Journal Entry 3 – Vicki Anderson
I found some of this video, very disturbing as it only happened 70+ years ago, not back say 200 years ago. The aboriginal reserve was a very depressing place, it was run down and the aboriginal people were to some extent treated like prisoners. They were also treated like children having their rations handed out to them and having their houses inspected by the foreman’s wife. The food was of a very low quality, there was no doctor close by and no school for the children to be educated in.
One of the things I noticed about Nerida is how hard she must have worked to get her bookkeeping education. It was fairly obvious that nearly all aboriginal women if they worked, were only employed for menial jobs, like housekeeping etc… For an aboriginal woman in the 1930 ’s it was not the norm to become a bookkeeper.
Another thing this video pointed out to me and this is still the case today for the aboriginal people is the only way they can move forward is through education. Nerida was a good leader for her people because she was educated and could function in the white mans world, where as her brother wasn’t educated and was very much a hot head. Although I could understand why the brother was such a hot head when the Aboriginal Protection Board took no action whatsoever on their petition.
The fact that they had to have permission to have a meeting was laughable, how could they come together as a community and try and fix some of the problems they were experiencing if they couldn’t even have a meeting.
The children being taken away from the parents was heartbreaking in the video. But the issue in the Northern Territory at the moment I agree with the government stepping in and taking children away from parents/carers that are sexually abusing them. I actually had a lot to do with the Mutijula Community when I worked at Yulara and you would often see girls as young as 13 or 14 having babies, with no idea how to care for them.
Aboriginal women have to find some way to break out of the cycle of early pregnancies and little education if they are to have any chance at a better life.
1 comment:
Hi Vicki
I think you have hit the nail on the head when you say that education is the key. Nerida had managed to get an education and it gave her the knowledge and the skills and the confidence to lead her people and to make change. I appreciate that you have some knowledge of the indigenous communities in the NT and that you understand how complex all of this is, and that no one group is completely in the right or completely wrong. Another great journal entry.
Karen
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