CR181 History 3 - Sustainability

3. Cross-curriculum priorities in the ACARA History: Sustainability            

Happy Australia Day

Our country is trapped in its genocidal history. Henry Reynolds estimates that, between 1788 and 1920, 20,000 Aboriginal people fell defending their land in an ongoing war against the invaders. The Indigenous population dropped from 300,000 at the time of the invasion to 70,000 130 years later. They died of disease, but they also died as a result of the consequences that flow from genocide and dispossession in poverty, alienation, loss of social structure, alcoholism, racism, lack of food, and stolen generations.

In the ACARA History curriculum label: Sustainability as:

a priority that provides a context for developing students’ historical knowledge, understanding and skills. It assists students in understanding the forces that influence continuity and change and supports the development of students’ world views, particularly in relation to judgments about past social and economic systems, and access to and use of the Earth’s resources. It provides opportunities for students to develop an historical perspective on sustainability. Making decisions about sustainability to help shape a better future requires an understanding of how the past relates to the present, and needs to be informed by historical trends and experiences.

Genocide against Aboriginal people is one subject that is through the history of Australia for over 200 years and now the failure to acknowledge that genocide is ongoing.

The myth of Australia Day – The 26th January Australia is not sustainable it has some myth that white people settling here was some sort of peacefully arrival. It reflects white Australia's amnesia about the invasion and its consequences. Aborigines were not passive victims of the white invasion.

According to Mick Dodson and Aboriginal Law Professor and Australian of the year in 2009:

“Ninety percent of people are saying Australia day should be inclusive of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. I firmly believe that someday we will choose a date that is a compressive and inclusive date for all Australians”

The 26^th January is a day of mourning not celebration for the Australian aborigine community.

I have found another addition to my summary of sustainability between white Australia and aborigines,                                              Summarised in a Midnight Oil song “Beds are Burning”

“The time has come
To say fair's fair
To pay the rent
To pay our share
The time has come
A fact's a fact
It belongs to them
Let's give it back”

The war against Aborigines, is described as genocide, it has essentially alienated Aboriginal people from their land, their identity, their culture and themselves. Statistics show life expectancy has a shocking 20 year gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. This is reported due to the indigenous people suffering poverty, poor nutrition, poor housing, disposition of tradition land, low education, high unemployment, hidden racism and inability to address aboriginal problems. Aboriginal Australians on average barely reach the age of 60.

Is the 26^th January a “Happy Australia Day” of celebration, historically sustainable or is it “a day of mourning”?  When you look at the lithograph by Albert Scott Broad (1854-1929). I do not think for one minute Aboriginals have a lot they wish to celebrate about White Australia’s arrival on this land.

References

ACARA, (2012) Australian National Curriculum, Taken on the 24 May, 2013 http://www.acara. edu.au/curriculum.html

Australian Government (2013) Australian Indigenous health Department of Health and ageing taken on the 19 May 2013 http://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/health-facts/overviews/the-context-of-indigenous-health

Barry, D. (2008) Wolly Days: Vita Roma La Dolcetaken on the 19 May 2013. http://nebuchadnezzarwoollyd. blogspot.com.au/search/label/Bennelong

Cope, D (2011) Day of Deity, Wordpress taken on the 19 May, 2013. http://www.onthisdeity.com/26th-january-1788-%E2%80%93-australias-first-fleet/

National Museum (2008) Investigating the Change and rights and freedom of indigenous Australians 1957-1975 taken on the 19 May 2013 http://www.nma.gov.au/__ data/assets/pdf_file/0018/19440 /Indigenous_rights_freedoms-all-BW.pdf

Passant, J. (2013) Revolutionary reflections on this world of ours. En Passant Word press http://enpassant.com.au /2013/04/25/lest-we-forget-the-war-against-aborigines-has-never- ended http://www.nma.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/

Youtube clip (2013) Midnight Oil: Beads are burning taken on the 19 May 2013 https://www.youtube.com /watch?v=ejorQVy3m8E

CR181 - History 2 - Australia and Asia

I recently discovered the image below on the National Australian Museum web site called Symbols of Australia.

The Kangaroo represented on the stamp is an illustration modified by Europeans. In 1913 this original red 1d (one penny) stamp displaying a kangaroo and a map of Australia had out dated the Commonwealth colony stamps, which had been used by separate states. However, it did not enter the world without controversy. It was mocked at the time for being a weak model of Australian culture and created a great divide within the relatively newly independent Federation of Australia. The argument was that the stamp should displayed the profile of the king, or indeed any other British royal symbol.  

Even though since Captain Cook’s voyage in 1773 he had illustrated the kangaroo as an Australian icon and the animal had quickly become the design for the Australian Continent. See The Hands across the sea painting expressing the significant symbolisation of the Kangaroo to the Europeans.

The white community became divided, and disagreement arose with the kangaroo sign and not the King face on the stamp. It stirred up allegations of political belief against the government. The press demanded, the King's portrait? George V appeared on stamps. This dispute was followed by an amendment of control in 1914 and as a result aroused accusations of republicanism against the government. The kangaroo and map stamp stayed in circulation for the next 38 years, together with the issuing of the King’s portrait stamp for 23 years (National Museum, 2008).

The ACARA History curriculum labels Asia and Australia engagements with Asia education as:   

a priority that will ensure students learn about and recognise the diversity within and between the countries of the Asia region. They will develop knowledge and understanding of Asian societies, cultures, beliefs and environments, and the connections between the peoples of Asia, Australia, and the rest of the world.

Since Federation in 1901, the kangaroo has appeared on currency and stamps, on Royal Australian Air Force planes and as a mascot at sporting events. The kangaroo also appears as a logo for Qantas, Australian Made and Tourism Australia, and in the nicknames given to Australian sporting teams.

It has gone from a controversial and curious symbol to more recently known an official emblem of Australia.

 

                  

References

ACARA, (2012) Australian National Curriculum, Taken on the 24 May, 2013 http://www.acara. edu.au/curriculum.html

Cathcart, J. (1993) History of Australia, McPherson’s printing Group for Melbourne University Press, Carlton, Victoria 3053

Kangaroo Protection coalition (2013) Aboriginals and kangaroos! Taken on the 27 May 2013 http://www.kangaroo-protection-coalition.com/kangaroos-aboriginals.html

National Museum (2008) Symbols of Australia: Kangaroo. Taken on the 27 May 2013. http://www.nma.gov.au/ exhibitions/symbols_of_australia/kangaroo

CR181 - History 1 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders

1. Cross-curriculum priorities in the ACARA History: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island histories and culture

I recently came across this picture below in my university lecture, and it really spoke to me in regard to Aboriginal people their culture and where they are today. Social justice and human rights for aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people needs to be a life of opportunity, dignity and free from discrimination, and disadvantage, it should be an ideal and a basic human right.

The ACARA History Curriculum describes: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island histories and culture as:

communities that are strong, rich and diverse. Their Identity is central to this priority and is intrinsically linked to living, learning and communities, deep knowledge traditions and holistic world view. They have a conceptual framework based unique sense of Identity has been developed as a structural tool for the embedding and cultures within the Australian curriculum. This sense of Identity is approached through the interconnected aspects of Country/Place, People and Culture. Embracing these elements enhances all areas of the curriculum. The priority provides opportunities for all learners to deepen their knowledge of Australia by engaging with the world’s oldest continuous living cultures. This knowledge and understanding will enrich their ability to participate positively in the ongoing development of Australia.

Source D: Domestic servant source: J. Isaac, Pioneer Women in the bush and outback, Lansdowne, 1998, p186.

Looking at this picture it speaks nothing to me of the ACARA curriculum priority, in the richness of the Aboriginal culture, traditions and their communities. It only speaks of discrimination, social injustice and humiliation, and lack of human rights. It has a sad looking aboriginal girl, who is holding a happy white child on her shoulder, nearly covering the aboriginals face. The white girl wears a dress and hat with style, while the Aboriginal older child wears old dirty servant clothes. It is a sad picture with a deep meaning of what life must have been like at this time.

Now a days a  Social Justice Commissioner reports to federal parliament in response to the findings of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and there is a National Inquiry into racial violence.

There has also been a response to the extreme social and economic disadvantage faced by Indigenous Australians. The Commissioner has an important role to keep Indigenous issues before the federal Government and the Australian community, to promote understanding and respect for the rights of Indigenous Australians.

The Role and functions of the Commission is for:

·        advocate for the rights of Indigenous peoples

·        promote an Indigenous perspective on different issues

·        build support and understanding for an Indigenous perspective, and

·        empower Indigenous peoples.

The Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda reports to a media association with news of updates in the above issues. Social justice is about creating an Australian life for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people that has choices about how they live and the means to be able to make choices.

Social justice is founded in the hands-on, day-to-day truths of life. It is about being able to get up in a household with running water and correct sanitation and offering one children an education that aids them to develop their prospective and respect their beliefs. It is the viewpoint of sustaining an occupation and good health. Social justice means to identify the distinctive human rights that Indigenous Australians hold as the original peoples of this land.

A very moving 10 minute video reminds us of the “UN Declaration of rights for recognition” in the indigenous community. “Let no one say the past is dead, the past is all about us and within.”- Kath Walker

References

ACARA, (2012) Australian National Curriculum, Taken on the 24 May, 2013 http://www.acara. edu.au/curriculum.html

Australian HRC (2012) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice. Taken on the 27 May 2013. https://www.humanrights .gov.au/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-social-justice

Australia HRC (2012) UN Declaration of rights for recognition. For information on Australian Human Rights Commission resources on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, taken on the 27 may 2013 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB2uZxekt-k

Federal Circuit court of Australia (2013) Indigenous Australians and Family Law Litigation: Indigenous perspectives on access to justice, taken on the 22 May 2013 http://www.fmc.gov.au/pubs/html/Report%20-%20Ralph%20-%20Indigenous%20-%202013.html

Gooda, M (n.d.) Central Australia Aboriginal Media Association.  CAAMA, taken on the 26 May 2013 http://caama.com.au/tag/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-social-justice-commissioner

Gooda, M (n.d.) Justice Reinvestment Campaign for aboriginal people, taken on the 25 May 2013 http://justicereinvestmentnow.net.au/

Louth, S. (n.d.) Overcoming the shame factor empowering Indigenous people to share and celebrate their culture, Southern Queensland University.  Taken on the 21 May 2013. http://www.auamii.com/proceedings  _Phuket_2012/Louth.pdf

Reconciliation Australia (2012) Social Justice Commissioner releases the 2012 Social Justice and Native Title Reports. Taken on the 23 May 2013.  http://governance.reconciliation.org.au/governance-watch/social-justice-commissioner-releases-the-2012-social-justice-and-native-title-reports

Wikipedia (2013) .taken on the 27 May 2013 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_peoples