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The Stolen Generation In Australia

1080 Words5 Pages

The stolen generation has shaped Australian history and culture, it has changed the existence of equality experienced today. The stolen generation refers to the removal of Aboriginal children from their families by the government officials of Australia. They were placed into institutions and catholic orphanages, they were forced into a “white” society. These acts has caused them to experience a violation of culture, loss of identity and loss of family. They have suffered a lot and have endured a lot of loneliness. For all the suffering the aboriginals have dealt with, a proper apology was said by our Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in 2008. This apology has been long overdue but it was a very significant moment for the Aboriginals as it finally acknowledged …show more content…

The generation of children taken under these policies became known as the stolen generations. This policy was known as the Assimilation policy. Assimilation was based on the assumption of black inferiority and white superiority, which suggested that Indigenous people should “die out” through a process of natural elimination or should be put into the “white” community. The children that were taken from their families were taught to reject their heritage and to adapt into the white culture. Their names were changed and they were prohibited to speak their traditional language. The next policy that came out was the removal policy, this policy prevented the Aboriginals to have any authority over their own children, they had no power in hindering the abduction of their …show more content…

This is a very important line for them because for a long period they were rejected and told that they didn’t fit in because of their culture. So when they were finally told that they were apart of Australian culture, this further equalised them to the rest of the country. Another powerful line from the speech was, “We reflect on their past mistreatment, We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were Stolen generations - this blemished chapter in our nation's history” the repetition of the word ‘We’ reinforces that he accepts that previous governments had made a mistake in those policies, and agrees that have done

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