What Aboriginal knowledge can teach us about happiness | Sheree Cairney | TEDxStKilda

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Published 2016-10-26
Sheree has spent her adult life working in remote Australia, deep in sacred Aboriginal country, where the sky is blue and the earth burnt-orange. She has a deep respect for the Aboriginal communities who live within that landscape, and her current research hopes to answer some profoundly human questions – How do we define success? What makes us happy? And what can we learn from our ancient brothers and sisters.

Creating a unique nexus between drugs, culture and the brain, Sheree Cairney has worked as a Neuroscientist in remote Aboriginal communities for 17 years. Her research has shed light on the transformation of brain and behaviour that happens-with petrol sniffing, alcohol and other drugs-and led to ground-breaking clinical evidence the brain can repair itself if substance abuse stops early enough. She established culturally relevant assessments of brain function, mental health and wellbeing among Aboriginal people, and her research has been translated into interactive multimedia tools that communicate health and education messages to diverse demographics. These include the ‘Brain Stories’ suite of flipcharts and animations and the highly successful ‘No Smokes’ multimedia campaign. She now leads a national longitudinal study on wellbeing in remote Aboriginal communities, ‘The Interplay Project’. A dedicated change-maker, Sheree is passionate about using knowledge, innovation, humour and e

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx
All Comments (21)
  • @timetamer3270
    Having been so disheartened by the racist/ignorant banter in social media today. Your TED talk was a breath of fresh air and hope.
  • @17_73
    I am Aboriginal and I can tell you happiness comes and goes.The same with sadness and grief all is cyclic as is life the key to a good life is to accept that you are on a journey and all that happens is niether good or bad it is all part of your journey.
  • @charki40
    Well informed talk and thank you Sheree. As an Aboriginal person, stolen gen and survivor of abuse for 15 years, you are right. I am happier than I was as a child institutionalised. It was only when I became a free person, my pursuits to find family, country and culture built for me an essential basis of my identity, its connection to something bigger than myself and self worth. Im successful and fearless now. I have ownership of my potential. This potential has been expressed in some of the following, archaeology, journalism, policy writing, senate candidate (politics), music, film making, writer, counselor, ambulance officer, etc etc. Life for me is a much greater experience than when I was that sad, scared little girl who felt owned and deeply lost.
  • @heywwww
    This is beautiful. I wish there was a unit on aboriginal culture at school. Not just on stolen generation but aboriginal culture that celebrates their ancient history, customs, and values.
  • @BigBeNRiChTV
    Nothing but Love & Respect to this lady. All the way from Wiradjuri Country Thubbo
  • @VincentGill3
    I love witnessing the resurgence of the indigenous peoples of the world. They have much to teach us about working with nature instead of trying to tame it. Best wishes
  • @euniceday8582
    So Good To Hear From This Beautiful Education Lady Who Tapped Into Our People Culture And Lives, Together We Can Achieve So Much in Two Worlds Coming Together As One. Walking Together And Sharing Both Sides Of Our Culture Will Bring Us Closer To Our Goals Of Walking 👣👣👣👣👣👣👣👣👣👣👣👣👣 And Will Bridge That Gap That's Been 230 Years Of The Making! For All Australia's This Is The First Of Many Steps Forwards To A Brighter Future And A Closer Community!
  • @ProPrivaC
    I loved this ted talk I am aboriginal and you speak our culture history and beliefs, the discoragedness of beliefs but how they conflict with anothers. Thank you for being so open to living and learning
  • @zorrotio
    Terrific, thought-provoking talk. I was particularly struck by the line "..work that lets you operate from the safety & strength of your own culture, enables you to be true to who you are." There's perhaps a deeper thing here, about our identity & authenticity and the power that stems from being true to ourselves. The important nuance here though is how culture - the culture that each individual is a part of - is recognised as an important part of our identity. ie. To be true to ourselves, we need to recognise and be true to our culture.
  • @donnamcfetridge9555
    Brilliant...your work and genuine enthusiasm is wonderful. The culture of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is special, it would be great if everyone in Australia could know about this and feel so proud to walk together on this amazing land.
  • @elizabethkavanagh9599
    When you look within, its amazing how much richness you will find in the simpleness of life. I after living in remote communities found my own insight and connectedness.
  • @XxLavedogxX
    Thank you for your perspective and understanding the affairs of our culture! It brings me to tears to know other people actually want to learn about us and that times are changing to bring us from all cultures closer together
  • @yindyamarra
    I was in a meeting with this wonderful lady, it was so great to listen to her talk
  • @soniajulsjosetecson2173
    What a great testament to the importance of listening to what Aboriginal Australians have to say, a shared knowledge and views of the world would give Australian culture a much deeper, meaningful and colourful aspect to it.
  • @sandyross4718
    Thank you TED talk, as a descendant and authour of two books' Wurruwarrin Where the Wind Blows' and' Soul of Woman embraces Heart of Man' I am interested in a Two Way Culture Reconciliation process, and you have hit the nail on the head. Thank you again