Australia Vs. The Maori People Of New Zealand

In the time since the arrival of the first white settlers to the shores of Australia and New Zealand, the Aboriginal people of both countries have been unfairly treated. Even in modern times, animosity still exists between the white European and native populations. However, the Aboriginal people in Australia have been consistently treated worse than the Maori people in New Zealand. The Aboriginal people of Australia and the Maori people of New Zealand both have unique and rich cultures that emphasize a strong tie to their land. Both cultures believe that land is not to be owned by a single person but rather, that it is a spiritual gift from their creator that is to be admired and respected by all. In Maori culture land is of exceptional importance. After the birth of a child, “the umbilical cord would be wrapped in several layers of material

Many of the free men were granted land at Parramatta. This land was land that the Aboriginals were occupying. Because the Aboriginals did not technically own the land, the British had no reservations when it came to claiming it for themselves. The British believed that land was land and that the Aboriginal people could just relocate themselves. They did not comprehend that the Aborigines felt a connection to a specific section of land and that that land was spiritually tied to their ancestors. This early claiming of the land was one of the first major acts of the colonists’ disregard for the Aboriginal people. The Aboriginal people were slowly being dispossessed of more and more of their land. Neither culture could understand the others point of view and neither culture was willing to try to understand the other. The Aboriginal people could not comprehend the concept that people actually believed that land was meant to be owned and the colonists could not comprehend that the Aboriginals believed that land was to be