The Incorporation of Indigenous Studies in Australian Secondary Schooling

1828 Words4 Pages

Incorporation of Indigenous studies in the recently released national curriculum requires the sourcing of literature to assist students’ comprehension of the past and ongoing ramifications of The Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act 1897 (Qld). The inclusion of Hegarty’s ‘Is that you Ruthie?’ is recommended to Queensland Education as one such text to be utilised in secondary schools. A different genre to traditional texts reflecting European accounts of history, Hegarty’s autobiographical account provides an Indigenous perspective whilst allowing students to connect legislation and policy of the past with the impact on the personal. This essay explores the premise and implications of ‘the 1897 Act’ and its various amendments on the lived experiences of Indigenous Queenslanders both historically and today, illustrated by excerpts from Hegarty’s autobiography, thereby qualifying ‘Is that you Ruthie?’ as a suitable text in secondary school Indigenous Studies Programs.

The dramatic decline of the Aboriginal population in conjunction with the extrapolation of Darwin’s theories of natural selection on Spencer’s ‘survival of the fittest’ regarding race, instigated the development of legislation to ‘protect’ the Indigenous population from complete annihilation (Cunneen & Libesman 1995:34; Parbury 1999:68). Subsequent to Meston’s report on the condition of Queensland Aboriginals (Donovan 2008:113) regarding the exploitation and payment of labour by opiates and alcohol (Castle & Hagan 1997:67); prevalence of abuse of women and children by white men (Donovan 2008:117-8); and the extent of violence of settler populations (Smith 2008:203); reserves were established in which Indigenous people could be separate...

... middle of paper ...

...d teaching, 3rd edn, Thomson, Melbourne.

(eds.) Mellor, D & Haebich, A 2002, Many voices: reflections on experiences of Indigenous child separation, National Library of Australia, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory.

Parbury, N, ‘Aboriginal education: a history’, in R Craven (ed.) 1999, Teaching Aboriginal studies, Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest, New South Wales.

Rycus, JS & Hughes, RC 1998, The field guide to child welfare volume III: child development and child welfare, Child Welfare League of America Press, Annapolis Junction, Maryland.

Smith, BR 2008, ‘Still under the act? Subjectivity and the state in Aboriginal North Queensland’, Oceania, vol. 78, pp. 199-216.

The Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act 1897 (Qld).

Watson, C 1999, ‘Review: Is that you Ruthie?’, The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, vol. 27, no. 2, p. 55.

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