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The Stolen Generations • The Stolen Generations is a term used to describe the children of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent who were removed from their families and homes by the Australian government agencies and church missions, in an attempt to assimilate these children into Australian society. The removals occurred in the period between approximately 1900 and 1970.. • The extent of the removal of children, and the reasoning behind their removal, are contested. Documentary evidence, such as newspaper articles and reports suggest a range of rationales. Motivations evident include child protection beliefs that given their catastrophic population decline after white contact that black people would "die out”,a fear of full blooded aboriginal people .Terms such as "stolen" were used in the context of taking children from their families – the Hon P. McGarry,MP, objected to the Aborigines Protection Amending Act 1915 which then enabled the Aborigines' Protection Board to remove Aboriginal children from their parents without having to establish that they were in any way neglected or mistreated; McGarry described the policy as “stea[ing the child away from its parents”. In 1924,in the Adelaide Sun an article stated "The word 'stole' may sound a bit far-fetched but by the time we have told the story of the heart-broken Aboriginal mother we are sure the word will not be considered out of place.” • Stolen Generations Fact Sheet: http://reconciliaction.org.au/nsw/education-kit/stolen-generations/
Took The Children Away http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLXzKYP1uCw
Took The Children Away This story's right, this story's trueI would not tell lies to youLike the promises they did not keepAnd how they fenced us in like sheep.Said to us come take our handSent us off to mission land.Taught us to read, to write and prayThen they took the children away, Took the children away,The children away.Snatched from their mother's breastSaid this is for the bestTook them away. The welfare and the policemanSaid you've got to understandWe'll give them what you can't giveTeach them how to really live.Teach them how to live they saidHumiliated them insteadTaught them that and taught them thisAnd others taught them prejudice.You took the children awayThe children awayBreaking their mothers heartTearing us all apartTook them away
Took The Children Away One dark day on FraminghamCome and didn't give a damnMy mother cried go get their dadHe came running, fighting madMother's tears were falling downDad shaped up and stood his ground.He said 'You touch my kids and you fight me'And they took us from our family.Took us awayThey took us awaySnatched from our mother's breastSaid this was for the bestTook us away. Told us what to do and sayTold us all the white man's waysThen they split us up againAnd gave us gifts to ease the painSent us off to foster homesAs we grew up we felt aloneCause we were acting whiteYet feeling blackOne sweet day all the children came backThe children come backThe children come backBack where their hearts grow strongBack where they all belongThe children came backSaid the children come backThe children come backBack where they understandBack to their mother's landThe children come back
Took The Children Away • Back to their motherBack to their fatherBack to their sisterBack to their brotherBack to their peopleBack to their landAll the children come backThe children come backThe children come backYes I came back. A child of the Stolen Generations Archie recorded his first album Charcoal Road with Paul Kelly as producer We thought the Bringing Them Home Report would see measures taken to ensure it should never happen again. We were wrong. Archie Roach
The Sources • Peter Read's 1981 publication of The Stolen Generations: The Removal of Aboriginal children in New South Wales 1883 to 1969. • The 1997 publication of the Bringing Them Home- Report of the National Inquiry into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families brought broader awareness of the Stolen Generations. • The acceptance of the term in Australia is illustrated by the 13 February 2008 Formal Apology to the Stolen Generations,led by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and passed by both houses of the Parliament of Australia. • Previous apologies had been offered by State and Territory governments in the period 1997–2001.However, there remains opposition to acceptance of the validity of the term "Stolen Generations". This was illustrated by the former Prime Minister John Howard refusing to apologise and the then Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, John Herron controversially disputing the usage in April 2000.
The Sources • Peter Read's 1981 The Stolen Generations: The Removal of Aboriginal children in New South Wales 1883 to 1969. • The 1997 Bringing Them Home- Report of the National Inquiry into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families • The 2008 Formal Apology to the Stolen Generations,led by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd Skim through each of these sources and find evidence of the the continuing effect of dispossession on Aboriginal spiritualities in relation to: • separation from the land • separation from kinship groups • the Stolen Generations Add this information to atable. Under this write a paragraph summing up the impact of this study on your understanding of contemporary Aboriginal Spirituality.
