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18.02.2020 First Nations and the state. Until the 1970s(!) children of Australian Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders were forcibly taken away from their families by the state to assimilate them into the white community. They are known as the Stolen Generation. Native Australians were first included in the census in 1967 – before that they were not counted as members of the nation's population, but allegedly regarded as part of the flora and fauna. European s.ettlers arrived, declared the territory 'terra nullius', uninhabited land, and started to divide it between themselves. In some instances, the new arrivals did try to trade and make deals with the natives, who they thought must be in a position to sell or give them some land. What the colonists did not understand, however, is that in the indigenous way of thinking land cannot be possessed, and thus not sold or handed over among human beings. Australia is another place where the indigenous people were misunderstood, disregarded and treated inhumanely in the past. Today, the First Nations flag and indigenous art are visible everywhere. Guides start their tours by paying respect to the traditional owners of the land they are standing on. Things have improved, and some wrongs have been righted. Nevertheless, Aborigines are still fighting for recognition, equality and wellbeing today. During our short stay in Australia's capital Canberra we visited the national parliament and walked through the wide greens and parks around it. Several objects in Parliament House and monuments in the park remind visitors of the almost extinct cultures and Australia's dark history. #scoutbound #australia #canberra #parliament #firstnations #aborigines #stolengeneration #reconciliationplace #capital #flag #flags

A post shared by scoutbound (@scoutbound.de) on Feb 27, 2020 at 11:46pm PST