How Did European Imperialism Affect The Aboriginal People
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Around 1788 Great Britain set out and began to colonize a land called Australia. It has been said that the reason for this expansion was because of an over populated prison system Great Britain. With little to no knowledge on what to expect in this new land, it was unclear the greater consequences of the settlement. The colonization of Australia was seen as an economic and political gain to the Europeans, however it negatively affected those indigenous to the country. This essay will analyse how the European expansion affected the lives of the Aboriginal people of Australia, physically, socially and culturally.
The Europeans settlement into Australia had minimal positive affect towards the indigenous people. The colonization effectively ‘civilized’…show more content… With the arrival of the first fleet in 1787 came many diseases non-existent in Australia, such as chicken pox, influenza, small pox and the measles. (The Aboriginal Connection – troubled times in early days, n.d) The new diseases tore through Aboriginal communities like epidemics, killing huge communities. Small pox alone killed over fifty percent of the aboriginal population in 1789 (Broome, n.d). With the settlers, also came venereal diseases, which greatly reduced birth and fertility rates among the aboriginals. The physical effects of the colonization were not limited to the accidental spread of diseases. Aboriginals were often mistreated, and even killed when deemed necessary by the white settlers. In an image taken by Aboriginal in Police custody, 1906) are indigenous people chained up to one another. The whip marks visible along the chest are obvious of the torture they were put through by white settlers simply because the white people could. Many white settlers who had captured indigenous people gave them a beating. The Aboriginals were undoubtedly treated poorly and often not fed and forced to walk many miles towards the closest colony as seen in Jandamarra’s War(2011). In 1838 the Myall Creek Massacre occurred, killing 28 indigenous men and women in a small community. “Myall Creek was the tip of the iceberg of frontier violence against Aboriginal people”…show more content… Land is a very spiritual part of Aboriginal culture, with them believing they do not ‘own’ the land, “All the land and all the people were all part of the same natural environment. When white people came to Australia with their ideas of written laws and land ownership. Aboriginal people could not understand what was happening.” (The Dreaming n.d) When the Europeans first colonized Australia they declared the land. In the film Jandamarra’s War (2011) the indigenous people of Australia shared the land with the white. However as time went on they saw their land being disrespected and destroyed by the white settlers. To the Aboriginals it plays a deep part in their culture. They believe that their ancestors spirits travel through the land. Similarly, in the movie Yagan (2013) it is clear how different the cultures can be between the white settlers and the aboriginal people. An example shown in a scene where Yagan and his relatives are on a white settlers farm. Having fun, and eating potato that doesn’t belong to them. However after multiple warning given by the white farmer Yagan’s brother was shot dead at the scene. This shows how the Aboriginal people were denied access to land which was rightfully theirs. The land has a major role to the Aboriginal culture. Its not just land, It is their sacred land. It is their