Stevie Goldsmith had mentioned that Aboriginal people were used as slaves back in the day. I decided to take it upon myself and learn more about it, since I had never been told that before. The more I learnt from Stevies lecture the more I became infuriated that I had not been taught this in school. I think it is important for us to learn about our own history not only to acknowledge the wrong done to the Indigenous people of our land but also to learn from it.


In Northern Australia Aboriginal workers had no wages on cattle stations, Aboriginal workers were valuable to the cattle stations so to me it does not make sense why they were not paid, it is not enough for them to only have a few advantages.

An article, The Cattle Industry by Heather Douglas has stated even when they were paid sometimes they were kept in accounts held by station owners. Also in the 1950s stations that wanted to hire Aboriginal workers had to retain a license pursuant to the Aboriginal Ordinance.(1) It was only in 1966 that a man Vincent Lingiari led the way to strike for better wages and conditions at Wave Hill cattle station.(2) Years of waiting it was in 1975 when the Prime Minister of Australia, Gough Whitlam poured sand into Vincent Lingiari's hand symbolising a part of the land in Wattie Creek rightfully being transferred back to the Gurindi people.(3)

The symbol of pouring sand into Vincents hand is beautiful but I wish it never had to come to that, Australian land will always be that of Indigenous people.


Reference
(1,2) Douglas, H. The Cattle Industry, 2009
http://www.law.uq.edu.au/documents/kriewaldt/The-Cattle-Industry.pdf
(3) Documenting a Democracy http://foundingdocs.gov.au/enlargement-eid-73-pid-50.html

Some Artworks in Adelaide Stevie Goldsmith pointed out, which are about the Stolen Generation.

Grieving Mother, Sculpture bronze by artist Silvio Apponyi, 2000, at Colebrook Reconciliation Park, Eden Hills. Photo: Kerry Fletcher

This piece of work invokes a sense of sadness and disappear. To have your child taken away must be the greatest pain. 

Fountain of Tears, Black Granite Sculpture, by artist Silvio Apponyi, 1998, at Colebrook Childrens Home Site, Eden Hills.

This is a plaque in Piltawodli, It is a written letter from a 12 year old Kaurna student, Pitpauwe and sent in 1843. 

David Unaipon (1872- 1967)

David Unaipon is the man who appears on the 50 dollar note along with his drawings of his inventions in the foreground. His most successful invention was a sheering machine. He is the uncle of Stevie Goldsmith from the post below. Stevie asked if we knew who he was and if not why not. I will be honest I did not know who David Unaipon was, these are things we should be taught in school, it isnt enough to be on a 50 dollar note.

A lecture that really inspired me was when Stevie Goldsmith came to talk about the Kaurna Culture. He is apart of LKCC which educates people about the culture with tours, seminars, workshops and galleries.

Stevie Goldsmith was personal in his talk, he told us that his mother was from Kaurna and his father was Pondy from Taillem bend. He was born in 1957.  I felt it was nice to know about where he is from and his family, I felt more connected to him.

Something that intrigued me was that Australia day on the 26th of January is celebrated by the Aboriginal people as a survival day. It makes me think we should change our day to something more inclusive of the Aboriginal people. It seems bizarre that we celebrate a day when the First Fleet came to Australia in 1788 when the arrival of Europeans in 1836 caused Indigenous people so much pain.

I learnt that Aboriginal culture has been alive for around 300,000 years, but most known for 45,000 years. Also that the Dutch came to Australia first before Captain Cook in 1788. Captain Cook was not interested in the culture or the people in Australia but the land, the land was said to be 'Terra Nullis'. Europeans drew pamphlets to get people to come to the land. When the Europeans came they built prisons and let prisoners loose amongst the Aboriginal people, there was an act of genocide through Australia. I never knew there was a thing called the 'Black Line' in Tasmania where the settlers shot any Aboriginal insight. Knowing this now makes me so upset and infuriated that anyone could be so inhumane. Stevie asked if we about about these event and if not why not? Makes me question why we are not taught this.

In South Australia, Glenelg was also claimed to be 'Terra Nullis' and Aboriginal people were locked away and taken to Pindi by force. They felt like trespassers. Stevie had explained that the different tribes of Indigenous people are like different countries. So when the Kaurna people were taken to Pindi it was like they were trespassing and intruding on the Pindis peoples land. The Aboriginal people were taught the western idea of farming and they could get more wheat then the non indigenous people so they were moved back closer to the city.

Aboriginal people finally became people of this country from a referendum to be included in the constitution in 1967.