Abstract In this paper the author questions the right of the "white" Europeans to take over and destroy the good soil of Australia.He questions the actions of the white Australians and highlights the history and rights of the Aborigines to his land, quoting many sources. The paper concludes that the Aborigines know the land better and he justifies their right to look after the land and not let it be destroyed.
From the Paper " The problem with those of us who consider ourselves "civilized" and "up to date" is that we specialize, first in genocide, then in the rape of nature, and then create new specialties to repair the damage. Before the Europeans came, the Aborigines had no worries about the Ozone layer, or mastering a driver's test. Cricket, to them, was the sound of Nature at work, not some distant test match."
Abstract The paper explains that when Europeans colonized the land, the native inhabitants become a class of citizens that were treated as different and inferior to the conquering classes. The paper relates that as liberal western democracy attempts to establish equal rights for all citizen groups and as native groups learn how to press their claims, competing claims for land and treasure have been raised. The paper explores whether aboriginal rights can coexist with other rights and posits that coexistence is possible and even necessary, within the systems of government that Canadians have developed.
From the Paper "When the European colonizers established colonies throughout the North American continent, they came into contact and conflict with the native inhabitants that had dwelt in the land for centuries. Their initial contacts were colored by curiosity and concern on the part of both natives and colonizers. However, as colonies were established and the European hunger for land proved incessant, concern became alarm and even progressed to war in many cases. Colonizers were viewed as invaders by natives and the natives were viewed as uncivilized savages by colonists. The colonists' push across the continent resulted in land being contested and treaties being formulated, altered, and broken."
Tags: colonies, Europeans, native, inhabitants, ownership, self-rule, land
Abstract This paper examines the Aborigines of Australia who are said to have arrived on the continent over 50,000 years ago, blending into the already existent population and thus creating perhaps the most physically diverse population in the world. This paper details the differences in conceptions of land ownership between the Australian Aborigines and European colonists. The writer of this paper describes how the Aborigines had developed their own society, culture and rules for land ownership which were inexcusably overlooked by the European invaders. When Europe began to encroach upon the territories of the Aborigines, the latter group simply adapted resourcefully and made new claims. This paper explores the various countries and nations that laid claim to Australia, including the Dutch, British and Spain While the Aborigines claimed Australia through ancestral travels, the Dutch and British justified their possession by initial landing rights and the Spanish laid their claim based on religious doctrine. The British extended their claim to the entire continent by 1826 with the stroke of a legislative pen. This writer of this paper describes how the conflict was furthermore exacerbated by the fact that Aborigines and Europeans had differing conceptions of private property.
From the Paper "Although the Aborigines lived according to such ancient beliefs for thousands of years, their fate would soon be doomed according to a very different system of territorial claims formulated 10000 miles away, in Europe. While the Aborigines justifiably had divided Australian lands into their own territories, the newly 'discovered' continent would soon come into a three-way struggle for possession as Britain, Holland, and Spain each claimed Australia separately, none of these claims based on right of ancestors, but on religious, economic, and political rationales. The Spanish and Portuguese, in search of southern trade routes and the legendary Terra Australis, had touched on the continent of Australia."
Abstract The paper discusses how the First Nations land claims, an ongoing saga in Canadian political and legal circles, are as a result of the Aboriginal culture's different attitudes towards land and property. The paper refers to the book "Green Grass Running Water" by Thomas King and shows how it partly reflects the differences between Aboriginal and white Canadian society in their distinct understandings of land and property.
Outline:
Introduction
Distinct Cultures, Distinct Concepts
The Roots of Difference
Lost in Translation
From the Paper "One of the fascinating aspects of the interaction of First Nations culture and European settler culture in the early years of Canada was how the two peoples often seemed to be speaking as "cross purposes" to one another. This applies particularly to the concept of land and its use. While both First Nations peoples and European settlers saw the land as a resource that could be used to support human survival, the First Nations peoples seem to have been surprised at the devastation the European settlers imposed on the environment that had supported Aboriginal populations for centuries."
Abstract This essay demonstrates the erratic history of indigenous land claims in Australia, from the colonial period to advancements made under legislative modernisation today. The paper begins with a quote by Mudrooroo, to show just how frustrating the situation is. The paper concludes that Indigenous Australians are finally being recognised as the original owners of this country, although much needs to be done before the struggle is over.
From the Paper "In 1788, the Indigenous people were violently deprived of their land rights. Their struggle for the return of these rights has proved a tumultuous journey through the history of Australia, often exposing fundamentally racist beliefs and laws. Recent legislation has paved the way for greater victories for Indigenous Australians, although the extent to which even these are just remains questionable."
Abstract This paper discusses some of the issues that relate to the rights of aboriginal peoples in Canada. The paper specifically focuses on achieving a deeper understanding of basic terms such as nation, property and people. The paper discusses the barriers between the aboriginal people and white Canadians that are caused by poor communication or differing understandings of terms.
From the Paper "In essence, terms as they are used by whites bear no comparison when they are used by natives. John Locke, for instance, exemplifies European ideas of property. He believed that property in its original form was the earth given by God to human beings. This appears similar to the view of Native peoples. People's reason enables them to make the best use of natural resources and ways of appropriating those resources. "Though the Earth, and all inferior Creatures be common to all Men, yet every man has a Property in his own Person" (Locke, 2002, p. 60). As Locke viewed it, the concept of property actually began with the commons, or that which is owned by all individuals in common. All of this is very foreign to how Native peoples regard land and property. Indians do not even understand the idea of land tenure. In Indian culture, all material goods are held in common. There may be a commons but it is not owned in any sense."
This paper addresses the effects of the European exploration on the Aztec Natives of Latin America, looking specifically at the history of the land and the reasons for European exploration.
Abstract The following paper looks at a brief historical view of the Aztecs, their origin and culture. The paper then discusses the Age of Exploration, the countries involved and what areas were explored. Effects of European exploration on the Aztec race, religion, land and labor are also discussed with their eventual and gradual disappearance. The writer restates all the fundamental points and the lessons learned during his research to conclude the paper.
From the Paper "History is exclusively neither an art nor a science, but a subtle blend of the two. The historical imagination reaches beyond the limits imposed by scientific method, but it does not enjoy unfettered poetic license. What is not required of art is required of history - to discover what the old universe was like rather than to invent a new one. We study the past in order to influence, no matter how modestly, the world around us and the world within us. Historical inquiry is always a response to the human need for information, an understanding of the broad patterns of social development." (History, 2001)
Abstract This paper explains that Leo Tolstoy's "How Much Land Does a Man Need?" is set in Russia; however, the story reflects the nature of the Americans and how they took advantage of their native Indians. The author points out that the story has four characters: The younger sister and her greedy husband Pahom, who are peasants and represent the Americans; the older sister, who is the European relative, visiting her younger sister and boasting of the high class lifestyle of Europeans and, of course, the Devil, who is greed itself. The paper relates that Tolstoy ends the story by stating that, when a person dies, he takes nothing with himself and his final abode is in a land, which is not hundreds of acres but only "six feet from his head to his heels."
From the Paper "One day a peasant from beyond the Volga came to Pahom and was given food and a place to stay at Pahom's house. He told Pahom about the land from where he has come and the immense opportunities that are present there. People were getting 25 acres of land for joining the commune. Tolstoy described the height of rye to be "as high as a horse" to show the temptation that Pahom was facing as he heard this. The temptation is best described by Tolstoy with the words "Pahom's heart kindled with desire." "
Abstract In "Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England", Walter Cronon uses his historical and ecological expertise to cover the changes in New England's plant and animal communities taking place from the transformation from Indian to European life. It explains that the book shows how the interaction among the Indians, Europeans and the land transformed the New England forever.
From the Paper "Cronon concludes on a bleak note. By 1800, New England was far different than the land the earliest European visitors had described. The Indians were reduced to a small fraction of their former numbers and forced on to less and less usable agricultural lands. Large areas in southern New England were now devoid of animals that previously were common, such as beaver, deer, bear, turkey and wolf. Instead, hordes of European grazing animals placed a heavy burden on the plants and soils. Hundreds of miles of fences, weeds and alien grasses crisscrossed the landscape. Forests still exceeded the cleared land, but, especially near settled areas, remaining forests were significantly altered by grazing, burning, and cutting (159)."
Abstract As an after effect of the Colonial period and as a result of interbreeding between visiting Europeans and the indigenous women of a new colony, a new race of people appeared. In this paper the author explores the predicament of these "hybrid or Metis populations. The paper examines the case of the Eurasians of India, (Anglo-Indians as they came to be known) who are the result of such unions and still identified as mixed-race and form a culturally composite community. The paper also takes a look at the French Metissage ("mixed-blood") population. The author examines each of these groupings and the relationships and attitudes of the dominant colonial population to them as well as the attitudes of the indigenous population to these new populations.
From the Paper "To find the opinion of other Africans is a nearly impossible task. For one, the group of people is so vast it would never have a collective opinion and would be ignorant to assume otherwise. Another issue is that there is little information written by Africans prior to the 20th century. Most writings stating African opinion are authored by citizens of the ruling nation, whose credibility to write about the sentiments of the Africans is highly suspect at best."
Tags: india, canada, european, colony, hybrid, traders, soldiers, mulatto, africa, france, england, metis
Abstract The paper examines land claims disputes and related issues. The paper begins with the history of
the oppression and subjugation of the native people and discusses how the governments' of North America established control over the indigenous Canadians and Native Americans. The paper further reveals how the nature and history of the European colonization and settlement of North America are paramount to the conflicts, issues and challenges, especially concerning claims to the land, that were presented at the time.
From the Paper "Beginning in the early eighteenth-century, native peoples in both Canada and the United States were subjugated and oppressed for more than two-hundred years as the Canadian and American governments established political, economic, social, and cultural dominance over native tribes and their lands. Comparing issues related to land claims, conflicts involving indigenous Canadians and Native Americans, and majority culture governments reveals that indigenous peoples face many similar challenges due to the nature and history of the European colonization and settlement of North America. While both indigenous Canadians and Native Americans have legitimate land claims and a host of other justified grievances, historians are in general agreement that American.."
Abstract This paper reports that 8.4 per cent of the total 661,730 population of Winnipeg is aboriginal, which is the second highest percentage of the 13 major Canadian cities. The author points out that the young age of the majority of the aboriginals in Winnipeg is very important because it can have a major impact on the need for more educational and welfare services. The paper stresses that the effects of poverty and housing issues may be a major cause of poor health among aboriginal people in Winnipeg. The author relates that the demographic profiles seem to indicate that social and economic disadvantages facing aboriginal people in Winnipeg have been limiting their educational achievements. The paper includes several quotations.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Aboriginal Population of Winnipeg
Income, Employment and Poverty
Housing Issues
Health Issues
Education Issues
Conclusion
From the Paper "The differences in incomes between aboriginal people and non-aboriginal people in Winnipeg can be partially explained by differences in employment and unemployment rates. The total employment rate for Winnipeg in 2001 was 64.8 per cent and the unemployment rate was 5.6 per cent. The employment rate for aboriginals in Winnipeg is only 55.1 per cent and the unemployment rate is 14.3 per cent. This would seem to indicate that the higher unemployment rate in the aboriginal population of Winnipeg is a major factor in the poverty of that population."
Abstract This paper discusses the European invasion of the world and how it impacted the spread of cultures, thoughts, beliefs, ideas, practices and new ways of life. The author debates the type of assimilation that took place and whether the spread of new ways of life was warmly accepted or forced upon the natives. The paper uses William Shakespeare's "The Tempest" as a case in point of a perfect example of the process of occupation of a foreign land in the name of world expansion.
From the Paper "When looking at the results of the European invasion of the world during the Early Modern Period, one must ask if it was all for the best. Then, if it was for the best, whom did it benefit? Taking the actual possession of land is the first stage, then settling in with the indigenous people is second, and when the trust has been won, bringing in more settlers to overpower the indigenous people and transform them into the image of the settlers."
Tags:european, explorers, acculturation, assimilation, culture, language, religion, thought, life
Abstract Discusses the responses of Native Americans to the arrival of Europeans after 1492. Variety of responses of different Nations of Native Americans. Superiority attitude of Europeans. Focuses on encounters between several Native American Nations and the Spanish & English settlers. Diffeent approaches to colonization of the 2 countries. Destruction of Indian way of living.
From the Paper "The responses of the various nations of Native Americans to the arrival of Europeans after 1492, and the manner in which they subsequently dealt with their presence, varied widely from one group to another. Responses to the encounter depended on the cultural characteristics of the different nations, on the economic and political circumstances in which they found themselves, and, to a considerable extent, on the same factors as they applied to the particular groups of Europeans they encountered. Just as there was no uniform Indian response to the encounter there were also significant differences in the ways the Spanish, English, French, and others approached the peoples whose land they were intent on occupying. A brief comparison of various encounters between several Native American nations and..."
Abstract This paper attempts to address the problem of Aboriginal unemployment within the context of government policy. Although government monies have increased to the First Nations steadily in the last ten years, it has put a very small dent in the problem. The Canadian government has used a variety of measures to address the problem of Aboriginal unemployment, including entrapreneuralship programs, education, and fostering mega-projects such as Voisey Bay and northern gas pipelines.
