Assessment 2:

Research Task

01/10/2012
Sarah Paletua

Assessment Option 2: Profession Specific Exercise

1. In what ways will a knowledge of frontier conflicts between Aboriginal people and
European settlers be important to your audience (recent graduates) in their future
professional lives?
Good morning! My name is Sarah and I am here today to share with you why I see it as vital
for our children in Victoria and Australia, to obtain a knowledge of frontier conflicts between
Aboriginal people and European settlers. I, like you, am a recent graduate of Primary
Education, and am ready to be thrust into the workforce. However, Ill go with a new-found
interest in educating our children in Australian history, lacking the common beginning of
Australia known as being in 1901 when federation occurred, nor as it being when Captain
James Cook arrived, but long before that, beginning with the Aboriginal people. I believe that
it is imperative that Victorian educators understand the pivotal role they play in giving their
students an understanding and acceptance of the history of Indigenous Australians. Even
today, more than one-hundred years on from Federation, there are many issues and
conflicting ideas of how Aboriginals should be treated differently to the non-Indigenous
population, how they should be recognised, and who exactly can be classified as being
Aboriginal. As teachers, we need to work through any difficulties they may face personally,
in order to provide a sound knowledge to all Victorian children of the history of our country,
and the people who were here before us.
Australian history has been taught in schools for years with the most significant dates
being Federation in 1901, the First Fleet arriving in 1788, hosting the Olympic Games on
multiple occasions, and the eras of war. I can tell you, and Im sure that many of you have
had similar experiences, that I was not taught any Australian Aboriginal history in Primary
HIST106
Australian Indigenous Peoples: Past and Present

Lecturer: Dr. Nell Musgrove

Tutor: Dr. Masa Mikola

Assessment 2:
Research Task

01/10/2012
Sarah Paletua

School. Looking back now, I am disappointed that I wasnt made aware of the struggles and
conflict that the Aboriginal people endured on the frontier, and are perhaps still enduring in
some places today. I even went to a primary school where one-third of the children were of
Aboriginal heritage, and I was ignorant to why they were like they were, and why they did
things like they did. I dont mean we need to teach them about all the negative aspects and
emotional element thats involved, but simply a factual understanding of how we came to be
here, and what happened in order for us to call ourselves Australians today. I encourage you
to read Aboriginal Australians, A history since 1788 (Broome, 2010). It provides us with a
counter-narrative to the one we are more commonly told; a history from the viewpoint of the
first original Australians. Through my reading it, I was made painfully aware of just how
unjustly our Indigenous population were treated by the Europeans. Indigenous people
believed land was a spiritual essence under their custodianship and was not transferrable,
and invaders treated it as a valuable commodity to be exploited, bought and sold (Broome,
2010, p. 37). From the moment that Europeans arrived on the land, they basically saw
themselves as being more superior and more righteous with their Western way of thinking
and living. Since this historical marker up until today, Aboriginal people have faced struggle
upon unnecessary struggle.
In multicultural Australian today, it is imperative that educators are culturally aware
and have an understanding of all cultures in the classroom, but it is easy to forget the
importance to us all of the history of Australia and the first people who were here. Miller
(2011), suggests that there are five main reasons that Australian teachers may be reluctant to
involve Aboriginal history in the teaching of Australian history to their students. These are
fear of causing offence, a lack of understanding about the relevance of Indigenous

HIST106
Australian Indigenous Peoples: Past and Present

Lecturer: Dr. Nell Musgrove

Tutor: Dr. Masa Mikola

Assessment 2:
Research Task

01/10/2012
Sarah Paletua

perspectives, issues with accessing the support of Indigenous people, viewing the work as too
political for early childhood, and a lack of time and support to do the work well (Miller,
2011, p.1). As a non-Indigenous teacher myself, I can relate to some of these points, but we
need to remember who were helping, and how important it is that each new generation is
aware and respectful of our history.
Living is Australia, it is commonly known that we are a very fortunate nation, in
terms of the opportunities available, the choices we are able to make, the resources available,
and the equality that is shared for all cultures and people of all ages. But if we search deeper,
we are made more and more aware of the disadvantages our Indigenous population face.
Factors such as Indigenous people being more prevalent to many illnesses and diseases than
non-Indigenous people, combined with social problems of this population, are just the
beginning (Lyons & Janca, 2012). Ive gained a passion in learning about Aboriginal people
and their past, and I believe as a teacher in Victoria, or in any Australian school, we need to
have understanding, respect, and care for all of our students and families but especially our
Aboriginal children and families. It was their ancestors who lived on this great land before
any others, and we need to show some acknowledgement of this. There is an ongoing impact
of past colonial policies and practices on not only the Aboriginal community, but especially
the development of our Indigenous children today, whether we can help it or not
(Eickelkamp, Goodnow, Katz & Robinson, 2008).
Over one-hundred year ago, Europeans stepped foot on the land we now call
Australia, the land we call home. Over one-hundred years ago, Indigenous Australians had
their whole world turned upside down. It is difficult for us to understand and have empathy
for the Aboriginal people who went through what some of us cannot even imagine. Even
HIST106
Australian Indigenous Peoples: Past and Present

Lecturer: Dr. Nell Musgrove

Tutor: Dr. Masa Mikola

Assessment 2:
Research Task

01/10/2012
Sarah Paletua

through the hardship and misunderstanding of the Europeans with regards to Indigenous
culture, the Aboriginal people tried to integrate themselves into the Western society that was
put upon them. This was their radical hope: to change materialistically but to remain in
essence the same (Broome, 2010, p.84). It doesnt seem fair. That it was the people who
were here thousands of years before the Europeans who were the ones forced to change and
endure life without having the freedom to be true to what they believed in and who they
were.
In conclusion, we are now well into the twenty-first century and there is still no happy
ending to this story. It is not a black and white situation and not many solutions have been
found for the benefit of Australia. But it is vital that as citizens of this nation, we all have an
understanding of what is and what was. Our next generation are in our hands, and the
foundation we give them in the classroom is what will build their knowledge and interest in
the topic. All cultures should be recognised and respected, but none more-so that that of the
original Australians. They were here first, like the Maoris were in New Zealand, and the
Native Americans were in the United States. I really do believe that our Indigenous
community deserves our time and respect. Thank you for your time, and I hope Ive given
you something to think about.

HIST106
Australian Indigenous Peoples: Past and Present

Lecturer: Dr. Nell Musgrove

Tutor: Dr. Masa Mikola

Assessment 2:
Research Task

01/10/2012
Sarah Paletua

References
Broome, R. (2010). Aboriginal Australians: A History Since 1788 (4th ed.). Crows Nest,
NSW: Allen & Unwin.
Eickelkamp, U., Goodnow, J., Katz, I., & Robinson, G. (2008). Contexts of child
development: culture, policy and intervention. Darwin, Northern Territory: Charles
Darwin University Press.
Lyons, Z., & Janca, A. (2012). Indigenous children in Australian: health, education and
optimism for the future. Australian Journal of Education, 56(1), 5-21. Retrieved from
http://search.informit.com.au/fullText;dn=190411;res=AEIPT
Miller, M. (2011). Breaking down the barriers. Bedrock. 16(3), 20-21. Retrieved from http://s
earch.informit.com.au/fullText;dn=189921;res=AEIPT

HIST106
Australian Indigenous Peoples: Past and Present

Lecturer: Dr. Nell Musgrove

Tutor: Dr. Masa Mikola