SEWB.

Healthy food, physical activity, and health services that are right for your culture all help your SEWB.

Sometimes the past can affect your SEWB.

If your SEWB is bad, ask someone you trust for help or go to a doctor, Elder or Indigenous Health Worker.

13YARN is a national crisis support line.

You can call them on 13 92 76 or email enquiries@13yarn.org.au any time.

If you use Auslan you can contact 13YARN using NRS Video Relay Service.

Visit our website qld.gov.au/deafness-mental-health

Text or call us on 0427 598 076

Email us at deafness_mhs@health.qld.gov.au

Watch the Be Strong video in Auslan on our website or YouTube.

The Indigenous Deaf Community of Far North Queensland in conjunction with the Princess Alexandra Hospital Indigenous Deaf Wellbeing Project proudly present Be Strong, a film about Social and Emotional Wellbeing.

Presenters – Sue Millis Frank, Priscilla Seden

[Music]

Priscilla: Hi! My name is Priscilla.

Sue: Hello! My name is Sue.

Priscilla: Welcome to my world.

Sue: My world is the Indigenous Deaf World.

Priscilla: I will be showing you what Social and Emotional Wellbeing is, or SEW for short.

Sue: You will meet my brothers and sisters.

Participant 1: Do you know about SEW?

Participant 2: Yes, I have heard about SEW.

Priscilla: You might have heard people talking about health and wellbeing. But what is wellbeing? It is a state of being happy in mind and body. Did you know there are different types of wellbeing?

1. Spiritual
2. Physical
3. Social
4. Emotional

[Music]

Spiritual Wellbeing

Sue: The first wellbeing is spiritual. But what is the spirit? The spirit is the dreamtime, belief in God. So what is spirituality? That refers to who I am. Am I a good person? It’s about respecting elders. Listening to elders. The elders teach us many things: about the lore; traditions; they teach us our culture. So what else is spirituality? It can include being involved with family; ceremony; dancing; and church.

Yarning About Spiritual Wellbeing

Participant 1 – Have you ever been involved in a spiritual ceremony? Like at home in the bush or in the islands? I remember when I was a little Deaf girl I didn’t know much about Aboriginal culture as the elders knew all that. A group was heading off for a ceremony and I was told I had to come too. I was thinking “What for? What are we doing?”. So I followed. We headed out onto the sand to an area known as the “Old Bush” which had a lot of culture and history to it. I didn’t know what was going on. It just looked like fun, a picnic. It wasn’t. It was an important cultural ceremony. So I just sat and watched. The male elder was speaking in the language around the fire and he also had the traditional headdress on. It gave me goosebumps to watch. I could feel the spirit all around us. I even said: “I can feel someone watching us”. And I was told that it was the spirit. There was music all around. I couldn’t hear it, but I could see and feel what was happening. I asked my sister what they were saying and she said we weren’t allowed to talk so I had to be quiet. The ceremony continued on for a while and I still had no idea what it was all about. The ceremony had finally finished so I again asked my sister and she said to wait until dark. It was culture not to talk before then. So I was patient. The next day I asked her about it and she said it was about culture and spirit, it’s hard to explain. I said that it wasn’t fair because I wanted to know. Then my sister said she would show me with the women’s group. I asked why and she said women must get together. It’s part of our culture: it’s called “medicine”. So off we went on walkabout with no shoes. It was so far and I thought I wasn’t going to make it, but I had to keep going. It meant we had a strong spirit if we continued. It was a traditional cultural thing and I would understand later. I saw a young girl about sixteen years old. She was asked to walk ahead in order to be initiated as a woman. As she walked on, all the elders started throwing rocks at her. I thought it was cruel but it was actually a cultural thing. Rocks were continually thrown, hitting her all over, yet she didn’t cry, and then she was congratulated on becoming a woman. She would be connected to the spirit, forever. Wherever she travels, she still has that spirit inside that will bring her back to her land…always. Even though I am working, I will always go back to my land. I will never forget about my country.

Participant 1: What will make me strong?

Participant 2: Remember the lore.

Participant 1: Remember what the elders teach us and listen to them.

[Music]

Physical Wellbeing

Priscilla: The second part of wellbeing is physical. So what does physical wellbeing include? It includes eating good foods; getting good sleep; walking and exercising; playing sports like football or tennis; remembering to take any medication if you need to; regular visits to your doctor for check-ups.

[Music]

Yarning About Physical Wellbeing

Participant 3: I have a bad habit. I eat too much chocolate and I’ve been wondering why have I put on weight?

Participant 1: Did you know that if you eat too much chocolate it can make your blood sugar high and make you fat?

Participant 3: Really? I didn’t know that! So what should I be eating instead?

Participant 1: You should drink water, maybe eat an apple?

Participant 3: So I need to drink water. I am just sitting around doing nothing but eating.

Participant 4: Well you could play sport.

Participant 3: I love basketball and football.

Participant 5: When I fly to the islands I always go fishing and eat fish.

Participant 6: What is exercising?

Participant 7: It’s playing football or other sports like martial arts. Doing physical activities keeps you healthy and feel good.

Participant 1: What will make me strong?

Participant 8: Eating good food.

Participant 1: Remember your medication.

[Music]

Family and Social Wellbeing

Sue: The third aspect of SEW is family and social wellbeing. It is great to have connections with family and friends through talking, chatting, laughing and joking. Or do activities like fishing, hunting, playing games and cooking. Being involved in family gatherings. Going to work. Going to school every day in order to learn and improve. Or join a dancing group. Be involved in your community. That is what family and social wellbeing is all about.

[Music]

Yarning About Family and Social Wellbeing

Participant 3: What type of social things could I do at night? Go out dancing? Yarn? Visit friends?

Participant 1: Why not go out with a women’s group? Or something that you are interested in? Something different? Try to meet some new faces?

Participant 4: Maybe you could go out with friends?

Participant 3: Yeah, I could visit my mate’s place.

Participant 4: Maybe friends and family?

Participant 3: Yeah, friends, family, or maybe even have a barbeque? Or we can take turns to stay at each other’s place and then we could yarn all night. Or there might be a family wedding which would be a happy occasion and we can catch up on the latest news or a funeral which can be a sad time.

Participant 1: What will make me strong?

Participant 6: Going to work.

Participant 7: Going hunting.

Participant 8: Go dancing.

[Music]

Emotional Wellbeing

Priscilla: The fourth wellbeing is emotional. But what is emotional wellbeing? It is the feeling you have deep inside you whether you’re feeling happy, sad, cranky, angry or depressed. Seeing if someone has pain deep down inside them or maybe they are happy and feel good inside. Maybe you worry too much. Or maybe you are thinking positively about life and your future. That is emotional wellbeing.

[Music]

Yarning About Emotional Wellbeing

Participant 1: I have a problem. I’m depressed and don’t know what to do. I’m fed up with paying bills. I couldn’t be bothered going to the doctor. Can I ask you all…if I am depressed and should go to the doctor, where should I go?

Participant 8: I think you should go to the doctor for a check-up please.

Participant 1: But which doctor?

Participant 8: If you’re sick or tired, I can go with you to help.

Participant 1: Good.

Participant 2: You can always go and see a doctor at Wuchopperen. They will help you and give you everything you need to get better. And you can have an interpreter with you.

Participant 1: Yeah, I heard about using NABS for booking an interpreter to help with communication.

Participant 6 – You should go with a female interpreter to help you understand.

Participant 1: What about you two? Do you have any problems with stress from football or any stress problems from work?

Participant 6 – Well, I don’t play football much but I have a bit of stress trying to pay off two cars, especially since my father has gone. That’s been a bit stressful.

Participant 1: Did you know that counselling might be able to help you with stress? You can go to Wuchopperen, or if you prefer, you can go to another private counsellor with an interpreter.

Participant 2: That’s a good idea.

Participant 7 – The same thing happened with me too. I got injured playing football so I went to Wuchopperen to get tablets. I also got tablets for stress. If I don’t take them there can be trouble.

Participant 1: Going to Wuchopperen is easy.

Participant 2: They’re good for helping.

Participant 1: What will make me strong?

Participant 6 – Always ask for an interpreter.

Participant 7 – An interpreter is your right.

[Music]

Mental Illness

Priscilla: There are different types of mental illness. The first one is depression. The second one is anxiety. The third one is psychosis. Starting with the first one, what exactly is depression? Depression is where you might be feeling very sad deep down inside and you might be crying all the time. The second one? Anxiety. Anxiety is where you are worried all the time or nervous, being all mixed up inside which makes you feel awful. The third one is psychosis. But what is psychosis? Psychosis is when your thoughts are all mixed up or maybe you might hear voices like someone is talking to you but when you turn around to see who is talking, there is nobody there. Perhaps you believe you can see someone talking to you but when you ask someone else if they can see who you are talking to they don’t see anybody. These are the different types of mental illness.

Sue: If you are feeling sick from either depression, anxiety or psychosis, what are the things that can make your sickness worse? One, worry. Two, drugs. Three, drinking too much. Four, and forgetting to take your medication. All of those things can make you feel worse.

Priscilla: So what things can make you feel better and improve your health? Talking. Talking to friends or a social worker and asking them for help. Don’t be shy. Ask an Indigenous Health Service for help. I am Indigenous and when I go to a health service I ask them to book an interpreter for me. If you are a man, you can ask for a male interpreter or if you are a woman you can ask for a female interpreter.

Participant 6 – What makes me sick?

Participant 7 – Drinking.

Participant 8: Worrying about money.

Participant 2: Smoking and eating bad food.

Participant 8: Family worries.

Participant 1: What will make me strong?

Participant 2: Talking to someone.

Participant 8: Talk to your friends.

Participant 6 – Talk to your family.

Participant 7 – Asking for help.

Participant 8: Talk to a counsellor.

[Music]

Yarning About Interpreting

Participant 9: Wa. This is Thursday Island.

Participant 10: It’s beautiful. I work as an Auslan interpreter and I usually accompany Indigenous Deaf people to interpret in mental health settings, SEW or counselling appointments. Though sometimes I feel as if our cultures are not in sync.

Participant 9: Yes. When you sign, the Indigenous client will nod but they really don’t understand.

Participant 10: No?

Participant 9: No, they don’t get what you’re saying.

Participant 10: So what should an interpreter do?

Participant 9: I work as an Indigenous Deaf Relay interpreter. I modify your Auslan into a simplified dialect that is easy for the client to understand. I sign back to you in Auslan, then you speak to the hearing person.

Participant 10: So when an Indigenous deaf person goes to the doctor, I work alongside the doctor while you support the client?

Participant 9: That’s right.

Participant 10: I interpret what the doctor says into Auslan…

Participant 9: Then I relay your Auslan into Islander Sign Language for them.

Participant 10: And they understand what you are saying?

Participant 9: Yes.

Participant 10: In reverse, the client would talk Islander Sign Language to you.

Participant 9: Yes and I relay it back into Auslan so that you can tell the doctor.

Participant 10: Oh, I get it now.

Participant 9: If you attempted to interpret without a relay the client wouldn’t understand, but my being there assists with that.

Participant 10: Sometimes I have noticed that deaf Indigenous people talk about spirits. Mental health doctors, while assessing the client may view talk about spirits as part of the mental illness.

Participant 9: Yes, non-Indigenous workers can assume that Aboriginal or Islander people have crazy notions about ghosts and spirits, however these beliefs are legitimate and experienced from childhood.

Participant 10: The beliefs are true?

Participant 9: Absolutely.

Participant 10: If you accompany the client, you can explain to the doctor that the client’s experiences are a spiritual part of the culture?

Participant 9: Yes, I can inform the doctor that the client is genuinely experiencing ghosts or spirits and can even have a sensation of feeling a presence beside them.

Participant 10: Right. So are spirits part of their culture?

Participant 9: Yes, it’s part of growing up.

[Music]

Sue: They’re playing football tonight so I’ll probably be going.

Priscilla: Great, I’ll see you there.

Sue: So that’s the end. I hope you enjoyed hearing about SEW. Remember your wellbeing and… [together] BE STRONG! Yawo!

[Music]

All: Be Strong!

[Music]

Credits

Presenters: Sue Millis Frank, Priscilla Seden

Written by: Suzy Murdoch, Sue Millis Frank, Patricia Reynolds

Directed by: Michael Atkinson, Suzy Murdoch

Featuring: Sue Millis Frank, Priscilla Seden, Harriette Nathaniel, Patricia Reynolds, Barbara Levi, Abiu Ware, Clifford Johnson, Kerri Ross, Virginia Hart, Alma Waia, Suzy Murdoch

Subtitling and Sound Editing by: Michael Levett

Video Editing by: Michael Atkinson

Performances by: The Deaf Indigenous Dance Group (D.I.D.G.)

Filmed entirely on location: Cairns Botanic Gardens, Cairns Lagoon, Thursday Island

With Funding from: Queensland Health & Commonwealth Funding

Princess Alexandra Hospital – Indigenous Deaf Wellbeing Project

Production Supervisors: Jennifer D’Ath, Dr Frances Dark

Interpreters: Karin Fayd’herbe, Michael Levett

Artwork: Priscilla Seden

Big Esso to the Indigenous Deaf mob for their time, wisdom and advice in making this film.

BE STRONG