Before Invasion

FORMALLY CONSIDERED FOR UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE

The archaeological history of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia is a truly remarkable story that very few Australians are aware of ... Perhaps the most deceptive myth perpetuated about Aboriginal society is the idea it was 'primitive', 'stone age', 'nomadic', or 'unevolved'. This type of thinking feeds racist stereotypes and discriminatory attitudes which continue to marginalise and disassociate Aboriginal Australians from the national identity.

Capitalism could not flourish without crushing the resistance of people who wanted to live differently ... wage labour and the drive to accumulate capital were incompatible with Aboriginal society. That incompatibility was the basis of the genocide. Across a vast stretch of northern Australia, extending at least from Borroloola to the Kimberley, Aborigines tell the tale of a murderous white man. He stands for whites in general, and is seen as an invader. As quoted in a paper by anthropologist Deborah Bird Rose; "shooting all the people [and] getting ready for the country, trying to take it away". [node:read-more:link]

Southeast Asia and Australia during the last Ice Age. (Photo: Migration Heritage NSW)

Wes Judd Australian Geographic 27 September 2013 [node:read-more:link]