Impacts of Colonisation on Indigenous People in Australia

Indigenous Study

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Invasion and settlement: impacts of colonisation...................................................................1
Discussion of the topic in relations to colonisation................................................................2
Current debate related to the topic..........................................................................................3
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander contributions and perspectives on the topic...............4
Reflection on opportunities for action in personal and professional contexts........................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Indigenous study comprised of depth of academic fields the humanities and social science
(Cox and et.al., 2019). By developing this study, students and people can know about history of
indigenous people and know how to integrate informations for broadening their worldviews.
This present study is going to show effects of colonization and settlement of British in Australia
on Indigenous group and Torres Islanders. One of the main effects which this study will show is
exposure of disease and restriction o water and land to Aboriginal. Further, it will also show
debate on this topic in order to identify that whether it was invasion or settlement. Lastly, it
discusses opportunities for action in this regards.
MAIN BODY
Invasion and settlement: impacts of colonisation
Before discussing invasion and settlement in the context of colonization it is important to
discus about colonization as what is it and how it is affecting aboriginal and Torres Islanders.
Colonization can be defined as a process of setting up a colony or keeping a colony away from
their place of origin. In the context of Indigenous it can be said that Colonization refers a
negative act which people have been doing with aboriginal people of Australia since long. One
of the reason of negative act with this people is they tent to involve invading culture which
establish political control over an indigenous population (Colonization: Disease, Dispossession
and Direct Conflict, 2020).
In the context of invasion and settlement of Aboriginal it can be defined as main key terms
which include: disease, dispassion and direct conflict. Prior to British settlement, over 500
indigenous group inhabited Australian continent which were having around 75000 people.
In addition, it is stated that exposure of disease killed around half of the indigenous
people. Sexual harassment and abuse to indigenous women and girls also introduced some
diseases to this community. Expansion of British or European settlement and establishment of
colonies in Van Diemen’s Land lead competition over land. If we compare impacts of
colonization on indigenous people then it is important to understand effects on indigenous before
colonization and in this context it is stated that indigenous people resisted and tried to protect
themselves (Bird, O’Grady and Ulm, 2016). It is also estimated that around 20,000 people of
aboriginal group were killed due to negative impacts of colonial violence and at the same time
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period other 25000 settler deaths estimated. And after settlement and colonization, it affected
many people which lead death.
Discussion of the topic in relations to colonisation
In regards to colonization and invasion settlement it is stated that European settlement
affected on the life of Indigenous to the great extent. The main three areas and reasons such as
exposure of new disease, dispossession on the land and their involvement in violent conflict
affected them the most. All these affected them and it lead to death of vast number of aboriginal
people.
In 1770, James Cook claimed possession of the east coast of Australia for the British Crown.
While returning to Britain, Cook presented a report which was putting pressure to authorities for
establishing a panel colony in the newly claimed territory. As per their report and in new colony,
it was intended to improve overcrowding in British prison (Mullen, 2020).
In the year of 1788, Captain Arthur Philip along with brew, marines reached at Sydney
cove. In the 10 years it was felt that indigenous people and their population was reduced by 90%.
So, in this regards some reasons were identified which were: Exposure of new diseases, violent
conflicts with colonisers and acquisition of Indigenous land (The Australian Dream, 2019.).
One of the most affected reasons was wave of epidemic disease which include: measles,
small pox and influenza. In addition it is also stated that due to European forceful settlement in
Australia it affected them the most by restricting them on uses of water resources and
management. Some other main effects of colonization and settlement in regards to water and
land appropriation include:
 Because of depopulation, succession of one indigenous group by another was identified.
 Reduction of land on which they used to live now does not have control over it.
 Depopulation on some areas of Australia affected and resulted massacres.
 A large number of reductions of people of Indigenous group or community.
 Lack of access and restriction to water resources and management.
 Displacement of indigenous group by another.
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