Critical Reflection: Australia's History and Aboriginal Culture

This critical reflection explores the multifaceted history of Australia, beginning with the deep roots of its indigenous culture, which dates back approximately 65,000 years. The paper examines the impact of European colonization, including the declaration of Australia by James Cook in 1770, and the subsequent oppression and diseases brought to the aboriginal people. The reflection further delves into the frontier wars, a series of conflicts between European settlers and indigenous Australians that lasted over 146 years. The author emphasizes the loss of identity, land, and lives, advocating for the preservation of aboriginal sites and remembrance of their sacrifices. The assignment references several sources that support the claims made about the history of Australia and its indigenous population.

Running Head: CRITICAL REFLECTION
Critical Reflection
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Topic- Critical Reflection on Australia’s past and indigenous culture
Week 2- There is still a lot to be explored about the Australian History
The history of Australia is almost 65,000 years old and the nation has developed only half
a century ago (Malaspinas et al. 2016). The first Australians were regarded as ‘primitive ‘which
connotes the fossilized phase in the human evolution. Although they were considered primitive,
they were not actually considered ancient. Australia has a such an old history that when the land
was formed or actually human beings or the indigenous people of Australia started living there,
the earth was still evolving in itself. The dune fields were forming, the volcanos were erupting,
glaciers were erupting and the sea levels were rising above 125 meters (Turnbull 2015).
This evolution transformed the Lake Carpentaria into a gulf and the Bassian Plain
transformed into a Strait. The aboriginal culture of Australia of the core base of their cultural
pride because they were one of the oldest people who have always been here and have witnessed
the entire evolution of the young settling land. According to my observations they are the most
authentic treasures of Australia. Another interesting fact about the country is that when the
Kenniff cave in the Queensland highlands are explored, there are clear evidence that Australia
was occupied since the last Ice age (Turnbull 2015). The excavations prove that Australia has
been inhabited by the modern world in the 17th century or later when the Europeans set foot on
the aboriginal land. I respect the country to be the home of the ancient traditions and the
scientific discoveries discard what people previously thought about the nation. I believe there is
still a lot of the story of Australia to be disclosed which will open new ways for exploration and
knowledge.

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Week 3- A brief history of the aboriginals
The aboriginal people of Australia have been staying under oppression since the
European invasion in the year 1788. The strangers who first invaded the land brought with them
an epidemic disease which swayed the population of the Sydney tribes at a stretch. The land was
considered to be ‘no one’s land’ but in the year 1770 James Cook declared it to be Australia
while he was on a voyage in the Australian coasts. However, he was proved wrong when it was
apparent that the ‘no ‘one’s land was inhabited by over 750,000 aboriginal people. Before the
arrival of the Europeans the aboriginal people of Australia developed their own culture,
spirituality, customs, language and law as informed by Grace et al. (2017).
Till the time the Europeans invaded the land, the Australian indigenous people
experienced no difficulty in surviving. The natural food was more than enough, there was fresh
water and shelter to live. When the British arrived the food shortage started becoming a problem,
the fish in the rivers, the kangaroo population and the number of trees got reduced by the
colonizers. As a result, the aboriginal people of the Sydney Basin faced starvation and suffered
from disease (small pox) and devastation. It is strange to believe that the aboriginal people who
are the treasure of the country were considered by most of the settlers as strange fauna to be
eliminated to cut way towards the new world (Paradies 2016). The scientific investigation of the
stone technology gives insight into their daily traditional life. There are still few aboriginal sites
in Australia which are intact and these sites cannot be replaced once destroyed. Hence I feel that
these sites should be preserved to retain the culture of Australia.
Week 4: Colonization and Resistance: Australia’s frontier wars
The frontier wars of Australia are a series of combats between the European settlers and
the indigenous people of Australia. These wars last for more than 146 years starting with year

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1788 and ending in 1934 (Burke et al. 2016). The main cause which instigated such wars was the
loss of identity and hunting ground loss of land to live in, disease and infertility, loss of pride,
despair and starvation. The conflict between the Tasmanian aboriginals and the British colonist is
called the Black wars that occurred during the early decades of the nineteenth century. The
voyage of James Cook in the year 1770 fired on a community of Tharawal aboriginals. The land
of Australia was occupied giving no value to the existing Indians and providing them no property
rights over their cultivation lands (Waterton and Dittmer 2016).
The Bathurst war, the Queens land massacre are among evidences of the violence
between the two parties (Burke et al. 2016). According to my opinion these wars should be
remembered because they took many lives of the Australian aboriginals. Their sacrifice and
contribution can never be forgotten and should not be neglected by the modern Australians
because it is for them they are living freely in an independent country.

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Reference
Burke, H., Roberts, A., Morrison, M., Sullivan, V. and River Murray Mallee Aboriginal
Corporation (RMMAC), 2016. the space of conflict: Aboriginal/european interactions and
frontier violence on the western Central murray, south Australia, 1830–41. Aboriginal
History, 40, pp.145-179.
Grace, R., Elcombe, E., Knight, J.A., McMahon, C.M., McDonald, J. and Comino, E.J., 2017.
Early childhood development over time for a cohort of Australian Aboriginal children living in
an urban environment. Australian Journal of Educational and Developmental Psychology, 15,
pp.35-52.
Malaspinas, A.S., Westaway, M.C., Muller, C., Sousa, V.C., Lao, O., Alves, I., Bergström, A.,
Athanasiadis, G., Cheng, J.Y., Crawford, J.E. and Heupink, T.H., 2016. A genomic history of
Aboriginal Australia. Nature, 538(7624), p.207.
Paradies, Y., 2016. Beyond black and white: Essentialism, hybridity and indigeneity.
In Handbook of Indigenous Peoples' Rights (pp. 44-54). Routledge.
Turnbull, P., 2015. Australian Museums, Aboriginal Skeletal Remains, and the Imagining of
Human Evolutionary History, c. 1860-1914. Museum and Society, 13(1), pp.72-87.
Waterton, E. and Dittmer, J., 2016. Transnational war memories in Australia’s heritage
field. Media International Australia, 158(1), pp.58-68.