Aboriginal Children

Words: 1033
Pages: 5
Open Document
Aboriginal children was removed from their family because of the policies in European colonisation. The Deserted Wives and Children Maintenance Act in 1863, and The Industrial and Reformatory Schools Act in 1865 were the policies that stimulated the removal of Aboriginal children. This essay will show the motivation of government and society, and discuss how these policies were utilized to reform their culture. In fact, negative influences of these history still can be seen today, such as the identity and culture lost, juvenile crimes and mental illness.
To begin with, the concept of children removal was started from Britain. In nineteenth century, the value of “child saving” in Britain was strong, as they believed that young offenders was …show more content…
During the European colonisation, Aboriginal children was labelled as the “problem population’ by the government; therefore, policies were utilized to reform their culture (Shirleene 2010, p. 61). While white children were considered as an innocence generation, the Aboriginal children were defined as ‘savage’ and ‘vice’ (Shirleene 2013 p.305). In addition, the government believed that the Aboriginal culture and identity were barriers in the ‘normal’ part of the European-Australian society; therefore, the Aboriginal children should be ‘rescued’ and ‘transformed’ (Robert 1999, p. 298). In 1814, this motivation caused the first reform scheme in New South Wales. The government established an institution to train the Aboriginal children in menial tasks. Although it failed after nine years, the assumption of training Aboriginal children was built in the country (Haebich 2000, p. 150). During the time, the values of government has greatly influenced the society. In 1840, the Australian Sydney newspaper expressed that the training was good for the Aboriginal children, because they could be prepared in the Australian society (Shirleene 2013 p.306). Meanwhile, a journal in Western Australian reported that an aboriginal children named John Bungaree was a good example. He achieved an outstanding academic result, because of the training and civilisation (Keith …show more content…
Social identity is established from the national acceptance and tradition (Weedon 2004, p. 24). However, in the early twentieth century, the government did not count Aboriginals as Australian people who had citizenship rights in the society (Gardiner-Garden 2000). For instance, at that time, the David Berry Hospital was the only hospital could accept Aboriginal people (Colyer & Sullivan 2004, p. 8). Therefore, people argued that the Aboriginals social identity was unrecognized, but associated with social discrimination and stereotypes (Clarke 2000, p. 152). Furthermore, many Aboriginal people lived in urban because of the removal history; therefore, their native cultures was lost, such as languages and traditions (Grant 2002, p. 52). Currently, many Aboriginals’ descent were mixed regarding their history, and it caused confuses of self-identity. A study revealed that 100% of the Aboriginal children with mixed descent have been questioned about their identity, and 75% of them has denied or felt confused (Foley 2000, p. 46). Other findings revealed that the Nyungah people, one of the Aboriginals in Western Australia, were directly recognized them as white people, because they wanted to avoid onerous explanation (Boladeras 2002). A research which explored identities and cultures among Aboriginal participants by interviewing, participants expressed that the colonial history, racism experiences and
Show More

Related Documents: Aboriginal Children

Aboriginal Children That Contribute To Risk Factors For Early Childhood Caries

evaluating underlying aboriginal community components that contribute to risk factors for early childhood caries (ECC) several solutions for improved child oral health can be achieved. Advocacy for community water fluoridation and fluoride varnish program access is crucial for the prevention of ECC. Also, increased resources and opportunity for community based oral health initiatives will help prevent aboriginal oral health disparities. Lack of oral health education in Aboriginal communities contributes…

Words 2413 - Pages 10

Aboriginal Protection Act

What was the aboriginal protection act? The Aboriginal Protection Act in 1869 was to provide care and protection for aboriginal children but instead, lead to generations of children being taken away from their family as it denied aboriginal person rights and liberties. About 100,000 indigenous children have stolen approximately in late 1800 to 1970.These children were taken away to child shelters located across the state that they were living in. The children who were stolen during this period are…

Words 967 - Pages 4

Geo Essay Residential Schools

First Nations children in Canada attended residential schools. Aboriginal children across the country were stripped from their families and communities, and they were forced to attend these schools. At residential schools, children experienced a trauma which included emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. These abuses were just some consequences for speaking their indigenous language. The mandatory attendance of First Nations children in residential schools led to a major loss of Aboriginal languages…

Words 902 - Pages 4

Resistance Towards Aboriginal People Essay

British colonisers in the eighteenth century, observations of the population of Australia’s Aboriginal people numbered 315,000 to over one million people (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2008). By the next century, the Aboriginal population had dropped to an estimated 300,000 to 60,000 (Butlin, 1983); caused by a series of wars, violent engagements, massacres, disease, and land encroachment. Many Aboriginal people disappeared from the diseases introduced, caused by not having immunity (Australian…

Words 1772 - Pages 8

Justification for the Stolen Generations in Australia Essay

How was the removal of Aboriginal Children from their families justified by the Australian Government and white society?? At the turn of the twentieth century the systematic forced removal of Aboriginal children from their mothers, families and cultural heritage was commonplace. There were several reasons that the government and white society used to justify the separation but the prevailing ideology of nationalism and maintaining Australia for the ‘whites’ was the over-riding motivation and justification…

Words 1837 - Pages 8

Colonization In Colonial Canada

negative and racist as association to it can have connections to laws and policies that seek to control and limits the aboriginal/Indian culture. 3) Sixty’s Scoop: This was the period…

Words 870 - Pages 4

A Guide To Australia's Stolen Generation Analysis

spreading across 70 countries worldwide. In Australia, Aboriginal are the first nation of the Australian continent. The Aboriginals have been living on the Australian continent for at least 50,000 years, rooting the culture and background of the country. In 1788, when European settlers first arrived in Australia, it had a great impact on the indigenous people’s life, their land has been taken away, and have been exposure to new diseases, the Aboriginals have been treated unfairly and have been badly affected…

Words 1002 - Pages 5

Essay on The Importance of Aboriginal Studies for Young Adults

The Importance of Aboriginal Studies for Young Adults It is essential that all secondary school students complete the Aboriginal Literature course as it reveals the impartial truth about Aboriginal Canadians’ history, allowing students to become more culturally aware citizens of Canada. The Aboriginal English course emphasizes history as a strong foundation to comprehending issues between the First Nations people and Canadian Government. The course also educates students to improve their understanding…

Words 1179 - Pages 5

Residential Schools

Aboriginal Studies Sofia: Topic One- Residential Schools, and their impact on identity. Residential schools were government-funded religious schools built to assimilate Aboriginal children to European culture. First Nation, Inuit, and Metis children were taken from their families, stripped of their clothes, and forced to adapt to Christian-Canadian culture. Churches such as the Anglican, Catholic, United, and Presbyterian ran residential…

Words 614 - Pages 3

Stolen Generation Research Paper

Started + Aboriginal Protection Act. Faced by the Aboriginal children during the early 20th century was an act of disgust and a total mistreat of their personal rights. The term “Stolen Generation” describes the many Aboriginal and some Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families by past Australian Federal, State, and Government agencies from the late 1800’s to the 1970’s. These removals were carried out under acts of their respective parliaments, and the children removed…

Words 835 - Pages 4