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| Aboriginal men in police custody, 1906 |
1788. The British settlers land in Australia, and try to befriend the Aboriginal people, who also find interest in the newcomers and resources they see. Soon, both cultures interact with one another in a friendly way, but this doesn't last for long. Because of the British's goal of colonization of Australia, Aborigines are killed. Their land and resources are taken. They are treated no more than animals. The British in Australia spread their territory by force, and Aborigines try to fight for their people and land - this is what the Aborigines believed were worth fighting for.
During this era of colonization, Aboriginal people thought that their own people were worth fighting for, and one example of fighting for their people was their act against McIntyre. McIntyre was a British man who had a liking of hunting the Aborigines the same way he hunted for animals. He kept killing more and more of them, and so one of the Aborigines, Pemmeway, fatally wounded McIntyre as a warning telling him and the British to stop killing any more of their people. If the Aborigines hadn't viewed their people as being fought for, they wouldn't have tried to wound McIntyre or make him possibly die. This shows that they blieved people were worth fighting for.
As the white settlers spread across Australia, taking Aboriginal land and resources, the new governor, Governor Brisbane, gave land grants to British people without asking or even considering the Aborigines. For these unfair acts, a leader of one tribe, Windradyne, stood up for their rights by harming the British live stock, because with no animals, the settlers wouldn't have any meat to eat. Additionally, Windradyne lead his people to kill the whites and burn their crops, hoping that the British would stop taking away their land and would leave them alone for once and for all. Aboriginal people fought for their land, and believed it was worth all their troubles.
At first the British settlers were new, pleasant strangers to the Aborigines. They danced together and had good times of getting to know each other's cultures and ways. Then just like that, the British turned to their new face, their Mr. Hyde, and started mass murdering the native people living in the areas they wanted to colonize. The once pleasant strangers had changed into murderous neighbors. On the other hand, the important thing we also need to remember is that the Aborigines fought too. They believed that their land was worth fighting for. That their people, family, and tribe, were definitely worth fighting for. Even though the British accomplished their goal in settling in Australia, it is crucial to realize all the beliefs and hopes the Aborigines gave trying to save their land, people, and everything else they valued of.
I personally believe and agree with the Aboriginal people that land and people are worth fighting for. For example, if my family, cousins, or friends, need help in any case, I would indeed fight for them, even when it can be dangerous and arduous. In addition, I think that the Aborigines were right in believing that their land is worth fighting for, because they were the ones who lived there for generations and generations before the British first arrived in 1788. How unfair must've the Aborigines felt to have be taken their shelter and home all of a sudden to strange, murderous people? Of course I would have fought the same way if I were in their position. Hopefully, not only the Aborigines and I, but many other people now days, will concur to that land and people are matters worth fighting for.
For further information on colonization of Australia, click here.
I personally believe and agree with the Aboriginal people that land and people are worth fighting for. For example, if my family, cousins, or friends, need help in any case, I would indeed fight for them, even when it can be dangerous and arduous. In addition, I think that the Aborigines were right in believing that their land is worth fighting for, because they were the ones who lived there for generations and generations before the British first arrived in 1788. How unfair must've the Aborigines felt to have be taken their shelter and home all of a sudden to strange, murderous people? Of course I would have fought the same way if I were in their position. Hopefully, not only the Aborigines and I, but many other people now days, will concur to that land and people are matters worth fighting for.
For further information on colonization of Australia, click here.
