The Stolen Generation

Overview

• Stolen Generation: Term used to describe Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children forcibly removed from their families by government policy.
• Timeline: From the 1910s to the 1970s; policies arguably continue today.
• Impact: Estimated that 1 in 10 to 1 in 3 Indigenous children were removed during the policy's active period.

Government Policies

• Justifications: Protection and assimilation of Indigenous children into 'White Society'.
• Racial Beliefs: Belief in the extinction of 'Pure Blood' Aboriginal people and easier assimilation of 'Mixed Blood' into society.

Legislation

• Victoria: Aboriginal Protection Act 1869 allowed removal for assimilation.
• NSW:
  • Board for the Protection of Aborigines (1883) acted without legislative power initially.
  • Aborigines Protection Amending Act 1915 empowered removal without court evidence of neglect.

Assimilation Practices

• Cultural Erasure: Prohibition on speaking traditional languages or practicing cultural activities.
• Identity Loss: Children were given new names and were sometimes told their families had abandoned them or were dead.

Long-term Effects

• Shame and Rejection: Many children grew to feel shame about their heritage.
• Intergenerational Trauma: Effects still felt today, with traditional knowledge lost.

Institutionalization

• Training Homes: Children placed in homes like Kinchela Boys Home, often abused and neglected.
• Skill Training: Prepared for domestic service in White households.

Current Statistics

• Continuation: Increase in Aboriginal children placed in Out of Home Care from 2012-2017.

Apology and Acknowledgments

• 2008 Apology: Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's formal apology to the Stolen Generation.
• Ongoing Impact: Acknowledgement that the effects persist in Indigenous communities.

Resources and Further Information

• Links to testimonies, historical studies, and educational resources provided for deeper understanding.

Author

• Michael OLoughlin: Gamilaraay man, education officer for IndigenousX, cultural connections to Ngiyampaa and Worimi countries.