Role of Language in Oppressing Aboriginal People

Question: Discuss about the Role of Language in Oppressing Aboriginal People. Answer: Introduction: Australian indigenous tribes had lived with each other harmoniously until the entry of western colonizers (Dodson, 1994). This marked the oppression of Aboriginal people by the missionaries. The Aboriginals rights were never respected, and they had to conform to the demands of the missionaries (Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, 1997). Among all the Australian indigenous tribes, Aboriginal seemed to suffer more from missionaries oppressions. The missionaries perceived Aboriginal culture as inferior, and therefore they had to be assimilated into white society (Broome, 2010, p. 8). The language used by the missionaries towards the Aboriginal was oppressive in nature(Dudgeon, et al., 2010, p. 28). Just as the rest of the society, missionaries had an attitude that Aboriginals were the inferior race that had no right to live (Dodson, 1994). This perception developed into a language that each missionary directed towards the Aboriginals. The churchs attitude towards Aboriginals is well portrayed in the scenarios where they applied all the means to destroy Aboriginal culture. The church criticisms on the Aboriginals way of life was the language of the day. To perfect their mission, missionaries intentionally tried to get rid of Aboriginal culture through families separation (David Denham, 2006, p. 60). Same as Carol puts it in her story Bringing Them Home the church was on the front line in separating Aboriginal children from their parents with an excuse that they will be educated in a more civilized way. Additionally, the structures in the learning centers did not allow the interaction of Aboriginal people. Alternatively, the missionaries divided Aboriginal clans into several missions to cut off the development of their culture. The missionaries oppression directed towards Aboriginal people was out of the perception that Aboriginal people were of an inferior race. References Broome, R. (2010). Aboriginal Australians A history since 1788 (4th ed.). (Ch. 1 pp. 5-14 Ch. 3 pp. 36- 56). Crows Nest, Australia: Allen Unwin. Available High use collection David, B., Denham. T. (2006). Unpacking Australian pre-history. In B. David, B. Barker I. McNiven (Eds), the Social Archaeology of Australian Indigenous Societies, pp. 52-71. Canberra, Australia: Aboriginal Studies Press. Dudgeon, P. et al., 2010. The Social, Cultural and Historical Context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians , Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Dodson, M. (1994). The end in the beginning: Re (de)finding Aboriginality. Paper presented at The Wentworth Lecture, the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, Canberra, ACT. Retrieved from the Australian Human Rights Commission Website: https://www.humanrights.gov.au/about/media/speeches/social_justice/end_in_the_beginning.ht ml Follow link Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. (1997). bringing them Home: Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families. Sydney, Australia. Australian Human Rights Commission. Available https://www.humanrights.gov.au/publications/bringing-them-home-stolen-children-report-1997.