Page 4 - Indiginous Australians

Mary Alp
‘Great Australian Silence’ - & - ‘The History of Indifference’ - to explain both the
‘concealment’ of Aboriginals place in Australian history by earlier writings, & our
7 response&acceptanceofthisinterpretationofhistory .Inthe70s&80sthis
new breed of historians embraced Stanner’s message. With dedicated research of primary & secondary sources, anthropological evidence & listening to Indigenous peoples’ voices, they effectively rewrote history. Influential historians such as Henry Reynolds & Richard Broome presented a vastly different version of history for students & the broader community. Their interpretations included detailed accounts of Aboriginal culture, Aboriginal resistance & the Aboriginal death count
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These so- called right-wing & left’-wing historians’ different interpretations of the past are hotly debated today. This is what is known as the ‘History Wars’. Voices on the right such as Keith Windschuttle see the conflict between European colonists/settlers & Indigenous Australians during 1788 & beyond as relatively minor & that Indigenous deaths were largely due to introduced diseases. Similarly, issues relating to Aboriginal land ownership & racism are diminished. They usually use such definitions as ‘settlement’, & disagree with concepts of ‘invasion’ ‘warfare’ & ‘genocide’. Voices on the left see the same conflict as a violent defense of tribal lands. They usually agree with such terms as ‘invasion,’ ‘warfare’, ‘massacres’, ‘racism’ & even the possibility of ‘genocide’9
(Again - ideological bias possibly influencing their methodological approach)
Indigenous Australian interpretation
With both right & left interpretations we can balance their stories with that of the Indigenous people themselves. In our DVD series, we hear their voices telling their story from their world view. This interpretation gives food for thought & enriches our understanding not only of the past but also the present.
7 W.E.H.Stanner, discussion of his 1968 Boyer Lectures, Sydney Morning Herald 2007, in article - ‘Attempting to decide what our past is.’
8 H. Renyolds, The Other Side of the Frontier; R.Broome, Aboriginal Australians 1982. (other books as well).
9 Wikipedia, Keith Windschuttle; Wikipedia, History Wars; ‘Black armband versus white Blindfold, Indiana University Press 2004.
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due to colonization & settlement.