The Plight of Indigenous Australia

A few months ago, I visited Sydney, Australia. I had heard stories of the beautiful beaches, seen pictures of the infamous Opera House, and understood the love for them cute kangaroos. When people think of Australia, they often picture surfing, koalas, or possibly “The Outback.” However, once I got to Australia, I found myself fascinated and concerned with the “minority group” of Australia. Any guesses to what this group was? I’d argue that most cannot answer this question.

Although the Aboriginals and the Torres Strait Islanders are considered the first inhabitants of the world, they are an underrepresented group in Australia. Why is this? The intricate answer can be found in following personal account and investigation on the plight of Indigenous Australia.

The Aboriginals (Many people say “Aborigines,” however this is regarded as a racial slur to some Aboriginals) and the Torres Strait Islanders are the indigenous people of Australia. In reality, there were at least 400 tribes, clans, and skins of indigenous Australians. However, in an attack to strip Aboriginality from the land and the people, the term Aboriginal (Latin- ab: from, and origo: origin, beginning) was given to the entire group. This is similar to how the indigenous Americans were called Indians, overlooking the rich cultures of the Sioux, Navajo, and Mohawk. Today, the most accepted terminology for the group is Indigenous Australians. Much like the history of American Indians is misrepresented in popular culture, the same can be said for Indigenous Australians. However, through careful cross research from various sources, we are able to draw an accurate picture of the time and the people.

The Indigenous Australians were the first Australians; the original inhabitants of Australia. They lived in Australia for at least 70,000 years. Additionally, the dating of human remains and artifacts keeps extending the period of time for which evidence of human occupation of Australia can be unearthed. The Aboriginals were hunters, gatherers and collectors. They ate crocodile, emu, and kangaroo. They spoke over 250 languages, which were specific to their tribe or clan. The Indigenous expressed themselves with art, dance, and “the dreaming.” There was no literature or writing, only dancing, speaking, and carvings. They were spiritual, but not religious. Aboriginals were prosperous and self-sufficient.

However, this all changed in the late 1700s. A British sailor and cartographer named James Cook stumbled across the land that is now known as Australia. Cook’s diplomatic ways probably saved him his life, as the Aboriginals felt threatened and nearly attacked his crew. Cook later blended in with the Aboriginals and had a seemingly egalitarian stance with the Indigenous Australians. Captain Cook later asserted:

“They may appear to be the most wretched people on earth, but in reality they are far more happy than we Europeans. They live in a tranquility which is not disturbed by the inequality of condition. The earth and sea of their own accord furnishes them with all things with all things necessary for life.”

Cook wrote these observations in his journal. However, these revelations were later edited out of the published journals by British officials. It was said that Cook found a total of about 1,000 Aboriginals in all of his travels in Australia. However, based on further historical accounts, anthropologists, and archaeologists, we know this is not true. Some speculate that there were over 1.5 million Indigenous Australians.Today, it is accepted that there were about 750,000.

Sometime later, Cook and other British returned to Australia with fleets of colonizers and immigrants. Cook was given orders that he could take the land if it was uninhabited or if the Aboriginals agreed to giving it up. The land was clearly not uninhabited nor was any kind of consent given by the Aboriginals (in fact, vast miscommunication occurred between the groups). Instead, the land was deemed no one’s land; “Terra Nullius” (Latin for “the land belonging to no one). This is one of the most controversial acts in the history of Australia and is still considered this day to be ‘illegal.’

What happened after this point can be summed up in the following time-line:

1788- Wars. Many of the colonizers thought the Aboriginals would eventually abandon their land, but they were wrong. The Aboriginals realized their way of life was being threatened by the colonizers and fought back.

1789- Disease. An outbreak of a smallpox-like disease wiped out much of the Aboriginal population in Australia. Some argue that the disease was spread intentionally, as the British kept medicine and treatment for themselves.

1780 to 1928- Massacres. The Aboriginals fought back until their population declined, after further retaliation and advanced weaponry did the Indigenous in. Those in power mandated that Aboriginals be shot and killed on site. The Tasmanian Aboriginals were wiped out entirely. On one instance, the British wanted to examine an Aboriginal- so they shot and killed one.

1800 to 1840- Forced off land. Deemed valueless, primitive, inferior, and lacking civilization, Aboriginal people were seen as having no rights to land. Aboriginals dispersed to various parts of Australia, while others tried to blend in, making ‘Aboriginality’ nearly unrecognizable.

1850 to 1970s- Assimilation. Aboriginal women married European men, became prostitutes, or homeless. Many converted to Christianity. The “Stolen Generations” occurred where 10,000 Indigenous children were stolen from their families so that they could be ‘educated’ and trained to be laborers (In 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made a public apology for the “Stolen Generations”). Most of these children never saw their families again.

1788 to Present day- Attack on Aboriginality. Not counted in the national census, disenfranchised, not granted ‘citizenship’ until 1967, improper representation of history and identity, discriminated against, etc.

It is true that Australia has a shameful past with their mistreatment of the Indigenous Australians. Many European Australians won’t recognize parts of this history. So what does Indigenous Australia look like today?

Today, Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders make up only 2.5% (517,000) of the Australian population, according to the 2010 Australian Bureau of Statistics. Aboriginals have a three time higher rate of unemployment than non-Indigenous Australians. There is also poor school retention, child abuse, poverty, crime-ridden neighborhoods, lack of social support, numerous health issues, and drug and alcohol abuse prevalent throughout Indigenous Australia. Today, many Aboriginals have no clue who they are.

I then traveled to Redfern, which is considered the Aboriginal neighborhood in Sydney, to witness what Aboriginality was like for myself. This is what i saw:

There was definitely feelings of somberness and melancholy in the air, which is true for many deprived areas of the world. However, there are movements taking place today to uplift this silenced and forgotten community. The National Center for Indigenous Excellence and the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Program are examples of this. Although, let us not forget this story of injustice, as it is important for a variety of reasons:

• Realize the unfairness that has occurred throughout history against Indigenous people everywhere
• It is important to honor and respect the people who first inhabited their respective lands
• Recognize the similarities between the Indigenous Australians and the Indigenous people of the Americas
• Search for the truth/justice of world and American history, not what is told in history books. You won’t see too much of this stuff, if you don’t seek it.
• Don’t believe what you see in the media. Google: Australia. Why don’t you get any results for Aboriginals?
• Look at this story through the lens of modern immigration
• History can repeat itself, if we let it.
• Martin Luther King Jr. once said “A threat to injustice anywhere is a threat to injustice everywhere.” We often have this idea that what happens to others is not really our business, but in fact it is. We are one!

Many of my friends and family have asked me, “How was Australia!?” Well this post is my response. This is also my way of honoring and respecting this beautiful culture. People always tell me, “Maximo- you’re always arguing and preaching about some righteous cause”, and that might as well be true. I write about this because if I don’t; who will? Just because this has happened in the past doesn’t mean we have to sweep it under the rug and forget about it. Should we not care anymore? These are the type of dark worldly injustices that have been deemed “outta sight, outta mind.” I disagree.

Much of what is written here is highly controversial. The topics are deemed very sensitive by modern Australia. In fact, many European-Australians would rather not acknowledge these incidents altogether. This is merely a brief overview of the atrocities that took place in Australia. Furthermore, some may contest that this report is biased. In any case, I would encourage you to look into this history for yourself. I challenge you, to challenge these findings. To sum up the Plight of Indigenous Australia, I would encourage you to research or visit the Aboriginal Embassy in Australia’s national capital Canberra. There, you’ll see for yourself what Australia and Indigenous Australia is about.

While this past is hurtful, the future can only be bright- with everyone’s help. Self-determination, services, and policy will help uplift this community. If interested in learning more about Indigenous Australia and how you may be able to contribute to the development of the people, please visit the following links:

Aboriginal Drawing found via Flickr.

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