Australia

The name “Australia” was given to the land of the south by Europeans who conquered it in the sixteenth century. The country was situated in the Southern Ocean and thus, arrived at the name from the Latin word “astral”, which means south. The habitation of Australia has a long history of turbulence and take-overs. 

The “aborigines” is a common name given to those from different societies in this part of the world. They started settling in Australia about 40,000 years ago and probably came from New Guinea, connected to this land via a bridge. Around the late eighteenth century, 350-750 native tribes existed in Australia, and each spoke its language. About 200 of these languages are still spoken today! The country has a scattered population, with most of it focused on the coastal towns, as deserts make up most of the central region. 

The Conquest

Many comparisons can be drawn between the European acquisition of America and Australia. The first of the interactions between natives and foreigners come from Captain Cook and his crew, which emphasised the friendliness of the native people. However, when a misunderstanding led to Cook’s murder by a native from Hawaii, the British took this isolated incident to reverse their views of the natives and justify their ill-treatment. 

During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, around 90% of the native population died due to increased exposure to various types of germs, loss of their land and resources at the hands of the Europeans and in battles against them. The British employed the same tactic of forceful settlement that they had in America. Most of these new settlers were ex-convicts who had been either deported or allowed to live as free people in Australia on the one condition that they do not return to their own country. Thus, with no way to make a livelihood, they experienced little hesitation in kicking out the native population after forcibly snatching their lands for cultivation. 

Economic Development

The economic development of Australia was mostly under European settlement. Sheep farms and mining areas were set up at a large scale and over a long period of time, employing intense labour. Vineyards and wheat farming followed this. The aforementioned avenues defined the country’s prosperity. However, the natives put to work faced harsh conditions that were no different from slavery. In 1911, the various states of Australia united and the name of the capital was decided as Canberra, which was derived from the native word kamberra, meaning ‘meeting place’.

Chinese immigrants to Australia provided cheap labour, but the Europeans were hesitant in depending on people who were not white. Thus, Chinese immigration was banned up to the year 1974. There was a general fear of “dark people” from South and Southeast Asia that they would migrate to Australia and other British colonies in large numbers if they were allowed. A strict government policy was implemented to keep the “non-whites” out of the land. 

Winds of Change

In the year 1968, a lecture moved the public from W.E.H Stanner titled “the Great Australian Silence”, alluding to the silence of most historians on the story of the aborigines. The subsequent years saw an increased eagerness to understand the natives from an anthropological lens and as independent communities with unique cultures. The people wanted to understand things like how the aborigines understood nature and climate and how their traditions of stories, textiles, painting and carving instilled a sense of community. Following this, Henry Reynolds greatly articulated an urgent question in his book “Why weren’t we told?” that criticised the writing of Australian history by taking Captain Cook’s discovery as the starting point. 

Since then, most universities have introduced departments and courses in native studies, art galleries have been dedicated to native art, and the natives have started putting down their own stories. Many museums have also incorporated dioramas and creatively designed rooms to explain native cultures to the general public. This wind of change came at a critical time to not let the people forget these cultures. Starting from 1974, ‘multiculturalism’ has been the country-wide policy of Australia which recognises and respects native cultures and various others from Europe and Asia. Further, with the introduction of the concept of ‘human rights’ at meetings with international agencies, Australia realised they had no specific treaties formalising that the Europeans had taken over the land of the natives. Thus, the government labelled the Australian land as ‘terra nullius, meaning belonging to nobody. 

Conclusion: 

In recent years, two important decisions have been made by the government. One that the strong bonds of the natives with their land demand recognition and respect as it is sacred to them. Two that a public apology should be issued to all children who have been treated unjustly as a result of being mixed blood. There is a long history of such children being captured and forced apart from their native relatives. The past cannot be undone. However, the people of Australia recognise the fact that they can do better for the coming generations.