Reflecting on the Past of the Australian Aborigines

After learning the history of the Aborigines I have come to gain a lot of respect for them. I am inspired that they have fought incredibly hard to maintain and preserve their culture from being forced to conform to an “English” way of life. I have learned that today the Australian government is practicing cultural sensitivity by trying to help restore the Aborigine’s culture. The Australian Government has slowly recognized the harm that was caused when the British invaded Australia. In the past, many of the Aborigines are had been forced to give up their culture when the English took over their land.  After reflecting on the Aborigine’s history I have become more grateful because my family has not had to suffer the hardships they have. Fortunately for those who live in the US we have the freedom to uphold our own culture without having to conform to a specific culture. From the 1800s to the 1970s Aborigine children were taken away from their families and sent to either live with adoptive parents or institutions. To make matters worse the children were not allowed visits from their family. The thought of being torn away from my family at such a young age is unfathomable. The reasoning behind this movement was to strip away the Children’s Aboriginal identity, in hopes of them not being able to pass on their culture to the next generation.  This is vastly different from The U.S. where we are known as the “Melting Pot” of all the different cultures and ethnicities. But, there was a time in the U.S. where racism played a great part in our history just as it did with Australia and the Aborigines. Thankfully, for the most part racism in the U.S and in Australia is vastly less than it was in the past. It is important that we teach the next generation to cherish the freedom of being able to embrace all different cultures. With that being said it is also important to pass along the history that it was not always like this, it took cultural sensitivity to get where we are today.   

1.The History of the Stolen Generations

 National Sorry Day Committee Electronic Document

http://www.nsdc.org.au/stolen-generations/history-of-the-stolen-generations/the-history-of-the-stolen-generations accessed 19 Feb. 2015

2.Aboriginal Heritage Office

2006 Aboriginal History. Electronic document. 

http://www.aboriginalheritage.org accessed 9 Feb. 2015.

3.Survival International

2013 Aboriginal People. Electronic document

http://www.survivalinternational.org/tribes/aboriginals  accessed 9 Feb. 2015

4.National Geographic Magazine

2013 Aboriginal Australians. Electronic document 

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/06/aboriginal-australians accessed 9 Feb. 2015