The Polynesian Panthers Protest Of The 1970 ' S

Since the time of federation the Aboriginal people have been fighting for their rights through protests, strikes and the notorious ‘day of mourning’. However, over the last century the Australian federal government has generated policies which manage and restrained that of the Aboriginal people’s rights, citizenships and general protection. The Australian government policy that has had the most significant impact on indigenous Australians is the assimilation policy. The reasons behind this include the influences that the stolen generation has had on the indigenous Australians, their relegated rights and their entitlement to vote and the impact that the policy has had on the indigenous people of Australia.

The rights and freedoms of Aboriginals have improved drastically since 1945 with many changes to government policy, cultural views and legal rules to bring about a change from oppression to equality. Unfortunately on the other hand, some rights and freedoms have not improved at all or have even worsened.

The police could also expel ‘trouble makers’ from reserves. The policy of Assimilation/Integration was in force from the 1930’s to the early 1960’s. The Assimilation policy was aimed to make the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people more ‘civilized’ and ‘westernised’. It was hoped by the State Governments and Federal Government that the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identity would be destroyed and lost forever.

The concept of being a ‘nation of immigrants’ is at the center of Australian identity.

The rights and freedoms of Aboriginal people have changed significantly during the 20th century after facing many years of neglect and inequalities. In that time, change in indigenous rights and freedoms was brought about as a result of government policies, political activism and legal changes.

An individual’s search for identity is fuelled by a need to find a place in the world where we belong, thus not belonging consequently leas to a feeling of alienation and isolation. This notion is explored through May’s journey seeking to connect with her racial heritage, her idea of understanding and acceptance. The old man Graham, May encounters at the mission expresses an Aboriginal perspective on the contemporary relationship between the two societies. “no one to talk about it. And they die, kill em selves, than those governments just put another numba, nother cross in they list. They still trying to do it, kill us of, tell us that its always been they plan.” They hybrid vernacular communicates the hatred through the ethnolect strongly marked by the non –standard features of the pronouns in “they list,” “they plan.” Graham’s diatribe reflects him as an individual demonstrating the marginalisation of the minority groups. Similarly, Armin Greder’s picture book The island demonstrates the notion concerning the duality of belonging with its inherit prejudices and xenophobic attitudes expresses the majority’s deliberate exclusion of ‘the other’ outside

Over the past 230 years, Aboriginals have protested in many different ways to gain rights, which they believe they are deserving of. Through aims of what they wanted to achieve, the processes they went through brought them disappointment over the poor results of some actions and pleasure over the success of others. Over those years, very few periods of protest have been as revelational or effective as the protests occurring between 1938 and 1972. During this period many different groups of Aboriginals have fought for the common cause of being recognised as people rather than interferences caught in the midst of Australians expansion as a nation.

Pang goes on to state that these “racists feel that no one, neither society nor the government, appreciates how the modern world has left them behind. But one group shares their unrelenting feelings of deepseated fear and anxiety: their victims.” (Pung 2016) however these deep seeded sentiments are also not being helped by the nation-state where there has been no real attempt in multicultural or migratory education since the original yet short push for multiculturalism in the years following the white Australia policy nor has there been an attempt in educating the Australian people that assimilation is an acceptable or achievable endeavour. There is an identified need to develop an understanding that all types of migration lead to social and economic change and attempts to surpress such transformations can lead to racism and conflict. (Castles

After WW2, the Labour Prime Minister, Ben Chifley, launched Australia’s largest immigration program ever. Along with the program, the catchphrase ‘Populate or Perish’ was widely used to imply that more immigrants, preferably white, were necessary to fight of the steady stream of Asian immigration. As part of Immigration policy, these immigrants were expected to assimilate – meaning that they had to give up their preceding culture and embody Australian customs. This was simple for those who come from Britain but was very much a difficult task for those few immigrants who were not of British descent.

Their struggle is soon brought to court where they requested to be considered citizens of the Nisga’a nation, rather than being considered citizens of Canada. Eventually, a treaty is signed between them and the federal government so the Nisga’a people can claim sovereignty over their ancestral homeland, while still being confined within the nation-state. This article helps answer the question of this essay by showing the effects of globalization through colonization on aboriginal people’s identities. Since their land had been under colonization, the Nisga’a found it absolutely necessary to fight for their national identity to claim autonomy from the colonizers. By having the right to call themselves Nisga’a citizens instead of Canadian citizens, their national identities have immensely strengthened due to oppression (Blackburn 2009).

The impact of the Stolen Generations on Australian Indigenous peoples is seen in the sense of isolation and separation that overwhelms the children that were forcibly removed under the policies of the assimilation legislation. The children experienced not only separation from their family but also had their identity taken away, this includes not being able to speak their own language or practice their culture and religion practices.

What comes to mind when you think of the Black Panther Party? Do you even know who the Black Panthers really were? They helped transform the lives of many African Americans in the U.S and helped empower the community. The Black Panther has a huge background of history, goals, and beliefs. Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale from Oakland, California founded the Panthers in 1966. Initially, they were an African American self defense force and were highly influenced by Malcolm X’s beliefs. The Panthers had many goals such as;freedom, protecting blacks from police brutality, and helping African Americans obtain a jobs. Despite the negative stereotypes of the Black Panthers as people who ran around with guns, fighting police, they were a major group during the Civil Rights Movement because they practiced self defense, established revolutionary socialism, and stimulated Malcolm X's influence. In the following I will discuss the successful changes the Black Panther Party, had on the African American community during the civil rights movement.

A Key conflict that endures as one of the most noteworthy events in New Zealand’s early history is the Waikato war of 1863-1864. The significance of the battles lies in the definition of the status of Maori and Pakeha in New Zealand. Particular historic debate surrounds whether the Waikato war was caused more primarily over the dispute of land or sovereignty. Maori were rising against British control and domination over them exhibited by establishment of the Kingitanga movement and the resistance to land sales. Responding in a way they saw that they had the right British invaded the Waikato. The outcomes of these events still hold debate and controversy in the regions of occurrence even today. With large loss of lives on both sides directly from the clashes, as Maori retained their pride refused to surrender to the British’s superior technology. New laws were passed as a result of the resistance involving shameless policy’s which marginalised Maori and there rights further. The consequences of this war were drawn out until the late 20th, when finally reparations were made in full.

This article examines the attitudes that New Zealanders have developed in response to immigration patterns and policy. Exploring how social hierarchy and ethnicity shape immigration tolerance through economic inequality concerns, perceptions of threat and protection of Maori rights. Douglas gives substantiated arguments relevant to discussions on the bicultural environment of New Zealand politics and argues for the importance of political recognition for Maori.

“From the 1970s, a major cultural shift known as the ‘Maori Renaissance’ created a context for the emergence of a Maori perspective in New Zealand filmmaking.” The New Zealand feature film, Ngati is considered to be a product of the ‘Maori Renaissance’ and it remains a noteworthy film today for being the first film directed a Maori, namely Barry Barclay. This essay seeks to examine the racial representations of Maori and Pakeha, the historical context of the late 1940s and the Maori identity in Ngati. Barclay’s film is unlike previous films such as The Romance of Hinemoa, The Te Kooti Trial and Rewi’s Last Stand which was based on a dominating Pakeha perspective. The release of Ngati signalled a turn of tables in favour of Maori as they were able to present Maori and Pakeha representations, the historical context of the late 1940s and Maori identity from their perspective.