The affects of Colonization on Indigenous people
Good morning people, hope you're all going well.
I have an assignment that I'm starting to work on that relates to Colonisation. The questions is "Choose an Aboriginal artist and discuss the effects of colonisation have had on their work"
Now for many people, this would be a trigger for a massive bleeding heart, saying how the Europeans killed the natives, and how native culture was destroyed and this artist sings about their disconnection with the land.
But I don't want to present my arguement that way. I'd like to present it in a positive way. For every negative action, there has been just as many positive actions. I'm not talking in any way about government hand outs etc, thats an entirely different topic and not whats being discussed. What I'm talking about is the "Access" that white settlement gave the natives to a larger audience, the ability to become famous to espouse their struggles and expose their culture to a greater audience.
The artist I'm looking at presenting is the Mount Isa local William Barton, who is possibly the most respected didgeridoo players in the world having performed for the Queen of Spain, GDay USA tours, and various prestigious philharmonic orchestras around the globe. Without colonisation, the world wouldn't know the sound of the didgeridoo or know the stories of the Kalkadoon people.
What I'm trying to get at, is that for all the stigma behind white settlement those that embraced it and didn't let themselves been defined solely by the colour of their skin have thrived and gone on to achieve greatness.
I'll post a copy of the presentation to Dtube once its submitted and marked.
I think it would be a little absurd to ignore that the method of colonisation was largely destructive.
It’s actually written into government documents that the intent was to destroy the indigenous culture. I’ve read these documents.
Thats correct, and the intent isn't to hide these facts. I have a section planned that covers the treatment of his native Kalkadoon people from these acts.
But there are 2 sides to the coin. Not everything is doom n gloom.
I don’t disagree that there have been some great opportunities for indigenous people to promote their culture more widely.
I’ve even met quite a few indigenous people who have done very well for themselves through the promotion of their culture.
I’m just dumbfounded at the fact that our government literally wanted to wipe out an entire race of people.
Tough assignment but I applaud your approach. I hope that whoever is marking it has an open mind and is fair.
Thanks mate. Im actually asking permission before I get too far into it, as I don't want to get penalised for not being a big enough bleeding heart. But I'm trying to be factual and critical but also fair to both sides of the coin.
Smart move. It sounds like you know what you're probably up against. Good luck.