Terra nullius

During the Victorian Era, classification of individuals was based on ethnography and physical appearance. If you were not perceived as being a European, then you belong to the so-called “other” group which mostly consisted of native people or people of colour. The concept of othering emerged, arguably, when Europeans came into direct contact with Indigenous people of North America. The visible difference in appearance and dialogue led to perceiving natives as being different. The language around…

In the early 18th century Australia was colonised by the European settlers. At that time land was claimed ‘terra nullius’, an empty land without an owner, however, the fact was Indigenous people were living here for thousands of years (Prentis, 2011). According to Forsyth (2007) European settlement came with laws and policies that aimed at isolating and regulating the Aboriginal people in Australia (). Racism means separating the people based on their biological appearance mostly based on skin…

Intervention in the existing historiography is essential for historians to contribute new research while addressing the methodological differences throughout the field. To do so, historians use a combination of both methodological and historiographical approaches. These approaches become the key to unlocking new ideas, challenging previous paradigms, and expanding research. Historians Mark Wilson and Ella Fratantuono provide two case studies to analyze, that subsequently reveal how historians…

There is a Western myth that the Aztecs used to sacrifice a person every day so that the sun would continue to rise on the morn. Whether or not this explanation for Aztec sacrifice is true or not is not something to be taken up here, but it does serve to analogize the ways in which Native lives and worldviews are sacrificed every day for the Western Settler world to see the new dawn. The violence of sacrifice is intricate, it is religious, it is beyond words, but, most importantly, it defines…

In Gloria Anzaldúa’s Borderlands/La Frontera, the question of home is always close at hand. Questions such as what does it mean to be home and what is a home are constantly circulating throughout the text and tend to haunt the Mestiza body as a raced, foreign, and oriental body. She writes that “…in leaving home I did not lose touch with my origins because lo mexicano [emphasis original] is in my system. I am a turtle, wherever I go I carry ‘home’ on my back.” This is a crucial interjection…

A primary issue within Indigenous affairs is the intergenerational disadvantage, however, another key issue is the frequent discrimination and racism. Beyondblue have stated Australia is still a society in which 1 in 5 individuals openly admit to having racist attitudes towards Indigenous people (2014). Many Australians are aware of the discrimination that exists yet, many do not understand that it is directly connected to the nation's history of colonisation. This issue is also perpetuated by…

It 's a necessity to draw a connection to the past and present, not only when discussing our own history and culture but the culture of the Indigenous people who were here before us. The reason for this is that not only if we understand their culture can we, as a species, improve, but it 'll also give us a firm understanding of a culture that was severely damaged by years of prejudice and hate, looking at this is something that will allow us a species to move forward. The site I chose to visit…

International Law of Colonialism lays out the Ten Elements of Discovery; Christianity, Civilization, First discovery, actual occupancy and possession, pre-emption, Indian/Native title, Limited Indigenous sovereign and commercial rights, contiguity, Terra nullius and conquest. (pg. 83) I had not considered before that destructive and detrimental colonialism followed a political structure even at the point of discovery. The week of these readings and realisations correlated with lessons regarding…

Year 10 RE Assessment: Kanyini Questions Part A (Answer all 4 questions) – 8 marks 1. Describe the landscape around Uluru The land around Uluru is surrounded by areas with little vegetation and no tall vegetation. The main vegetation around Uluru are shrubs. The area is hot, sandy, rocky desert. 2. How does Bob Randall explain his people’s connection with the land? Bob Randall explains his people’s connection with the land as everything being one. He explains that his people are one with the…

Australia is a multicultural society with 2.5% identified as Indigenous (ABS, 2012). When Europeans colonized Australia in 1788 they called it ‘terra nullius’, which means empty land. The Indigenous Australians were denied any legal claims to the land and classified as part of the fauna. They had to deal with disease, violence, forced relocations and their children were taken and adopted out to white families. It took until 1967 to be recognized as citizens and receive the right to vote.…