Aboriginal Children From Their Families example essay topic

What Wrongs Have White Administrators Done to Aboriginal people In The Past? Have all wrong Been Righted? Even though Hardy wrote his book in 1968, he gives a good definition of how the Aborigines were treated in that time. A very bias 'opinion' of the treatment of Aborigines:' To this day the Aborigine is treated as less than a man, his. His destiny and very identity is decided by his white superiors. He can live only on terms dictated by the people, who despise him.

He is paid less, educated less, segregated, rendered landless, discriminated against, insulted, deprived of dignity, his women molested. ' (Hardy 1968) The Aborgiines have been unfairly treated since European settlement. Children have been taken from their parents, they have been humiliated. They have shot down until not one Aborigine was left in Tasmania. Even though all te worst of it has been over for the Aborigines - but has all wrongs been righted? One of the most inhumane practices of white settlement in Australia would be the taking of the Aboriginal children from their families.

Some Aboriginal children were brought up to feel ashamed of their race and heir colour. 'In a deliberate and callous attempt to conceal their cultural identity,' Aboriginal children were taken from the families an forcibly placed in an institution and were denied further contact with their families. (Aboriginal legal service, 1995 pp ii) For white Australia, the feeling of responsibility, shame, apologetic and sympathetic for what their past people have done to the Aboriginals. The Aboriginals feeling anguished, rejected and feeling in a since made 'different " from the Europeans. ' For Aboriginal participants a catharsis for feelings of sorrow and rage, and it encourages as to anticipate that, after generations of neglect, white Australia is finally prepared to own the shame of its past, and to accept the responsibility of effecting real and substantial reparation in the future. ' (Aboriginal legal service, 1995 pp ii) Aboriginal children in Western Australia were removed from their families until the 1960's.

The children were taken from police and 'welfare offices' to be raised as white children for the purpose of assimilation. (Aboriginal Legal Service, 1995 pp ii) Surveys have been conducted from Aboriginal people. They were asked about the effects the assimilation had on them. (See Appendix A) 'It is not only the intense impact of removal from families and culture which has contributed to long lasting effects.

Life at the missions, faster care, or other institutions was for may a harsh experience which exacerbated the dislocation, alienation, loneliness and pain felt from being rem, over from families and culture. ' (Aboriginal Legal Service, 1995, pp 5) Emotional, physical and sexual abuse were taking place a pon Aboriginal children in institutions and dormitories. 'Spiritual hurt has also suffered the Aboriginal children from the removal from their families. The following list shows how Aboriginal children were abused. (Aboriginal Legal Service 1995, pp 5) (See Appendix B) The often take of Aboriginal children from their families we retaken into orphanages, missions, and foster care. Aboriginal children and integrated and were in control of white people 'allowing those in control to educate and rear Aboriginal children in a manner they saw fit.

Inmost cases that up-bringing was informed by the opinion that 'it was in the (Aborigines) best interest to be something other than Aboriginal. ' (Aboriginal Legal Service 1995 pp 10) 'The goal of assimilating children of mixed Aboriginal blood 'into the white community'... was an attempt to 'breed out' the Aboriginal race. It amounted to genocide' (Aboriginal Legal Service 1995 pp 1 & 2) Their has been two deliberate attempts in history where certain person or race has tried to commit genocide. Hitler and his soldiers as well as the white Australians. The germans were defeated in the war and Australia helped prevent the extermination of the Jewish race. Maybe white Australian thought that was a horrible cold cold blooded war.

Did they actually think that they did the same in their own country. ' White Australia was able to per sue its crime until not one Aborigine remained alive on the island of Tasmania. ' (Hardy 1968) (See Appendix C) Five thousand Aborigines occupied the island of Tasmania in 1803. Just 21 years later only 500 remained. By 1876 the last of the Tasmanians, Traganinc, were dead, here body dissected and her skeleton articulated for examination by the pseudo-scientists. In truth we have one of the first examples in modern times of the 'final solution' - the genocide of an entire group of people in a specific area.

' (Bessant 1978 pp 12) The Tasmanian Island had the worst conflicts of all. 'The most vicious of all colonial administrations' and the most brutal of all convicts. Governor George Arthur arrived in Tasmania in 1824 and was warning to end the killings of the Aboriginals. 'He intended to introduce a new policy of conciliation' the Aborigines to make them like white families. In 1826, the governor concluded that 'Aboriginals were beyond salvation. The Aboriginals started to fight back, obtaining firearms 'and adopting kelly-type raiding techniques...

They were refusing to recognise the superiority of the Europeans. ' The hough t of the Aboriginals as childish and then regarded them 'as an evil it was duty to destroy' (Bessant 1978 pp 12) Arguments have been expressed about the controversy of whether have been righted. Aboriginals even today are not treated completely equal by all white Australians. Even though the Government has allowed Aboriginals to vote, receive pensions and the same benefits as all other Australians, they still have problems with getting employment. ' The European settlers wanted land.

Because the Aborigines did not cultivate the ground or make dwellings or settlements, the new comers did not realize or care, that the land was owned and occupied... and so the question of Aboriginal right to that land hardly concerned them at all' (Brent) The Mayo issue has in some since been righted. Alot of sacred land has been cultivated m, and settlements have taken place. Therefore it is too late to give this land back to the Aboriginals. Some land has been given back, to the Aboriginals, and this land is under conservation by the Aboriginals.

Other problems cannot be righted, such as the worn gs with the dislocation of Aboriginal children and the genocide in Tasmania. Problems such as these are impossible to be righted. But they can be apologised by the white Australian Government. The Government has taken responsibility for their actions, and now look down with shame.