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Consequences of the stolen generation
Australian indigenous history and culture essay
Consequences of the stolen generation
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Nanberry by Jackie French outlines the attitudes and perceptions between the two diverse cultures of the indigenous Aborigines and the British during early contact in a manner of historical context. French portrays the initial impressions of the British from the perspective of a young Aboriginal boy; describing the incoming British as mysterious, unknown are creatures. The historical fiction gives insight that the early interactions between the two diverse cultures were approached with caution and curiosity, however no hostility. Nanberry provides insight on early interactions in an emotional and psychological level, of which promotes ideas of the different cultures attitudes and perceptions of each other. Written Primary Source: Vocabulary
Here, the Aboriginal Protection Act 1869 (VIC) was made to establish an inclusive scheme of control over the lives of First Australians (Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, 2014). New South Wales’ equivalent to this was the Aborigines Protection Act 1909 (NSW) which was to provide protection and care of Aboriginal People but rather legislated for the control of their lives. The policies of assimilation directly related to and relied on segregation and protectionism policies. This policy reflected the views of all governmental bodies of Australia, in that they thought it necessary that Aboriginal people were to eventually exercise the equivalent method of living as non-Indigenous Australians and to live as members of a sole community appreciating the same rights and freedoms, accept the same responsibilities, observing similar duties and be predisposed to the same loyalties, hopes and
Australia was a racist and bigoted nation. Commonly referred to as ‘Australia for the white man’, society was dominated by colonisers
In Australia, this, the unthinkable to many Australians, is and has been the reality for millions of Indigenous Australians across the nation. And there is a simple name for it. Prejudice. ‘The White Girl’ by Tony Birch and ‘Shame’ by Kevin Gilbert both offer a harrowing insight into what prejudice looked before a modern-day Australia, and both are vital to look at then, now and moving forward. Racial prejudice is embedded in the tapestry of Australia's
Reynolds exposes the persecution of Indigenous People, describing the entrenched belief in Aboriginal inferiority common in 70s North Queensland, recalling one school principal who said he ‘did not expect much from [Aboriginal children] because they had smaller brains’. The ‘confidence and complete certainty’ with which the comment was made conveys how deeply negative ideas about Aborigines had been ingrained. These attitudes resulted in an assumption of superiority by white citizens, who Reynolds writes expected ‘lowered eyes and a submissive downward tilt of the head’. Reynolds’ personal voice resonates with condemnation for the oppression faced by Aborigines, illustrating how his perspective has been shaped by his experience of race relations. By sharing this account, Reynolds raises questions about the historical origins of the racial tension he experienced.
The forced removal of children from their families, known as the Stolen Generations, has had a particularly devastating impact on the Indigenous community, leading to intergenerational trauma and loss of identity. In addition, the policies of assimilation, which were in place until the 1970s, aimed to force Indigenous Australians to abandon their cultural practices and adopt Western ways of life. This has resulted in a loss of traditional knowledge and practices, which has impacted the community's ability to maintain good health and
It may be believed that the culture’s ways are always the best, and other cultures are not considered to have any positive elements. This was the thinking behind the ‘White Australia Policy’; after years of half-hearted protection full-blood Aborigines were allowed to die out, while part-Aborigines were encouraged to assimilate into European culture. In 1937, the government released a policy paper which concluded: “The policy of the Commonwealth is to do everything possible to convert the half-caste into a white citizen.” In practice, the ‘half-castes’ were not accepted by the white society causing the assimilation policies to fail, due mainly to high Aboriginal unemployment. It is poignant to highlight that while policies specifically regarding Aborigines were terribly intolerant, it was racism from the community that rendered the policies ineffective.
1 - What were the means used in the extermination of the Australian Aborigines and why would you or would you not call it genocide? Cultural genocide. I would call it a genocide, the intentions were pretty clear, the settler trying to westernized the aboriginals, and the way they do it was wrong as well, the aboriginals weren’t informed where their children went, they knew they left for school but were never brought back, causing suffering and pain within the heart. The children taken away were also not very well taken care off. I learned from the documentary mentioned (Being Them Home) that there are cases that if the families that take in by white families didn’t work out, instead of being sent back to their original home, they were transferred from one foster home to another, causing pain and confusion, and most
One discriminating point that has dependably been maintained a strategic distance from by the antiquarians of the Stolen Generations is that full-blood Indigenous children were once in a while, and in numerous spots never, expelled from their guardians (Reynolds, 2005). By the early many years of the twentieth century, most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in the southern a large portion of the Australian mainland were individuals of part descent, yet in the northern half, full descent populaces prevailed. In the Northern Territory, half-caste constituted a little minority of Indigenous individuals (Reynolds, 2005). It turned out to be clear the full-blood Indigenous people was not ceasing to exist as beforehand thought, but rather was
Abstract Being an aborigine in a white dominated society is a complicated identity. Australia, one of the white governed nations, also owns many aboriginal tribes. They lived harmonious lives in the early period. But European colonization has made a profound effect on the lives of Aboriginals in Australia, which led to the total demolition of their native culture, identity and history. As a result the new generation Aboriginals have lost their Aboriginal heritage and have been accepted neither by Aboriginals nor by whites.
One Australian minority group that has been effected drastically is that of Indigenous Australians. Indigenous Australians are the traditional custodians of the land and have living in Australia for over 40,000 years. Since the arrival of white settlers in the late 18th century, their culture has been subject to a high degree scrutiny. Using the Australian ethnocentrism scale, it has been concluded that white Australians held negative attitudes towards Indigenous Australians (Beswick, Hills 1972). A popular negative attitude that can be viewed in today’s society is that
The Assimilation Policy failed its aim of improving the lives of Indigenous Australians by placing them into white society. This was because white society did not accept Indigenous people as equals, even after indigenous people’s efforts to live like white society. The Assimilation Policy was a huge contributor to the Stolen Generations, this was because the Australian government made it a law to take Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander descent children and move them into white society. Children taken from their parents were taught to reject their Indigenous heritage, and made to adopt white culture. Their names were changed, and they were forbidden to speak their traditional language.
For the first 100 years of British rule, the Indigenous people were treated as second-class citizens. The Aboriginal people had no rights because of many reasons, one of the reasons that they had no rights was because were considered as second class which meant that they didn’t have the same rights as the non-indigenous people. The aboriginal people were treated as slaves because they did not have any rights. They didn’t have the right to vote, they didn’t have the right to marry who they chose, they didn’t have the right to the status and culture and they didn’t have the right to rule their land. The ‘social conscience’ of many Australians was changing because they wanted the Aboriginal people to have the same rights as them and also they thought that it was unfair for them to be allowed in
Australia has always been filled with racism, starting with the treatment of indigenous people in the past. Many Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families as a result of numerous government policies. Most of the indigenous children were adopted into white families. They wanted to create a white society.
The rationale behind these polices was to protect children, a though that aboriginal people would die out and the belief that aboriginal people frowned up miscegenation. Other claims suggest that this was part of the attempt to whiten Australia. The horrific irony here is that there are few if any aboriginal families which have not been impacted by these child removals. It has created an array of psychological issues, an increased risk and exposure to sexual abuse, a taught rejection of their culture, a loss of links to the land, an inability to participate in cultural and spiritual life with their communities and not being able to have a native title. Quite often the intuitions and families in which these children were placed with were more damaging and detrimental to their health and wellbeing that if they had remained with their families.
