Images of Aboriginal People

Aboriginals have a tough go in Australia since the settlement of white people. The way they are treated is not always fair, and the way they were treated in the past was a disgrace to the white Australian. This history has shaped the way we see the aboriginals today.

There are 3 images I think of when I think of aboriginals. I think of the aboriginal out in the bush, with hardly anything on, painted in his traditional markings, tracking a kangaroo. I also think of the city aboriginal, the ones that have adapted to the city life and hold respectable jobs like everyone else. And then I think of the aboriginals that have no home, they just live in parks with their bottle of alcohol, just trying to survive.

It is this last image that is the most disturbing and probably the image most people think of when they think of aboriginals today. This image has come about because, I believe, of there history. Aboriginals were beaten and forced out of their homes when white men first settled in Australia. As the "white" Australia grew aboriginals were excluded and picked on. Not been treated as equals and as human beings. It became very hard to get a job or a house so they were forced to be homeless.

It was only when aboriginals stood up for their rights that they started being excepted into white society. But the damage was done. The image of the down and out aboriginal with their bottle of alcohol came about. Now aboriginals in this situation find it hard to get out of it. So through no fault of their own carry on this image that, I believe, is an incorrect portrayal of the aboriginal image.