About the Stolen Generation

Before the start of the process of colonization in Australia, over 400 Aboriginal people lived freely in their territories, each with distinct cultural characteristics and their own geographical location.

In 1770 James Cook took possession of two-thirds of Australia on behalf of the Crown of the United Kingdom, bringing with them religion, traditions and diseases. The impact of this ended with many Aboriginal people enslaved and their women abused. Born of this, miscegenation.

But what happens between 1910 and 1970 is something that the  Rabbit-Proof Fence book describes  (and leaves impacted all readers of the book):This is the cruelty that settlers took to mestizo children, being separated from their mothers and bring them to churches or schools where they were teached to be effective servants of the settlers.

What I want to explain with this task is the suffering that many Aboriginal families lived, which were battered, disintegrated of its members and abused. This as I said, occurred in most of the processes of conquest, but something that I have never seen or heard about the last centuries after these processes is to someone who apologizes for it.

The following video is a recording of a speech by the Prime Minister of Australia; Kevin Rudd  where he proclaims, publicly for the first time in history, Aboriginal forgiveness for the pain and damage caused in the past.

It was recorded in 2008 and I would like you to see.

 “That today we honour the Indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in human history. We reflect on their past mistreatment. We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were Stolen Generations - this blemished chapter in our nation's history.

The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia's history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future.

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.

For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry.”

After this speech, Aborigines danced and sang at the opening of the Australian parliament and Aboriginal elder Matilda House gave a traditional greeting to MPs and senators gathered for the new parliamentary session.

Faced with an incident some time ago, this process might have forgotten. But it was perhaps necessary for them to apologize (with the aid measures) to build a future as Australian community.

Here is another video that shows parts of the movie (set in the book) and explains this process that the Australian population apologizes.

(I recommend  you  watch this  completely, it is very interesting).

  What do you think about this?, i'm waiting your opinions.

By Fernanda San Martin B.