Indigenous Experience

Question 1

Day of Mourning

Answer 1

• The day of mourning was a protest led by Aboriginal Australians on the 26th of January 1983
• It was the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the first fleet, which marked the beginning of the colonization of Australia
• The first day of mourning was the result of many years of protest and advocacy
• The inaugural day of mourning clashed with the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Governor Phillip and the First Fleet
• The anniversary celebration of boycotted by First Nation’s people but the protest was largely ignored
• However, the push for Indigenous rights continued

Question 2

Stolen Generation

Answer 2

• The Stolen Generations refers to a period in Australia’s history where Aboriginal children were removed from their families through government policies
• This happened from the mid-1800s to the 1970s

Question 3

Stolen Generation Paragraph

Answer 3

• The sources omit the experience of the stolen generation and the specifics of the control that the state had over the lives of Aboriginal Australians, and the subsequent apologies and recognition of the harm
• This is significant because it is a contributor to generational trauma and the loss of cultural and linguistic links that have an immeasurable impact on Aboriginal communities in the present day