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Stolen Generations

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Australia’s shared sense history, the belief that the Europeans, the non-indigenous peoples, came peacefully and discovered a vast new land, inhabited by uncultured natives and therefore claimed this land under terra nullius, a land with no civilized owners. The Europeans, a civilized people, saw it their duty to take ownership, cultivate and control this new country. The new pioneers tried to formed relationships with the Indigenous peoples as they took possession of these new lands. However, not all these relationships were peaceful, the Indigenous peoples did not like the new settlers taking their land. The Non-Indigenous people perceived this hostility was due to the natives being uncultured. The new pioneers believed it their right …show more content…

When the children began to recognise they were different, many had a strong desire to find out where they came from and where they belong. Many Stolen Generations felt they were trapped between two different cultures. The journey to find their identify their culture was not easy for most of the Stolen Generations, when they tried lived as white people they were not accepted and when they tried to live as black people they were also not accepted, they were stuck in the middle. To this day some Stolen Generation are so scarred by their past they choose to live by the culture that was brainwashed into them as children, because that is all they understand, that they are a white person. As a young child and teenager I found it difficult to understand my Maori culture and I was often discriminated against due to the colour of my skin. I fiercely blamed and resented my Maori heritage for the racism I had endured. Eventually your blend in and live like an Australian embracing the Australian culture. However, as Sam Dinah pointed out, you can live your whole life in a country, go to school, work, become part of the community, follow the culture and still not be called Australian. Although nothing compares to the horrific trauma the Aboriginal peoples endured I understand that sometimes you do not know where you

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