Indigenous Environmental Management Pre-Intensive

My Indigenous Environmental Management class has been taught remotely on-line over the past weeks and finally we are about to have our "intensive." The Intensive involves consolidating and reviewing all the information we have absorbed. The intensive also will have labs and seminars with traditional owners. (So excited)  It will also have a final- but that's at the end.

I plan on sharing some of the topics and issues we cover in this intensive but first there is some background information that will make the other posts more understandable.

First Australia has a history of poor treatment and relations with the people who have lived here 60,000 years or longer. Here is the quick, monstrously abridged version of this history.

When Captain Cook first visited Australia he declared it terris nullis or "empty land" making it available for claim by the British Crown. It also disenfranchised all the people already living there.
Conflicts, wars, and massacres ensued between the colonists and the Indigenous peoples.
Towards the end of the waring period Indigenous groups were moved off traditional lands onto "mission stations" to be taught European customs and beliefs. During this time Europeans hope to curb Aboriginal peoples population by a policy of absorption. Laws are put in place restricting peoples movement, and for further forcible removals. Even with these laws developing the Native Police and territory militias were still hunting done and murdering Indigenous people.
Next came a period of "Protectionist" policies where the government took the position where the Aboriginal peoples needed to be protected from the settlers and from themselves. These arguements were made using a popular pseudoscience of the day which used skull and bone characteristics to support white superiority over other ethnic groups. These policies outlawed Aboriginal employment, allowed the government to remove children from their homes, and "half-caste" children are separated from their Aboriginal identity. Segregation effectively bans Indigenous people from towns and cities and establishes a "color line" which no one can marry across without permission of the government. It was believed that by being kept isolated and the children taught "how to be white" they were simply allowing nature to take its course and "expedite the extinction of the Aboriginal race." A similar policy existed in the U.S. at one point with the tag line of "kill the Indian, save the child."
In the 1930s the government changed positions and adopted an "Assimilation" policy which meant integrating Indigenous people into "white society" regardless of their preferences. They are still are not recognized as citizens, do not have rights to vote or own land.
In the 1950s integration of some schools occurs and Aboriginal workers begin to strike for fair wages. This leads into the 1960s where discriminating legislation begins to be removed and all Indigenous people gain the right to vote. Fair wages policies are introduced. New legislation puts an end to the seisure of children from their homes. They are counted in the census and begin to be recognized for achievements with awards such as Australian of the Year.
In the 1970s protests and strikes bring and end to "white Australia" policies, self-determination begins to be promoted as are programs to improve health and welfare in Indigenous communities. Land trusts begin to be set up and the first Land Rights legislation occurs as well as anti discrimination laws.
In 1992 the Mabo vs Queensland case establishes Native Title rights and overturns the premise of terris nullis. Inquiries into the "stolen children (generation)" and into the number of Indigenous deaths in custody.
In 2008 the first official "Sorry Day" is held where the Australian Parliment appologizes to the Stolen Generations and their families.
There has been continued improvement in legislation and programs to promote reconciliation, rights, self-determination, and cooperative management in the past decade or so as well. However there is still a long way to go before everyone is on even footing. 

The Second piece of information I consider essential to any posts I make on this class is the concept of Country. Based on what I have learned this is my perception of what Country is and what it means to Care for Country.

Country is more then the homeland you come from. It is the place that hold your stories, history, ancestors- everything. As an Indigenous Australian this connection to country is the most important relationship that makes the foundation for all other aspects of life. So caring for country is central to maintaining this relationship. It is more then the westernized perspective of land management. Caring for country is taking care of your family, community, and self.  If you take care of your country it will take care of you. It is a relationship that is not well expressed by words.
This is why the removal of people from their lands, the prohibition of traditional practices, and  removal of children was so devastating to the Indigenous peoples of Australia.