Forced Assimilation In Australia Essay

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In 1905, the Western Australian Government passed the Aborigines Act on the assumption that the Aboriginal people were a “dying race” with its objective of forced assimilation of mixed-descent Indigenous Australians into the broader white society (Noongar Culture, n.d). This legislation was passed under the guidance of the Premier of Western Australia, Sir Walter James, and further influenced by officials such as Henry Charles Princep and Dr. Walter Edmund Roth. It was further strengthened by Auber Octavius Neville, the Chief Protector of Aborigines from 1915 to 1936 (Find and Connect, 2012). The nature of interactions from 1905 to 1940 between the Native Aboriginals and the colonial authorities led to repressive policies, forced assimilation, …show more content…

The varying perspectives of both Indigenous Aboriginals and the Western Australian authorities will be explored to help demonstrate how their deteriorating relationship impacted the societal response of the government, missionaries, and Aboriginals in contemporary and modern society. Contextual Information Western Australian Government acted on the belief that Aboriginal people were incapable of managing their affairs and thus needed to be controlled and 'protected' by the state which led them to make paternalistic approaches. Policies were implemented that justified vulgar actions, including forced removal of Aboriginal children from their families and restricting any chances of rebellion. This oppressive practice, later known as the Stolen Generations, aimed to sever the children’s connections to their culture, language, and traditions as they were seen as ‘inferior’ and a barrier to progress. These children were placed in government-run institutions, church missions, or foster homes with non-Indigenous families to inculcate Western traditions and completely erase their Aboriginal identity (Australians Together, …show more content…

Neville's reign was evident from a variety of perspectives. A.O. Neville relied mainly on paternalistic and assimilationist ideology about dealing with the Aboriginal natives. In his words, "In dealing with the problem of the Aborigines, we must adopt the policy of blending the native with the white population, so that eventually there will be no native question, and no native problem." Australia’s Coloured Minority: It’s Place in the Community, 1947. This quote shows Neville's belief that the presence of distinct Aboriginal cultures and identities posed a problem that needed to be resolved by merging Aboriginal people into the white society. He viewed the cultural and racial diversity of Aboriginal people as an issue to be solved, rather than as an aspect of Australia's rich heritage. Neville stated at a conference, "Once that is accomplished there is no reason in the world why these colored people should not be absorbed by the community." (Carolup, 2019) This ideology of Neville depicted his intention within the Aboriginal community to systematically erase their cultural and family connection through uses of isolation and alienation. Neville's assimilationist view is continued when he states "The problem of our half-castes will quickly be eliminated by the complete disappearance of the black race, and the swift submergence of

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