Colonization of The Aboriginal People of Australia

Who Colonized Them?

• The European Empire settled on the Aboriginal land in 1788 (Parliament of New South Wales, 2021).
• In order to settle into the land, Europe had to make room. So, they devastatingly killed the Aboriginals. The violence was unimaginable.
• The average rate of death in the beginning years of colonization would have been 2000 deaths per 100 000 Aboriginal people (Finanne, 2018). According to Finanne, in the first 30 years, the amount of deaths caused by colonizers could range from 11000 to 44000 (2018).

Who Colonized Them?

Broken families

• The pain and suffering the Aboriginal people went through has been felt through many generations.
• Paradies talk about how this pain has taken the love out of their parenting, they are unable to parent in the ways that were traditionally known. Instead, violence replaces that love. Children within these families are often subjected to violence and emotional abuse (2018).
• The loss of culture through colonization creates the feelings and guilt and mourning (Paradies, 2018).

Broken Families

Measuring The Indigeneity of The Aboriginal People

Measuring Indigeneity

• Children who were mixed with European blood and Aboriginal blood were considered 'Half Caste Act' of 1886, which forced mixed blood people to move off of the reserves and make their way in 'white society' (McCalman & Smith, 2016).
• Those who were of mixed descent were still considered visibly Aboriginal to the white society but were not allowed to live with their families on reserves. This forced the culture out of these people in order to assimilate them into their colonial society (McCalman & Smith, 2016).
• Even though these Aboriginal people were considered black visually, on paper, they were considered to be white (2016).

Deforestation and Stolen Land

Land Loss

• In the 19th century, Australia has lost almost 40% of it's forests (Bradshaw, 2012). As well as 132 different species who have gone completely extinct (Bradshaw, 2012).
• According to Bradshaw, the clearing forests released about 28 million tonnes of carbon, which contributed to 22% to Australia's green house gas emmissions (2012).
• The land taken by colonizers was, and continues to be exploited for profit. In order to protect what is left of the land, the Austrialian government must accept that it is to be returned.
• Climate change is a crisis today, and Australia has exeprienced severe effects of it. Forest fires have become very deadly, the heat is increasing which makes it unhabital for the animals and humans. The land must be protected by the owners in order to allow for forest regeneration and to cut back on carbon emissions (2012).

Social Injustice As A Result of Colonization

Social Injustice

• The lack of equity that the Aboriginal people of Australia face directly links to, "marginalisation, incarceration and the justice system, intergenerational trauma, housing and lack of government conscience (Griffiths et al., 2016).
• Every aspect of colonization puts Aboriginal people at a disadvantage.
• This lack of equity directly effects the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people. Not only is their physical health suffering but also the health of their culture and traditions too (2016).

Self Determination

• The Aboriginal people of Australia work to reach self-detemination. This allows them to determine their own sovereignty and allows them to hold control over their communities (Lee, 2016).
• The Aboriginal people agree with UNDRIP but there is a lack of engagenment with the declaration. This is because the word self-determination has been used many times by the Australian government with little to no change. Aboriginal communities do put value on the legal terms because they are often false promises (Lee, 2016).
• While UNDRIP does in fact provide a list of human rights that have been violated, it can only go as far as a government will allow. Which is where I believe the UN can do more.

Conclusion

I chose to research the colonization of Australia and the Indigenous people of Australia

because I was never taught the history and I believe it is not advocated for enough. I think the

colonization of Canada and Australia do share some similarities and I believe my people have

suffered in the same ways that the Indigenous people of Australia have. The United Nations holds

great power in this world and I often question their efforts, so I am interested in taking a deeper look

at the work the UN has done for the Indigenous people of Australia. The social injustices the

Inidgenous people face in Australia is prevalent to this day and it is not spoken about enough. I am

very grateful to have this assignment because it gives me an opportunity to not only gain more

knowledge but to share this knowledge with others.

Conclusion

How The History of Colonization Is Taught

Non=-Aboriginal People's View

• One study found that the Australian Education systems of today continue to uphold the supriorty of white Australians (Casey, 2018).
• Casey found that the education system often paints the Aboriginal people as 'active resisters', instead of civilized land owners (2018).
• The study also found that the education system does not fully acknowledge the violence against the Aboriginal people but rather how violent the resisters were (2018).