The Past of Australia's Aborginals

   The definition of aboriginal is humans who existed in a continent before colonists arrived. As stated in National Geographic magazine the Aboriginals were the only  inhabitant’s of Australia for over 50,000 years, but today they account for less than 3 percent of Australia’s population.  Aboriginals are thought to be one of the earliest people to migrate from Africa to Australia. During the 1700s the British invaded Australia bringing with them diseases such as small pox, measles and venereal diseases. This caused the aboriginal population to decrease rapidly. The British also forced the Aboriginals off their land assuming they migrated from place to place. However, what they did not know is that the Aboriginals are very spiritual about their land, which weakened their cultural practices. The British also brought livestock, which drove out a lot of the native animals that the Aboriginals hunted for their survival.

   From the late 1700s to the early 1900s the aboriginal population decreased by over 90 percent. Many people thought the Aboriginals of Australia would become non-existent. During the Australian Gold Rush in the 1850s Australian Aboriginals became laborers for the British. Most of them did not receive pay and instead were given food, clothes and other necessities. The Aborigines suffered greatly from racism. Most Aboriginals were denied full citizenship when the British colonized in Australia. It wasn’t until 1965 that all Aboriginals of Australia were given the right to vote. During the 20^th century a large number of Aboriginal children were taken from their home and placed with families in an effort to get rid of the Aboriginal Race. The Aboriginals have dealt with a great deal of suffering in the past but the Australian Government has made an effort to help the people that were once the only inhabitants.

 

1700's British Invasion

Racism against the Aboriginals 

Aboriginal Heritage Office

2006 Aboriginal History. Electronic document.

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

Survival International

2013 Aboriginal People. Electronic document

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

National Geographic Magazine

2013 Aboriginal Australians. Electronic document

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