Ethnocentricity and Non-Aboriginal Australians

History has shown that Non-Aboriginal Australia most defiantly was ethnocentric in regards to Aboriginal people. Looking at the obviously poor and unjust treatment of Aboriginal people early in the countries history and whether or not attitudes and policies have really changed. There have been changes in public opinion and in political opinion with the acceptance and the welfare of aboriginal people over the past one hundred years but has there been enough change to say that there is no longer any ethnocentrism.

There is little said about aboriginal people in early Australian history books. What we do know is that the view of Non-Aboriginal people was very ethnocentric. The opinion was that Aboriginal was that they were savages and little regard was made for the fact that Aboriginal people had to live off this land that was now being used for agriculture. Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal relations during the nineteenth century consisted of violent disputes over the ownership of land, food and water. During this period Aboriginal children were taken from their families and used as a source of labour for European farmers. “The greatest advantage of young Aboriginal servants was that they came cheap and were never paid beyond the provision of variable quantities of food and clothing. As a result any European on or near the frontier, quite regardless of their own circumstances, could acquire and maintain a personal servant” (Arrufat 1930).

In 1909 the government created the Aboriginal Protection board. This government agency was given the power to remove Aboriginal minors from their families without consent and without a court order. The idea was to take aboriginal children to orphanage like institutions and have them brought up ...

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...because of the restrictions on welfare. This intervention should be viewed as very ethnocentric because it sets up laws specifically for Aboriginal people which shows how Australia still does not regard Aboriginal people to be the same as Non-Aboriginal people. Also how taking away their culture is Non-Aboriginal Australia’s answer Aboriginal problems.

In conclusion Non-Aboriginal Australia was and still is ethnocentric towards Aboriginal people. On the surface there have been many steps forward for Aboriginal rights but Non-Aboriginal Australia is still very reluctant to have Aboriginal people as part of their community.

http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/IndigLRes/stolen/stolen08.html

Indigenous Law Resources

Reconciliation and Social Justice Library para 2

http://www.hreoc.gov.au/social_Justice/sj_report/sjreport07/chap3.html#part2 last body para