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Quick History The Australian Aboriginals have a history with the Australian Land that goes back many years. Carbon dating of artefacts found in NSW suggests that people were around 120,000 years ago with human remains identified at 60,000 years. Whilst recorded Chinese, Dutch and Indonesian visits occurred between 1400 and 1769 the visit by Captain James Cook in 1770 claimed possession of the whole east coast of Australia for the British Crown. In 1788 Captain Cook raised the Union Jack flag to start a penal colony at Sydney Cove. It is estimated that the Australian population of Aboriginals at this time was between 750,000 and one million. This started the first conflicts with Australian Aboriginals. Within 12 months the Europeans had introduced smallpox which decimated the Eora Aboriginal population around Sydney. In 1804 Settlers are authorized to shoot unarmed Aboriginals. Within six years Aboriginal people begin to be moved onto mission stations where they can be taught European beliefs and used as cheap labour. Settlers try to control growth of the Aboriginal population with a policy of absorption. In 1814 Governor Macquarie opens a school for Aboriginal children at Parramatta called the 'Native Institution' to "civilise, educate and foster habits of industry and decency in the Aborigines".The local Aboriginal people (Koori) remove their children from the school after they realise that its aim is to distance the children from their families and communities. The school closes in 1820. In the ensuing years the relationship between Australian Black and White people has seen many attempts by the Non Indigenous Population to supposedly improve the living conditions and rights of Aboriginals. Unfortunately current statistics show that the average life expectancy of Aboriginals is some 18 years less than Non Indigenous Australians. This is influenced by the fact that Aboriginals rate of death from chronic diseases, rates of hospitalisation and rates of communicable diseases are far in excess of the rates in the Non Indigenous population. Much of this disadvantage is related to poverty, lack of opportunity and long term racism. On February 13th, 2008, Aboriginal people across all Australia were deeply moved and in tears: The Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, had finally apologised to the Stolen Generations and said 'sorry'. Our Trip Having portrayed the injustices of the relationship between Indigenous and Non Indigenous Australians, our trip is based on a trip of discovery of Aboriginal Culture and History in an environment of Love & Respect. The Spiritual History of Aboriginals is legendary with a strong connection to the Land and Dreamtime spirits. If we are accepted into these communities we would love to share some of the stories that can be told to “white fellas”. The connection to land also enables the Aboriginals to survive in arid environments which are incredible skills. Any opportunity to learn and identify with the land will be sincerely appreciated. As Australia is home to many different Indigenous or Aboriginal clans, also known as Aboriginal nations or tribes we will recognize and respect this during our venture across Australia. Most of these clans have their own dialect and languages and we hope to follow correct cultural protocols when traveling through country. All of Australia's Indigenous People are, or were at some point, semi nomadic hunters and gatherers. As a result, tracking of both animals and plants is considered a particularly important aspect of Aboriginal culture. We would like to share the experiences of these talented bush craft people and possibly share some Bush tucka. Art is an integral part of both Indigenous culture and economy in Australia. An estimated 70 percent of total art sold in Australia was created by Indigenous artists. We hope to see many examples of such art if the opportunity arises. We hope that as well as spreading a message of peace and reconciliation we can make a positive difference to others lives by letting them know about the dangers of vehicle accidents. In certain situations we will be the donating specialized off road wheelchairs to disabled people along the way. |
