The Stolen Generation

What do we know about The Stolen Generation?

Took The Children Away Archie Roach (Mushroom Records 1990) This story's right, this story's true I would not tell lies to you Like the promises they did not keep And how they fenced us in like sheep. Said to us come take our hand Sent us off to mission land. Taught us to read, to write and pray Then they took the children away, Took the children away, The children away. Snatched from their mother's breast Said this is for the best Took them away. The welfare and the policeman Said you've got to understand We'll give them what you can't give Teach them how to really live. Teach them how to live they said Humiliated them instead Taught them that and taught them this And others taught them prejudice. You took the children away The children away Breaking their mothers heart Tearing us all apart Took them away One sweet day all the children came back The children come back The children come back Back where their hearts grow strong Back where they all belong The children came back Said the children come back The children come back Back where they understand Back to their mother's land The children come back Back to their mother Back to their father Back to their sister Back to their brother Back to their people Back to their land All the children come back The children come back The children come back Yes I came back. One dark day on Framingham Come and didn't give a damn My mother cried go get their dad He came running, fighting mad Mother's tears were falling down Dad 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 away They took us away Snatched from our mother's breast Said this was for the best Took us away. Told us what to do and say Told us all the white man's ways Then they split us up again And gave us gifts to ease the pain Sent us off to foster homes As we grew up we felt alone Cause we were acting white Yet feeling black What does this song tell you about the Stolen Generation?

The Stolen Generations: The Facts Removal of Indigenous children from their family was official government policy from 1909 to It was managed by the Aborigines Protection Board (APB). They placed children in government institutions and missions The APB had the power to remove the children without parental consent, and without a court order. The labelled the children ‘destitute’ and ‘neglected’. This made it easy to remove them from their families for their ‘moral’ and ‘spiritual’ welfare.

The Facts They were not allowed to speak their Aboriginal language or have contact with full-blooded relatives. Those ‘not of full blood’ were expected to assimilate into the broader society under the White Australia Policy. The education in missions: bible stories, sewing & cleaning for girls, and stockwork & gardening for boys

The Facts Once girls turned 14 they were expected to find employment with white families as domestics By the 1980’s, 100,000+ children had been removed.

Stolen Generation Video

Timeline YearEvent 1788-mid 1800sEarly removals through church-run missions 1837British Select Committee recommends the appointment of ‘Protectors of Aborigines’ in Australia Indigenous child removal legislation is put in place in all states and territories. The ‘Protectors’ now have the power to remove children. At first, the removals were part of protection and segregation policies, as it was believed that the Indigenous children were part of a dying race. Later, it was believed that the Indigenous children would assimilate and be ‘absorbed’ into the non-Indigenous population. 1937Assimilation is adopted as the official national Indigenous affairs policy 1969Indigenous child removal legislation is removed

Timeline cont. Source: YearEvent 1980The first Link-Up Aboriginal Corporation is established. 1991The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody finds 43 of 99 deaths investigated were of people separated from their families as children. 1994Going Home conference – 600 members of the Stolen Generations 1997The Bringing Them Home report is released. 2000Over 250,000 people participate in the “Sorry” walk across the Harbour Bridge on May 28 th. 2001The Moving Forward conference is held – exploring ways of making amends with the Stolen Generations. 2004Stolen Generations memorial at Reconciliation Place in Canberra is unveiled 461 Sorry Books are entered on the Australian Memory of the World Register th February the Prime Minister moved the apology.

The Stolen Generations During the 1800’s, the colonial authorities believed that a protection system was the best way to look after Indigenous Australians. This meant setting up special communities for them where they could farm the land and live off the produce.

The Stolen Generations Indigenous people were traditionally nomadic though, and many could not get used to this way of life. The Aborigines Protection Act 1909 gave the authorities license to ‘provide for the custody, maintenance and education of the children of Aborigines’

The Stolen Generation Governments believed the best way to ensure that Indigenous children (especially those of mixed descent) were assimilated into European society was to remove them – forcibly, if necessary – from their families and raise them in institutions or foster homes.

The Stolen Generation The thinking of the strategy at the time was that “Assimilation means, in practical terms, that, in the course of time, it is expected that all persons of aboriginal blood or mixed blood in Australia will live like other white Australians do”

Read Page 122 From Protection to Assimilation Preparing for a different life

Marjorie Video

Imagine Imagine you are a nine-year-old Indigenous child. You have just been taken into the custody of the state. Which do you think would be the hardest to leave behind? Your family? Your language? Your culture?

From the clues provided in Rose’s story, why do you believe her brothers and sisters were removed? Why do you think she may have been left behind? Which people were directly or indirectly affected in a negative way by the welfare workers’ decision to remove Rose’s brothers and sisters from the family?

Chapter 4 – Question 7 on Page 123

The Apology