Welcome to the Boomerang Weblog!

This weblog aims to raise awareness about Aboriginal Australia and offers a platform for discussion and concrete action. The colonization of Aboriginal Australia has affected the Indigenous people in many ways. The cultural differences between the European settlers and the Indigenous people of Australia resulted in several conflicts. The major issue for the Aboriginals is the right to self-determination and recognition of their legitimate ownership of the traditional and sacred land. For that reason, the main focus of this weblog will be on these issues. A history timeline, contemporary issues, facts & figures about Aboriginal culture and history, major recent developments & achievements and a list of relevant sources such as books and films are published on this weblog to provide you with information on Aboriginal issues. If you feel touched by what you have seen on this weblog, you can make a change by looking at the ‘Make a Difference!' section.

Visual Storytelling of the Island of the Sun

Before the arrival of the European settlers, the Aboriginal people of the sacred land—which they called the Island of the Sun—lived linked and intertwined with their ancestors, who created them along with the land they shaped and gave them their laws and languages. They hunted, fished, lived in perfect harmony with nature and from time to time traded with other cultures such as Muslim Indonesians, Papuans, and even the Chinese, who recognised them as the owners of the land until the coming of the European settlers.

Pre-European Contact

Post-European Contact

These pictures are taken in Cattai Mitchell Parc (Sydney area), Kakadu National Parc (Darwin), Tjakupai National Parc (Cairns) & (Central Australia) Alice Springs, Uluru, The Olga's & Kings Canyon in 2008.

History Timeline

65,000 B.C. – 1616 A.D.
Aboriginals live according to their ancient laws.

1616
Dirk Hartog is the first European explorer to set foot on Western Australia, near Shark Bay. It is not certain his crew had contact with the Aborginals.

1770
Lieutenant James Cook raises the British flag and claims the east coast of Australia. The British annexation of Indigenous Australia is based on the doctrine of terra nullius. This means that the British believed Australia belonged to no-one before their arrival. In practice this means that indigenous Australians have no rights.

1788
The colonization of Australia begins. The Aboriginals resist and many years of conflict follow. The Aboriginals do not have formal citizenship, but are subjects to the British Royal House. It should be noted also the colonizers had the same status. White male suffrage (right to vote) did not exist unitl 1858.

1804
Also Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) is occupied. British colonizers are given permission to shoot Indigenous Australians.
1837The treatment of Indigenous peoples in all British colonies is investigated. The report expresses its disapproval of the practice of genocide in the Australian colonies.

1886
Under the Aborigines Protection Act all Aboriginals should be provided with food and clothing when necessary and education for Aboriginal children was promoted. The act was aimed to improve the well-being of the Aboriginal people. However, under this act children could also be removed from their families as part of the policy of ‘resocialization.’

1901-1948
In all states laws were made that controlled the movement, marriage and employment of Aboriginal people. Furthermore, children could be removed from their families throughout Australia.

1902
Commonwealth Franchise Act prohibits Aboriginal people to vote.

1905
Under the Royal Commission the the Aborigines Act is adopted. The removal of children was legalized, and reserves and missions were set up. Additionally, under this act the freedom and movement of Aboriginal people was further limited.

1931
Three young girls escape from Moore River Government Settlement and walk 1000 kilometres to their home in Jigalong, evading both Police and Trackers. Their story is depicted in the 2002 Australian film, The Rabbit Proof Fence.

1940s
Professor AP Ekin, the Aborigines Friend Association and others protest against the current Aboriginal policies and lobby for voting rights and overall better conditions.

1944
Aboriginals could obtain under the Natives Act limited ‘citizenship’ if they could prove that they lived a ‘civilized life’ and gave up connections with the Aboriginals who did not have these rights. However, this ‘citizenship’ could be withdrawn at any time.

1948 – 1949
Nationality and Citizenship Act establishes that all Australian-born people are citizens of Australia rather than British subjects. The right to vote in Federal elections is extended to Indigenous people who have served in the armed forces, or who are enrolled to vote in State elections. Indigenous people in Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory still cannot vote in State/Territory elections.

1951
At the Third Commonwealth-State Native Welfare Conference, Canberra formally adopts a policy of assimilation in regards to Indigenous Australians ... "assimilation means that, in the course of time, it is expected that all persons of 'aboriginal blood' or 'mixed blood' in Australia will live like other white Australians do."

1960
Social Service benefits are paid directly to Indigenous Australians for the first time.

1962 - 1965
Aboriginal people obtained the right to vote, although voting is not compulsory.

1967
A Commonwealth Referendum is held. Aboriginal people are given citizenship rights. Commonwealth Government is also given the power to legislate in relation to Aboriginal matters.Federal voting right extended to include all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) Australians.

1971
Aboriginal flag is raised for the first time.

1972
Department of Aboriginal Affairs (now Department of Indigenous Affairs) is established.Federal Labor government of Gough Whitlam adopts self-determination as the official government policy in Indigenous Affairs. “White Australia” policy officially abandoned.

1975
Racial Discrimination Act guarantees the right of every Australian, regardless of race, to equal treatment before the law extending to voting, freedom of movement, property ownership, education and right of access privileges.

1980
First ‘Aboriginal’ appearance in a United Nations Forum.

1988
Australia's representative to the United Nations Human Rights Committee acknowledges: "public policy regarding the care of Aboriginal children, particularly during the post-war period, had been a serious mistake." Thousands of Indigenous people and supporters march through the streets of Sydney to celebrate survival on the Bicentennial of British colonization of Australia.

1992-1993
The High Court’s decision on the Mabo case and the Native Title Act was legalized

1999
Australian Prime Minister John Howard passes a formal motion of reconciliation.

13 February 2008
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologizes on behalf of the Government to the Aboriginal people for past suffering. Although no compensation is offered, Rudd promises to close the 17 year life expectancy gap within a generation by adopting new policies.

Contemporary Issues

DISCRIMINATION AND DISADVANTAGE

This section focuses on disadvantage experienced by many indigenous people, arising from historical, social and economic causes. However, most indigenous Australians lead rewarding lives contributing to both their family and the wider community.

Education
Since European colonisation of Australia, indigenous Australians have experienced inequality, compared with non-indigenous Australians, across many facets of society. Education is one area where levels of participation, engagement and achievement have been significantly lower amongst indigenous Australians than in the wider population. In 2006 indigenous students were half as likely to continue to Year 12 as non-indigenous students. Non-indigenous Australians are also more likely to complete tertiary education.


Pictures by: Rusty Steward , published on March 3, 2007.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rustystewart/409554705/

Employment
Education has flow-on effects to employment. In 2004-05 the unemployment rate for indigenous Australians (13%) was about three times that of non-indigenous Australians (4%). Having a job is important to living standards, self-esteem and overall well-being, and is also very important for providing basic need to a family. The economic disadvantage of indigenous Australians is also reflected in inequalities in household income and home ownership.

Over-Representation in the Criminal Justice System
Indigenous people, both adults and young people, are highly over-represented in the criminal justice system. In 2006, indigenous Australians were 13 times more likely to be imprisoned than non-indigenous Australians.

Health and Well-being
The stark disparity between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians’ health is shown most clearly in life expectancy statistics –indigenous life expectancy is 17 years lower than non-indigenous Australians. The disparity begins at birth - the infant mortality rate for indigenous children is significantly higher than for non-indigenous children. Health and well-being are influenced by a complex range of factors, including income, education, access to adequate health care, environmental impacts and lifestyle factors. Suicide and self-harm is a cause of great grief and distress in some indigenous communities. Suicide death rates for indigenous people (between 19 and 45 people per 100 000) were higher than for non-indigenous Australians (between 11 and 16 per 100 000) in Queensland, Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia for 2001-2005. Domestic violence, child abuse and community violence are complex issues in both indigenous and non-indigenous communities. These problems are related to issues of poverty, unemployment, substance abuse and housing overcrowding.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIuK_F80X08&feature=related youtube link to Oxfam “Close the Gap” video on improving indigenous health.


Pictures by: Rusty Steward , published on March 3, 2007.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rustystewart/409555336/

Need for Research-based Government Initiatives
Education, employment, health and well-being are all inter-related and there is a need for a government approach, which addresses all aspects of discrimination and disadvantage. Many different strategies and approaches have been implemented, but so far nothing has closed the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. Research-based initiatives are needed to find a policy which works and brings benefits to indigenous Australians. There also needs to be enough funding so that effective policies are implemented everywhere and successful programs are available to everyone.

The Stolen Generation
"The Stolen Generations" refers to the members of the Indigenous Australian community, who, from between the mid-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century, were separated from their families "legally" through legislations passed by the government–the motives of which are debated even today. While official evidence declares that the intentions behind the removal were solely those of child protection and the effort to stabilize the rapid decline of the aboriginal population post-European contact. However, the harsh methods utilized by the officials for the extraction of the children from their homes and families were not appreciated by many people and thus, the " Stolen Generations" became a phrase of many controversies, accusations and defensive statements.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3TZOGpG6cM Kevin Rudd’s apology to the Stolen Generation .
Source: Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage: Key Indicators 2007 Overview, Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision, Commonwealth of Australia 2007.

Land Rights
Many years the Aboriginal people have been denied their right to their land. Every state now handles the issue of land rights differently. In 1983 the NSW government implemented The Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983. This act acknowledges that the Aboriginal people are the traditional owners of the land and that due to past Government decisions the Aboriginal people have been denied land without compensation.
The act promotes cooperation between the Government and Aboriginal Land Councils. Together they want to improve the living conditions of the Aboriginal people. Sometimes this includes returning land, but also housing is an important topic in their policies.
Recently the concept of native title has been introduced. It legally recognizes the rights and interests of Aboriginal people in the land and water as defined by their own traditional laws and customs. The difference with land rights is that only the High Court can grant native title. Land rights is an issue the Government deals with.
Source: New South Wales Department of Aboriginal Affairs http://www.daa.nsw.gov.au

Protection of Cultural Heritage
The Aboriginal people have a close connection to the land. They do not only use the land for food resources, but it is very important in their culture, social and spiritual life. They know much of the land and this knowledge is important in maintaining the land. Therefore, they are consulted when something needs to happen on the land. For example, in 2001 the department of Mineral Resources wanted to do research on land that was a place which Aboriginal people used for food collection and found medicinal plants. Together with a local Aboriginal land management council they came up with a plan that satisfied both parties.
Source: New South Wales Department of Aboriginal Affairs http://www.daa.nsw.gov.au

Facts & Figures

Population
Aboriginal Australians and Torres Islander are the First People of Australia. In the 2006 Census Aboriginal and Torres Islander people made up 2,3% of the total Australian population—there were 455,031 Indigenous people and 19.855.288 Australians counted in the 2006 Census (27,4% of the Indigenous population lives today in the Northern territory).

Dreamtime
Dreamtime is the Aboriginal Australian equivalent of the big bang. The Dreamtime is the beginning of creation, the process of which is called "dreaming". However, dreaming is also the term used for an individual's or community's set of spiritual beliefs, which may be peculiar to respective Aboriginal countries. The Aboriginals believe that their ancestral spirits descended to the earth in all forms—which is to say these spirits formed the earth, the water, the sky, and all other organic and inorganic creations. The Spirits are omnipresent and the forms they have assumed will remain till they have accomplished their duty, and then they will move on to assume other semblances. These manifestations of the Spirits established relations with other entities, and it is often that the formation of hills, rivers, relationships between organisms and other phenomena have stories attached to them, which explain their nature to the people. The stories which are handed down from generation to generation form an essential part of a person's or community's "dreaming".



Click for full size

Languages
It is estimated that before European contact, there were over 250 languages spoken in Aboriginal Australia, with over 600 dialects.

Food Resources & Vegetation
Aborigines had a wide range of food resources thatvaried over seasons—they hunted animals such as kangaroos, emus, possums, wild birds like ducks geese, pidgins, swans, but also seafood such as fish, crabs, shellfish and other types; these were hunted by the man. Woman collected fruits, nuts, tubers, seeds for bread, lizards, frogs and honey ants. In some areas of the continent up to 1000 plant spices were used for food. Aboriginals believe that everything is created by the ancestral spirits and that there are still strong totemic relationships between humans and animals—it was taboo for humans to eat their totem. Therefore, some clan groups are not allowed to eat certain animals while others can.

Clans & Tribes
Aborigines lived for ages in extended families or clan groups. These groups were defined by kinship according to the Aboriginal law. Each clan group within the tribe that spoke the same language was responsible for a part of the country that belonged to the tribe. In most Aboriginal tribes, there were 7 or 8 clans and each belonged to a kingroup or moiety. Members were only permitted to marry people of opposing kingroups regulated by the Aboriginal law—interclan, intertribal and tribal contacts were bound by strict protocols.

Customs & Traditions
Aboriginals lived in small family groups by hunting, fishing and gathering food. They belonged to the land as an integral part of it. This land was given to them in the dreamtime and there was no concept of buying, selling or conquering the land. Most tribes spend half of the day hunting and gathering. Water was a meter of life and death for the inland tribes—they knew where the water holes were, how to get water from trees and roots and they even knew where to dig for frogs that stored water under their skins. They made tools from wood, fish hooks and sewing needles from animal bones, nets and ropes from grasses and fibres and also knew how to make glue, mats, skirts and even fish poison. They were and still are the masters of the bush.

Gender Roles
In Aboriginal culture man and woman are equal, but have separate roles. Man hunt and provide meat for the family and woman gather the wild vegetables as well as fruits and look after the children. In some instances, women also hunt small animals that wander past the camp. The gender roles of the Aborigines are manifestations of the actions of ancestral beings that set an immutable eternal pattern. Both genders have their initiation and their secret ceremonies. Marriages are arranged before the children are born—they become promised to opposing kingroups by the elders and the woman within the boundaries of Aboriginal law. The girls marry as soon as they reach womanhood. Man can have more than one wife and all the wife's and children have to be treated equally.

Family Systems
The Aboriginal people live in family groups ranging from 15 to 30 people, called bands. They usually regard themselves as related to other groups in their geographical and linguistic region. Kinship systems are very important to the Aboriginals, because it determines how they behave towards each other. They have a sort of a mental map in their heads about who is related to who. The relationships are determined by “blood” (relatives) and marriage.

Click for full size

Arts
Arts have an important role in Aboriginal culture. Big aboriginal groups used to come together to exchange many things, varying from boomerangs and didgeridoos to pearl shells. Artefacts could therefore travel great distances. Pearl shells from the Kimberley for example, have been traded all the way down to South Australia. However, they not only traded artefacts. On these big get-togethers they would also teach each other new ceremonial song verses or dances.
Aboriginal ceremonies usually consist of songs, mime and dancing. Young men for example, gather around to paint their bodies and mime stories of the dreamtime. In this ceremony they learn what it is to be Aboriginal men.
The didgeridoo is their most important musical instrument. They have songs for every occasion: for hunting, funerals, dreamtime stories, landscapes and even gossip!
Aboriginal rock art usually depicts daily life stories. It is often about surviving in their land. Painted rock art about fishing for example was used to teach the kids how to recognize particular fish and how to catch them.
Source: http://aboriginalart.com.au/

Major Recent Developments & Achievements

The Harbour Bridge Reconciliation Walk

The Reconciliation Walk took place on the 28th of May, 2000. Over 250 000 people walked 4 kilometres from North Sydney over the Sydney Harbour Bridge to Darling Harbour to support reconciliation. The Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation organised the event to launch their document “Australian Declaration Towards Reconciliation” which was made freely available and sent to politicians. It asked that the government say “Sorry” and acknowledge the ‘Stolen Generation’. Those who participated in the walk were asked to sign the declaration, and to place a handprint on a giant canvas.

Pictures by: sydneydawq2006, published June 15, 2007.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3090/2681547659_fbc5af36fc.jpg?v=0

Pictures by: hopkinsii , published June 9, 2006.
www.flickr.com/photos/hopkinsii/163606333/in/set-72157594160433693/

Symbolic multi-coloured hands were used in the Botanical Gardens to represent the gap between the ‘Stolen Generation’ and their families, and the gap between Australians of all races that needed to be reconciled. Similar walks and demonstrations were held in major cities all across Australia.

Pictures by: Just for fun - Jason , published August 8, 2008.

www.flickr.com/photos/q15928/2745038467/

There were performances by many celebrities including aboriginal TV personality Ernie Dingo, and activist turned politician Peter Garrett with his band Midnight Oil. Overhead a skywriting plane wrote the word “Sorry”, re-writing it every time it faded.

Source: NSW Parliamentary website, Hansard, Corroboree 2000, last modified 5th December 2007.
www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/PARLMENT/hansArt.nsf/V3Key/LC20000524046

The Aboriginal Tent Embassy
The Aboriginal Tent Embassy is a campsite on the lawns of old Parliament House in Canberra. It was formed by Aboriginal activists in 1972, and although the government removed them many times, the Tent Embassy has been a permanent site since Australia Day, 1992.

Picture by: Superciliousness, June 10, 2005.
www.flickr.com/photos/superciliousness/24868870/

Originally a response to the government refusing to grant land rights, it has become a legendary centre of Aboriginal activism. The Embassy stands for Aboriginal Sovereignty – the right to be legally considered a community that is independent from colonial Australia. Embassy activists want a legal treaty to be negotiated and signed between the Embassy and the government.

Picture by: Pierre Pouliquin, June 19, 2007.
www.flickr.com/photos/pierre_pouliquin/855987344/

The symbolism of the Tent Embassy continues today. “We often feel like aliens in our own land, so we need an Embassy.” Gary Foley, an Aboriginal activist recalled. Early reactions to the Tent Embassy included annoyance because the tents were an “eyesore” at Australia’s capital city – but the Embassy activists say the tents, humpies and sheds are a political reminder of how many Aborigines today are forced to live.

Picture by: Superciliousness, June 29, 2005.
www.flickr.com/photos/superciliousness/29587087/

Source : The Parliament of Australia’s website, The Parliamentary Library, Aboriginal Tent Embassy: Icon or Eyesore by Coral Dow, published on the 4th of April 2000.
www.aph.gov.au/library/Pubs/chron/1999-2000/2000chr03.htm

The Government Says Sorry
On the 13th of February 2008, at the first sitting of Parliament, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologised on behalf of the government to indigenous Australians. Hundreds of people travelled to Canberra to hear the speech. Others gathered in their state capitals and watched the speech on huge screens in public places.

Photograph by: arndbergmann
www.flickr.com/photos/arndbergmann/2261353417/

Prime Minister Rudd consulted with Aboriginal groups to make sure the wording of the speech was acceptable to Indigenous Australia. He apologised not only for injustices of the past, such as the ‘’Stolen Generation’, but made promises to address future issues such as Indigenous health and education.

Photograph by: Tilly Dog Fauxtografix
www.flickr.com/photos/keithspics/2261691859/

For the first time, the Australian government officially said:

“We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians. We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country.”


Photograph by: Kelbel83
www.flickr.com/photos/kelbel83/433134137/

“For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry. To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry. And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry.”

Source: The Prime Minister’s official website, Apology to Australia’s Indigenous Peoples, published on the 13th of February 2008. www.pm.gov.au/media/speech/2008/speech_0073.cfm

Important Achievements of Aboriginal People
-Ongoing Aboriginal Cultures and Languages
-Ongoing connections to land, plants animals and waters
-Individual excellence in sports, creative arts, politics, law, medicine and many other areas
-Successful indigenous organisations and campaigns
-Participation in international bodies such as the United Nations including the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Populations, World Intellectual Property Organisation, Convention on Biological Diversity

Make a Difference!