The changing experience of Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians, defined
Indigenous Australians are defined as;
“The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of Australia, who are descended from the groups that existed in Australia and the surrounding islands prior to British colonisation.”
Indigenous Australians are often referred to as the ‘First Peoples of Australia’, due to their status as being the first human settlers to the Australian continent, approximately 60,000 years ago.
However, this broad and sweeping generalisation of both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is not without issue, as both cultures are significantly different from each other. Indeed, the same can be said even within the term Aboriginal peoples, …show more content…
In traditional Indigenous Australian society, customary law was a significant part of the justice system of individual tribes. This customary law was distinct from later Western law as it was passed by word of mouth (rather than being codified), and due to the fact that it was not consistent between tribes and clans (different parts of Australia would have significantly different laws, depending on the culture and customs of that tribe or clan).
Though it is hard to generalise across the many tribes and clans that make up the terms Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, there were a few common rights that were established across cultures;
• The right to life, as is common across most societies, was ever-present;
• The right to freedom of possessions and personal self against …show more content…
It is during this period that the rights of the Indigenous Australians were, at the very least, unofficially recognised in the eyes of many Australians.
The onset of both World Wars during this period most certainly paved a significant route for the Indigenous peoples to ‘prove their worth’ in the eyes of the white Australians. Indeed, many Indigenous people were allowed to, and did, register for the Australian Army during both wars. In keeping with the themes of the ‘ANZAC Spirit’, these men were welcomed with open arms – at least on the battlefield – and were seen at the very least as people, if not equals.
This comradery would stay entrenched in the hearts of many Australians during the federation-era, and although the Indigenous peoples were not recognised as official citizens of Australia, and had far fewer rights, they were most certainly brought back to a similar status they were at before the colonial-era. It was most certainly acknowledged that Indigenous Australians were people, and that any act that would be deemed atrocious against a white man, would be equally deemed inappropriate for an Indigenous Australian – and even if this were not true in the eye of the law, it was still socially
Indigenous Australians, defined
Indigenous Australians are defined as;
“The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of Australia, who are descended from the groups that existed in Australia and the surrounding islands prior to British colonisation.”
Indigenous Australians are often referred to as the ‘First Peoples of Australia’, due to their status as being the first human settlers to the Australian continent, approximately 60,000 years ago.
However, this broad and sweeping generalisation of both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is not without issue, as both cultures are significantly different from each other. Indeed, the same can be said even within the term Aboriginal peoples, …show more content…
In traditional Indigenous Australian society, customary law was a significant part of the justice system of individual tribes. This customary law was distinct from later Western law as it was passed by word of mouth (rather than being codified), and due to the fact that it was not consistent between tribes and clans (different parts of Australia would have significantly different laws, depending on the culture and customs of that tribe or clan).
Though it is hard to generalise across the many tribes and clans that make up the terms Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, there were a few common rights that were established across cultures;
• The right to life, as is common across most societies, was ever-present;
• The right to freedom of possessions and personal self against …show more content…
It is during this period that the rights of the Indigenous Australians were, at the very least, unofficially recognised in the eyes of many Australians.
The onset of both World Wars during this period most certainly paved a significant route for the Indigenous peoples to ‘prove their worth’ in the eyes of the white Australians. Indeed, many Indigenous people were allowed to, and did, register for the Australian Army during both wars. In keeping with the themes of the ‘ANZAC Spirit’, these men were welcomed with open arms – at least on the battlefield – and were seen at the very least as people, if not equals.
This comradery would stay entrenched in the hearts of many Australians during the federation-era, and although the Indigenous peoples were not recognised as official citizens of Australia, and had far fewer rights, they were most certainly brought back to a similar status they were at before the colonial-era. It was most certainly acknowledged that Indigenous Australians were people, and that any act that would be deemed atrocious against a white man, would be equally deemed inappropriate for an Indigenous Australian – and even if this were not true in the eye of the law, it was still socially