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Reflection on aboriginal stolen generation
Stolen generations and the impact on aboriginal people
Reflection on aboriginal stolen generation
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Every country has its own unique stories regarding races and how it treated the Indigenous peoples of the land. Australia’s history – shaped by the arrival of European settlers, notwithstanding any concord with the Aboriginal people, had led to the government’s policies of forcible removal of Indigenous children from their families over the period between 1905 – 1970. The movie Rabbit Proof Fence told one such story. Rabbit Proof Fence’s value does not only lie in its influence on the history of Australia’s silver screen but also in its heartfelt depiction of the Stolen Generations. Yet, conservative historian and journalist – Keith Windschuttle – had published articles and books in contemplation of denying the accuracy of the film and the …show more content…
He reiterates that both the phrase “Stolen Generations” and the corresponding assertion of genocide are unwarranted. According to Windschuttle, only a small number of Aboriginal children was removed from their family and it was based on the consideration of child welfare. Most of the removed children were orphaned, neglected, abandoned and homeless (Windschuttle, 2008). His own estimate of the total number of Aboriginal children separated from parents and placed into institutions in total is 8250, which accounted for 5.2% of the Aboriginal population at the 1976 census of 160,000 (Windschuttle, 2010). Of course, Windschuttle had to pick the lowest estimate mentioned in the HREOC report. It is indeed very difficult to precisely determine how many Aboriginal children were forcibly removed. However, in a survey conducted with 320 adults in Bourke NSW in the 1970s, Dr Max Kamien had come to a conclusion that the actual number could have been as high as “one in three” (Wilson, 1997). Clearly, Windschuttle relies completely and selectively on the statistics that serve his purposes. One of the main grounds for Windschuttle’s denial of the existence of the Stolen Generations is child welfare, claiming that the children are severely malnourished and neglected. With his exaggerated description and …show more content…
He claimed that the policy’s intention was genuine, regarding child welfare, apprenticeship and protection over the girls due to early sexual activity, yet, there are strong evidences to dispute his contentions. Although Windschuttle has brought new perspective to this significant event occurred in the past and demonstrated his thorough research on the subject, what Windschuttle missed is empathy for individuals who were the victims of the
Hooper’s compelling and strategically written text paints an Australian context where a distinct racial divide separates the country; one where racism is rife and where white supremacy is rampant. Hooper urges the reader to accept that in the context of colonial Australia, Aboriginals faced such extreme oppression that they resorted to summoning spirits to doom their cruel white colonisers. She recounts a walk to a cave in Cape York, where she intentionally selects paintings depicting destructive images of white colonisers being “doomed”, highlighting the rifles which the white troopers brandished. The marginalised Aboriginals resigned to using “purri purri” (sorcery) against the police, which emphasises the idea that in this context, the Aboriginals felt so oppressed that they resorted to conjuring spirits for protection. Hooper describes a painting in which under a white man’s shirt, “he was reptilian”, and the adjective “reptilian” allows the audience to understand that in this context, the Aboriginals felt so threatened that they had to draw the trooper as a snake.
Rolf de Herr’s 2002 film The Tracker represented some human beings in the past who have been extremely naïve, barbarous, and bigoted when it came to dealing with Indigenous Australians. This film portrayed white racism in the characters of the Fanatic, the Veteran, and at first the Recruit until he becomes stronger and eventually changes his demeanor towards the Aboriginal people. Even though the Tracker experiences immense hardship throughout the movie he was always two steps ahead of his bosses since he was very familiar with the land and was also able to outsmart his superior officers. The Tracker is a gloomy film which presents the dark past of Australia that must never be forgotten.
Good morning everyone and what a pleasure it is to be able to open the Australia Day Film Festival. The two films that have been chosen to open this year’s festival are Bran Nue Dae and the Rabbit Proof Fence. Both of these films offer a unique insight into the experiences and perspectives of indigenous Australians. They reveal adversity faced by aborigines as a result of racism and are a timely reminder of our need to be more inclusive as a nation. These coming of age and culturally inspiring films, Rachel Perkins’s 2009, Bran Nue Dae and Philip Noyces’s 2002, Rabbit Proof Fence have become Australian classics, capturing the dark truth behind Australia’s history. Both directors introduce young indigenous people setting on their journey back home while discovering the harsh reality of being an indigenous person. Rabbit Proof Fence’s Molly, a young indigenous who is forcefully taken away from her home to be housed on mission school, where her sister and cousin will be introduce and educated to become servants for white settlers. Molly, her sister and cousin make a daring escape back home, challenging
Indigenous People. In evaluating the Legal System’s response to Indigenous People and it’s achieving of justice, an outline of the history of Indigenous Australians - before and during settlement - as well as their status in Australian society today must be made. The dispossession of their land and culture has deprived Indigenous People of economic revenue that the land would have provided if not colonised, as well as their ... ... middle of paper ... ...
After the release of Rabbit Proof Fence, many `politically right' white Australians tried to promote that the film was based on myth and misunderstanding but in facet is not as the film itself promotes the openness of racism. Racism was not only a problem is Australia but throughout the world and is continuing to stay a problem, even in our own backyard. The racism between the white Australians and the Aborigines is quite similar to the racism shown in schools and even in parliament here in New Zealand between the Maori and Europeans, or once again between the `white' and the `black'.
Policies have proven to be counterproductive due to a multitude of fundamentally inapt bases to include: exaggerated statistical information inconsistently used; lack of protection safeguards for victims; inadequate resources on various levels; discretionary provisions that are incongruously applied; criminal conjecture; rigidity towards immigrant status in the sex trade; limited sanctions placed on traffickers; lack of fiscal resources; corruptive implications; and a complete lack of safety for children being reintegrated in the community (Vance, 2011). Ultimately, proving to complicate further the rehabilitation of children traumatized by sex
Struggles by Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people for recognition of their rights and interests have been long and arduous (Choo & Hollobach: 2003:5). The ‘watershed’ decision made by the High Court of Australia in 1992 (Mabo v Queensland) paved the way for Indigenous Australians to obtain what was ‘stolen’ from them in 1788 when the British ‘invaded’ (ATSIC:1988). The focus o...
The stolen generation is a scenario carry out by the Australian government to separate most aboriginal people’s families. The government was enforced take the light skinned aboriginal kids away from their guardians to learn the white people’s culture in the campus around the country and then send them back to their hometown and prohibit them join the white people’s society after they turn be an adult. The
As European domination began, the way in which the European’s chose to deal with the Aborigines was through the policy of segregation. This policy included the establishment of a reserve system. The government reserves were set up to take aboriginals out of their known habitat and culture, while in turn, encouraging them to adapt the European way of life. The Aboriginal Protection Act of 1909 established strict controls for aborigines living on the reserves . In exchange for food, shelter and a little education, aborigines were subjected to the discipline of police and reserve managers. They had to follow the rules of the reserve and tolerate searchers of their homes and themselves. Their children could be taken away at any time and ‘apprenticed” out as cheap labour for Europeans. “The old ways of the Aborigines were attacked by regimented efforts to make them European” . Their identities were threatened by giving them European names and clothes, and by removing them from their tra...
Racism is defined as, “the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races” (Merriam-Webster). Director Philip Noyce conveys Webster’s definition of racism in his 2002 film, Rabbit-Proof Fence, by examining Aboriginal racism of the 1930s through the eyes of three young girls: Molly, Gracie and Daisy who are forcefully taken from their mothers by the Australian government; and a man, Neville, who believes that giving half-castes a chance to join his “civilized society” is the virtuous thing to do, even if it means stripping them of their family, traditions and culture. The film follows the girls as they escape from the Moore River Native Settlement, an indentured servant training camp for half-castes, and walk 1,200 miles back to their home in Jigalong. Noyce weaves story progression and character development throughout the film to demonstrate the theme of racism and covey the discriminations that occurred to Australia’s stolen generation and Aboriginal people during the 1930s.
‘The Tall Man’ is a renowned controversial statement of Indigenous oppression, sparking up brawl within the Indigenous community of Palm Island and Australians of multiple ethnicities everywhere. Truly a “white Australia with black history”. The implication of the style, film techniques, information and a prominent scene within the documentary will be discussed in future paragraphs. The director of ‘The Tall Man’ Tony Krawitz provides the opinion that Chris Hurley the police officer under scrutiny for an Aboriginal death in custody, is the guilty party. I full heartedly agree with his perspective, the incriminating evidence against Chris
The assimilation policy was a policy that existed between the 1940’s and the 1970’s, and replaced that of protectionism. Its purpose was to have all persons of aboriginal blood and mixed blood living like ‘white’ Australians, this established practice of removing Aboriginal children (generally half-bloods) from their homes was to bring them up without their culture, and they were encouraged to forget their aboriginal heritage. Children were placed in institutions where they could be 'trained' to take their place in white society. During the time of assimilation Aboriginal people were to be educated for full citizenship, and have access to public education, housing and services. However, most commonly aboriginal people did not receive equal rights and opportunities, for example, their wages were usually less than that paid to the white workers and they often did not receive recognition for the roles they played in the defence of Australia and their contribution to the cattle industry. It wasn’t until the early 1960’s that expendi...
The Stolen Generation has left devastating impacts upon the Aboriginal culture and heritage, Australian history and the presence of equality experienced today. The ‘Stolen Generation’ refers to the children of Aboriginal descent being forcefully abducted by government officials of Australia and placed within institutions and catholic orphanages, being forced to assimilate into ‘white society’. These dehumanising acts placed these stolen children to experience desecration of culture, loss of identity and the extinction of their race. The destructive consequences that followed were effects of corruption including attempted suicide, depression and drug and alcohol abuse. The indigenous peoples affected by this have endured solitude for many years, this has only been expressed to the public recently and a proper apology has been issued, for the years of ignorance to the implementation of destruction of culture. The Stolen Generation has dramatically shaped Australian history and culture.
“This people... make me sick!” (Rabbit-Proof Fence). Although these words expressed by young Molly Craig in Rabbit-Proof Fence are not considered grammatically correct, they reveal the true feelings of the aboriginal people around the world toward the dominating settlers of their land. Trudell and Rabbit-Proof Fence tell a similar story in different ways. John Trudell, in the documentary Trudell, explains his life fighting for Native Americans’ rights during the Alcatraz Takeover, whereas in Rabbit-Proof Fence, Philip Noyce tells a story of the lives of the Aboriginal People during the enactment of the Aboriginal Protection
In the wake of what historians are calling Australia’s “history wars,” a look at the factors leading up to the passage of the controversial White Australia Policy is significant. It may be difficult to understand and interpret all the implications of the Australian public’s concerns in the fifty years before leading to its passage, however a look into the historical events and the language used at the time is a crucial step. This paper chronicles the sequence of events between the arrivals of the first Chinese indentured laborers in the 1840s to the passage of the White Australia Policy in 1901, using a critical eye to view the arguments brought against the Chinese by the European diggers, labor union leaders, popular press, and politicians. Based on the events of the time and the context they occurred within, this paper argues that the assertions against the Chinese were concurrently economically and racially grounded. Australians alike were threatened by the competition brought by Chinese immigrants who easily entered new industries for sub-standard wages. However, the arguments against Chinese morality and race added intensity to the movement that was necessary in gaining popular support for the legislation across Australian societal factions.