The Savages of the Stolen Land

"Savages."

“Uncivilised.”

This is what the Aboriginal people were labelled as. For their natural way of life, rich culture and traditions.

But who was prejudiced against them? Who stole their land? Who massacred them?

The Aboriginal people have been the victims of injustice since the colonisation of Australia, when a fleet of 11 British ships arrived at New South Wales on January 26^th, 1788. Prior to British settlement, more than 500 First Nations groups inhabited the continent. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples lived on the land for at least 60 000 years, making them the custodians of the world’s oldest living culture.  However, it was called terra nullius, meaning “land belonging to no one," to justify occupation without treaty or payment. 

There were over 250 genocides over 150 years, as an organised attempt to eliminate Aboriginal people.
The mass killings were carried out by the British soldiers, police and settlers working under the command of the government.

Aren’t they the real savages?

Innocent men, women and children were slaughtered because of the entitlement and greed the colonisers had for the land. The Indigenous people were not seen as human and were regarded as fauna and flora of Australia.

Samuel Wagan Watson is a contemporary Indigenous Australian poet, who often writes about the trauma and racism Aboriginal people experience.

In his poem, the dingo lounge, Watson conveys the destruction of Aboriginal Dreamtime and culture by colonisation and industrialisation, using symbolism of nature.
Postcolonialism is an important theory to understand in this poem.

Postcolonialism: the study of the effects of colonisation on cultures and societies. In Australian context, it looks promoting Aboriginal voice and values, as Indigenous identity and culture were undermined by colonial policies.

Natural motifs are evident throughout the poem, such as the brown-skin lycanthrope, which have
“merely become the forgotten offspring / from the dark ages of the dreamtime.”

Dreamtime refers to the creation of the land and people, a very sacred Aboriginal belief. Their belief is that their Ancestors created everything, and some thought that the Ancestors were animal-spirits. The lycanthrope symbolises the Aboriginal people (specifically the Ancestors) who are children of the land, forgotten to colonisation. First Nations People believed the land was free from form and that the Dreamtime is continuous. There were many forms of art important in Aboriginal culture, such as storytelling, dancing and various forms of painting, as a form of expression. Through this art we can see the depth of their culture. 

Published in the West Australian in 1935

Forgotten offspring may refer to the Stolen Generation, a very dark time for the Indigenous people. Aboriginal children were forcibly taken away from their families under government policy. While their families would never forget them, the world did. These children forgot and lost their identity because they were forced to assimilate into western culture.

The main perpetrator was A.O Neville, the monster who presided over the policy of removing Aboriginal children from their families. The plan was to “breed out the colour” by making these children believe they were white, so they would start families with white people. He believed he was doing good, as the Chief “Protector” of Aborigines, painting himself as a hero.

Ah, yes.
Because breaking families apart and causing inter-generational trauma is a good thing to do.

Intergenerational trauma: Intergenerational trauma is the impact of large-scale traumatic events on future generations.

“Morpheus in his arduous attempts to dream / has taken to anti-depressants.’
Morpheus is a god associated with sleep and dreams, and is illustrated as a form of escapism to live through the stories and art of the Dreamtime. They are so desperate to do this, they turn to anti-depressants for both mental health issues, and to dream of the Dreamtime again.

“The black man’s beliefs/are being swallowed up and regurgitated in foreign lands for a dollar”.
Watson portrays Aboriginal culture being used to make money, which diminishes their beliefs and values. In this industrial society, money is more important than a sacred culture.

A rich culture is diminished into only a dollar. As if it’s something cheap that can just be sold.

Dreamtime is again mentioned, where the Aboriginal people are called “the children of the rainbow serpent.” I read the story when I was in primary school, and remember finding the art and story beautiful and intriguing. The rainbow serpent is a creation story, believed to create the land and bring life into it.
However,
“scientific justification has rationalised their roles with prozac and institutionalism.”
“the shrieks of the black dingo go unheard in the night.”

Another natural symbol is the “black dingo,” representing Aboriginal people.
Institutionalism is juxtaposed with nature, diminishing the Aboriginal cultural beliefs by rationalising them. Prozac is a type of medication to treat depression, which many Aboriginals experience due to intergenerational trauma.
Watson is criticising colonisation and institutionalism which has caused mental health problems in Indigenous communities, where the "rational" solution is to take medication and follow the conventional structure of society, rather than empathising with the people and reconciliating.
Even so, there is no real solution for the trauma and prejudice Aboriginal people have suffered for hundreds of years. It is not a puzzle that can just be solved. Nothing will ever completely fix it. And yet their suffering is being rationalised and disregarded, rather than acknowledged. 

“while in the dingo lounge / redundancy and health in death escalates”

The living conditions of Aboriginal people today is conveyed. Indigenous Australians have a higher death rate than non-Indigenous Australians. Some contributing factors are poor living conditions, violence and unemployment.

Typically, an Aboriginal home in regional or remote Australia was built in the 1970s-1980s, and has had very little spent on it since then. Better Aboriginal housing is needed to address health and socio-economic welfare. Research shows that poor quality and overcrowded housing are factors in high rates of family violence and health conditions.

“You’ve all made billions and billions and billions of dollars off Aboriginal land. And Aboriginal people in WA live in the most appalling conditions today and they do not have the support of the Western Australian government.”
- Gudanji-Arrernte elder Pat Turner

Kevin Rudd responded to this by providing $5.5 billion to build and renovates thousands of homes over 10 years, but this support was ended by the Malcolm Turnbull government in 2018 and has not been reviewed. If the government has the money, they should support Aboriginal housing and welfare. So why don't they?

Family violence: the most commonly used term to identify the experiences of Indigenous people because it includes the broad range of marital and kinship relationships in which violence may occur, rather than just intimate relationships.

It is more likely for Indigenous women to experience violence than Indigenous men and non-Indigenous men and women, and there is a high rate of Aboriginal deaths and violence in custody. Even Aboriginal youth are victims of abuse by police officers. These children are growing into a toxic culture and society, which is detrimental to their present and future.

Why are these rates higher?

It can be seen as the impact of colonisation, intergenerational trauma and the negative relationship between Indigenous people and the criminal justice system.
Low expectations society has for them, the high rates of poverty, and substance misuse have also influenced these rates.

The closing line of the poem is: “the faded memories of the storytelling damned.”

The post-colonial effects on Aboriginal culture are reinforced, with their culture fading away because of the forced assimilation policies and racism. These memories of storytelling and culture are doomed, almost extinct because of the various attempts to wipe out Aboriginal culture. The poem ends on a gloomy and pessimistic tone, which is constant throughout the whole poem.

I have only given a small snapshot of the vast history between Aboriginals and colonisers, and contemporary issues the Aboriginal people experience. The truth is, there is so much more to what they experience. 

I believe it is vital to learn about their history, recognise, empathise, and understand injustices of Aboriginal past and present, as well as supporting their future in our society, working towards reconciliation and healing. Their human rights and freedoms must be protected, leading to a better future for them and a more coherent society.

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