The social issue no one in Australia wants to talk about

Originally posted by belial259
The UN can take our land and lock it up. We can't even clear brush.

what's the UN involvement?

If we used Aboriginal land rights and established Aboriginal custodianship over the entire country like the Maoris have we could do an end run around the UN and the Queen and take back control over what is ours.

Aboriginals should return to our traditional roles of custodians of the environment. Protectors.

sounds like a good plan to me!!

The issue under discussion seems to have quite a prevalence in my life. Residing in north Queensland, I have heard many first hand accounts of unimaginably horrific occurrences of violence at the hands of Aboriginal people, but experienced only very mild cases myself.

Education about the history of Aboriginal people, their folklore, myths, traditions, especially political and race relations, is not a subject that is largely divulged or elaborated upon in one's schooling years in this country. Obviously, tales of blood, gore and cold blooded murder aren't exactly standard or encouraged when your at the age of learning basic math, but not even in high school was there a mere utterance of these matters. I can hardly believe to this day that it took until my college years to learn about the true history of my home state and country. The truth is this.

The history of race relations in Queensland prior to the protection era (when the infamous Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act 1897 was passed) renders this period as surely one of the most disgraceful in Australian history. It is a disgusting stain on my nations history, one that should never be forgotten. Indiscriminate killings of Aborigines accompanied their forced removal from any lands considered useful to British colonial settlers. In the absence of the rule of law, settlers largely determined the manner in which they would deal with Aborigines. Often this perceived freedom was attended by the belief that Aborigines simply had no rights, and were free to be treated as sub-humans.

It is no secret that Aboriginal people were not always passive victims of violence, but it is imperative to note just to what extent Aborigines suffered in exponentially greater numbers. Through disease, white violence, and the incongruous agency of the 'Native Police Force', the Aboriginal population of Queensland in 1897 numbered one-third of its pre-settlement figure. This compared with around 850 settler deaths at the hands of Aborigines.

You can examine this issue from a number of standpoints, but this is fact. Aside from the official reports and statistics indicating the truth of the matter, the amount of anecdotal evidence is also overwhelming.

Poor experiences with these people are notable, nonetheless they can blind or overwhelm a person's perspective, their view of the entire picture. Understanding the complexity and profuse abundance that enveloped and encompassed the Aboriginal culture is what is inescapably required in order for there to be a mutual understanding of how the actions of white settlers in the 18th century and beyond have single-handedly broken and destroyed their humble existence for generations to come.

Family and kinship and an extremely deep and acute sense of bioregionalism are central to these peoples' lives, to their entire culture. And quite paradoxically, these are the two foremost aspects of their existence that settlers strove to dishevel and traumatise, whether intentionally or unintentionally. The Act mentioned previously saw that nearly every area of an Aborigine's life was governed; it practiced enormous scope on this front. Unfortunately, these so-called "protection acts" did anything but.

The separation of Aboriginal children from their families began in earnest in 1883 when the NSW Aborigines Protection Board was established to control what non-Aborigines perceived to be a growing problem of Aboriginal populations congregating around towns. It was argued that the children of these people could be turned into useful citizens if they were taken from their parents and socialised as Europeans. One should understand that from the standpoint of these white settlers, the Aboriginal people were a Doomed Race. This imparted the idea that no blame or guilt should be felt by the colonisers (who believed they were racially superior). Yes, you can carry on until the cows came home about whites being blamed for everything, however unfortunately for me and my people, this is the reality of this situation.

To comprehend the crux of why it is a much more than a difficult task for these people to drag themselves out of the stone age and act like human beings, one requires a basic understanding that our ancestors #ed their chances from the get-go.
I do not diminish the importance of responsibility and living one's own life, and I personally commend any Aboriginal people who have been able to dig themselves out of the hole that they were dumped in the moment colonial settlers set foot on the shores of this country.
However, one cannot simply expect a race of people so diverse in culture, customs and beliefs in contrast to those imposed by white society to swiftly 'get over' generations of trauma inflicted on every possible level. The psychological implications of being treated like less than an animal by these strangers that systematically showed up on your doorstep, who then decided to divide up the land that was considered sacred by you and directly connected to the soul and centrality of your peoples' culture and existence, only to be subjected to indiscriminate murder, physical and emotional abuse, to be physically separated from your beloved family and kin via the rule of a law due to a political system that was utterly foreign to the law of your people, to have the use of your native tongue be deemed illegal, and then, of course, to have your own children dragged out of your own arms because these people thought they would be better off in families like theirs - these white demons - well, needless to say, the implications would understandably be unimaginable.

With alcohol now being more widely available, it was a viable alternative than having to live in the cluster# of a reality that had now become of your life. And from there on in it was a negative downward spiral, witnessed by the future children of these broken people who sponged up their parents behaviour like a Sham-Wow. Do you know what such a loss in identity and life-meaning can do to a person?
Surely this much is evident by now.

[edit on 25/3/10 by pretty_vacant]

reply to post by belial259


A lot of people would love that and many are also white.

Why should it be any different for these indiginous australians who get prime land without cost to call home than it is for the many who need to work and pay the bills for the rest of their lives to achieve the same.

I've seen plenty who don't even care where they live, a life in a riverbed somewhere as long as it's close to their checks and near the pubs to spend all they get. Taking over other peoples empty houses when too cold and having squatters rights to destroy and break these places with no reguard to any laws or any common decency to the home's owner.

Since I'm Australian born, shouldn't I also get these land rights or have the privileges of being on these pieces of indiginous "owned" land as well.

While no single person has gotten it 100% right so far on this thread, neither has anyone gotten it all wrong. There has been much truth on all sides of this discussion.

For example, if every Australian regardless of bloodline, got free money, houses and cars, how many of them would continue to work? This is a human issue; not a racial one.

I am only a small "c" conservative, and only in some areas, but one the best things that the Republicans did in the U.S. was to bring in the "work for welfare" programs. It helped break the issue of generations of people being on welfare as a way of life. It introduced people, albeit forcefully to experience the concept of reward for effort.

On the flip side, we non aboriginals have an enormous amount to learn about the spiritual reality of being one with the earth and not the dominators of it.

Solutions need address all areas, from all perspectives -- both tough love, and respectful honouring of different ways of looking at the world.

We can live with diversity. In fact we must, for the betterment of all -- ie. for "us" too; not just "them".

Those pictures look like my house. I suppose I would have everything cleaned up if I had some money. I spend all my time trying to make some money. I am white. Maybe it is not race but lack of money that causes people to live with rubbish all around.

Originally posted by scubagravy
reply to post by pieman

 

Every country has been invaded in some way or another.

Exactly, and it not always had bad consequences. Tunisia is an OK country now, compared to what's around, because the French gave it the infrastructure and basic governance. Railroads in India were founded a long time ago by the British, and are still being used.

reply to post by pretty_vacant


If your eloquent and all-too sobering post doesn't give the members pause for thought, I don't know what will.

You painted the picture in all it's unimaginable horror and pathetic outcome.

Kudos to you my friend for getting closer than any other to illustrating the complexity and history of Australia's darkest chapter.

reply to post by pieman


Here, Freekin Here!!! This isnt about being adults its about culture and probably a whole lot of anger and frustration on the part of the aboriginals. Stupid #ing people think they change a culture and transplant it and expect it to bucker up and be good Ausiies? WTF? How about carve about a giant area of land like a few thousand square and create a refuge and leave them alone.

reply to post by mckyle


I can only mirror your sentiments mckyle.

Thanks for giving me some more food for thought pretty_vacant.

[edit on 25/3/10 by Chadwickus]

reply to post by belial259


I'm Caucasian, but my dream is the same. Funnily enough, my mother also grew up in care, but has no complaints, she just accepted it - her own mother abandoned her and her siblings due to the depression.

Personally, I think today's world stinks - pursuit of economic growth for the enrichment of a few families who have ruled us through the divide and conquer or order out of chaos philosophies for far too long and unfortunately successfully. All the nation's people should wake up and realize we are mere slaves.

When we UNITE, with clear understanding of the true reality behind our divisions, then we shall topple the blue-bloods in the wink of an eye.

Originally posted by Barkster
reply to post by pieman

 

Here, Freekin Here!!! This isnt about being adults its about culture and probably a whole lot of anger and frustration on the part of the aboriginals. Stupid #ing people think they change a culture and transplant it and expect it to bucker up and be good Ausiies? WTF? How about carve about a giant area of land like a few thousand square and create a refuge and leave them alone.

200 years after white invasion there is little of the original culture left. Yes, many things were done on both sides that we judge today as horrific, but most do see that was not done by those living today and that we do feel terrible about what happened.

We also recognise that we cannot live in the past, nor heal the wounds of those who lived then.. we cannot heal the wounds of those alive today.

What we are left with is simple; each person having to make the best of their life now with what they have, no matter the ethnic background or beliefs.

We understand that self-determinism is important for all peoples, and while we think the Native Aussie aren't privy to such ability, so are many white aussies.. born to this country and therefore Native to Australia also.

The conditions displayed are the result of no respect for anything, especially one's self. This attribute cannot be given nor bolstered by another person, instead it must come from within each individual and then taught to all succeeding generations as being of utmost importance.

As for the suggestion made on giving large tracts of land for these people to be forgotten. This has been done, and many choose to live in this areas. Also many more seek to gain "Ownership" of their ancient tribal lands, which today belongs to people who paid money for it, as we in the western culture do to own land.

Ownership is not a Murri/aboriginal concept, it is a western concept and therefore those people who's ancestors once moved around a large area in their hunting for survival did not OWN anything, nor did they "Caretake" as we consider it today. They simply lived there, and fought other tribes for thesame pathces of ground, much the same as all cultures have done. No one can really OWN the land, no matter what you pay for it or how ancient your connections to it are.

Many of those who do live on their tribal lands live in the same degree of poverty shown in the OP, and they do this by choice, then complain about it loudly. I cannot do this, I am required to do the best I can with what I have, and so to then must all peoples irrespective of their skin colour or beliefs.

I cannot go live on one of these vast tracts of land set aside now for the original inhabitants because I am white. To share the ancient ways and knowledge with me is in many cases taboo. To me this is a sad state of affairs in that there is a massive refusal to share the best aspects of the culture with anyone outside of that culture.

This same culture separates itself. It has its own media awards, in fact it has its own everything to which whites are not usually invited. It is not the whites creating this further separation, it is the aboriginal peoples themselves who choose to have the separatist attitudes... and to abuse/attack the remainder for what happened over 200 years ago.

There is no easy solution to the problem. I have always thought that if a native person wishes to live in the bush and survive in the old ways, then they should have a right to do so. I also think that I should also have the same right.

And this is where we get into further problems. Different laws for different people. It does not work. There must be one rule for all people. Therefore the rules need to be considered fairly so that each person has the exact same rights as the next person to be self-determined, to choose where and how they will live, etc.

Okay, I'm gonna way into this argument, because, this whole sad state is a part of my family history.

My father, Late Uncle and Aunt were removed from their Aboriginal Mother and White Father in 1958, and Dad and my Late Uncle were seperated from my Aunty, reasons unkown as their files cannot be opened for another 60 odd years.

Dad recalls being abused physically by wardens at the homes, and the only time he was allowed to wear clean, new clothes was when the health inspectors came.

Dad and my Late Uncle were fortunate enough to be adopted by a loving White Catholic Family, and life took off for them.

But Many people they went to the homes with, are dead, or in Gaol (Jail for non tradtional spellers), because the Govt Institutions were as a bad, or in many cases, worse then the families they were taken from.


This whole thing is complicated, yes many Koori's living on the missions and town camps live deplorable lives, because from the time their Hunting and Sacred grounds were taken they were put on the missions and what not, and left to their own devices. The Government screwed up and now refuses to remove at risk children, for fear of being percived as racists by Ivory Tower Misfits who preech their Brave New World'esq view.

However, the few Kooris who make it out of the missions and get a job and make it for themselves do get screwed in the arse by the system, and alot just give up and go back to where it started from.

And the Northern Territory Intervention, dosen't seem to be helping as nothing is being done to fix social problems, just giving the Federal Government greater control of Prime Mining Land.


A delicate approach needs to be applied. An intervention is needed but it needs to focus on, Compolsary schooling, respect for self and others, resposibility, ther things that don't exist in some of these communities. If they need to be taken from bad parents, do it, but try to maintain what little Koori Culture is left by placing them in resposible care in the community, or in a totally new, safe community.

AS for Urbanised Kooris like many Friends and Neighbours of mine, (I live in Mt Druitt), Most are fine, there are a notable number of Dropkicks around, but generally all the kooris in my community are just trying to get along in life and make some connection to their past. We get a lot of Mission kids coming here for work, trying to flee their bad upbringings who get screwed around. The Few who succeded go back to help their communites but get told off by the locals and get no backup from the government.


My Solutions,:

-Infrastructural Spending in the area's create jobs, cut Welfare for refusing Jobs
-More Teachers and educators,
-Posititve Male and Female Role Models

Theres a lot more but I'm approaching my word limit

reply to post by Bory_the_Great


I don't think anyone wants to spend anymore money building new facilities and infrastructure only to see it smashed, burnt and destroyed by the inhabitants.

You have to start to help yourself I'm afraid, we have tried using civil means and sadly the only thing that seems to work on controlling the Aborigines is their own cruel traditional punishments.

I know first hand how scared youths become when they find out they are going to be speared...they are scared senseless and really very quickly show remorse which is something our laws cannot do.