Governor Bourke 1835 Proclamation Overturned Batman's

1036 Words3 Pages

HUS1FAS 2016 CRITICAL ANALYSIS ASSIGNMENT Governor Bourke’s 1835 proclamation Overturned Batman’s deed. What does this say about European Attitudes to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sovereignty? PART A: Primary Source Analysis - Governor Bourke’s Proclamation (1835) Write a paragraph of approximately 400 Words about the primary source The primary source is the Proclamation of Governor Bourke, dated 10 October 1835.The source is an agreement between Governor Bourke and Aborigines. The purpose of this agreement is to legalise the native land is owned by the Crown (Government) ensuring Torres Islanders claim no ownership or sovereignty over land. The Proclamation of Governor Bourke was a document written by Sir Richard Bourke, KCB, the …show more content…

Jeff Lambert’s thesis suggests “the proclamation delivered an injustice to the Aboriginal nation that took over 200 years to legally reject Terra Nullius, albeit under certain conditions” (Lambert 2012. pg15). Lambert explains the stages before and after the Proclamation 1835 formed also noting a statement by Joseph Bank “Sir Joseph Banks’ prediction that no Aborigines would be found in the interior of the continent, because they only lived on fish and shellfish, but rather a few nomadic peoples along the coast line, may have influenced the British government’s decision to declare Terra Nullius” (Lambert 2012. pg15). The statement is discussed in and evidenced with a map. Jeff Lambert also explains the European attitudes towards Aboriginal and Torres islander sovereignty. Jeff Lambert states Europeans perceived Torres Islanders and Aboriginals as ‘inferior’ (Lambert 2012. pg.12). Lambert (2012. pg13) suggests that “There were some who asserted that terra nullius implied that unoccupied land was not the only meaning of the phrase and that it could also be interpreted as an absence of civilised society.”. The principle of terra nullius means no-man’s land, therefore after the Governor Bourke Proclamation Aboriginals had no legal ownership of land. According to Lambert (2012. pg13) Torres Islanders and Aboriginals ownership of land were classified ‘‘outside the “advanced” nations of Europe” as Aboriginals and Torres Islanders used land for “sustainability, cultural and spiritual terms”. (Lambert 2012 pg.13) Lambert suggests “affinity to the land was not recognised by Europeans because it did not conform to the manner and procedure of land ownership recording in Europe”. Jeff Lambert debates that Aboriginals lived in Australia before the European settlers. Evidence provided by Jeff Lambert is a map that shows

Open Document