Aboriginal people have been present across the continent of Australia for thousands of years and is recognised as the oldest civilisation in the world (GBRMPA, 2016).
Aboriginal people were hunters and gatherers, and as their survival depended on it, they developed a great knowledge of their land and what it had to offer (GBRMPA, 2016).
Townsville has been home to the Indigenous Tribes of the Wulgurukaba and Bindal People. A very important symbol for the Bindal People is the shooting star, and they believe that where the star fell, or the direction of where it fell meant danger coming, or that someone from that direction was in need of help or in danger. The Bindal People call their land “Thul Garrie Waja” (Townsville NAIDOC, 2016).
Wulgurukaba …show more content…
The basis of their religious life was disrupted, their land trespassed on, and the security of their sacred life was shattered (Bolton, 1967).
The settlers were determined to break Aboriginal resistance, and resorted to deliberate acts which often only provoked more resistance. For example, the settlers would destroy important Aboriginal equipment such as spears, fish nets, wallaby nets, rugs and tomahawks which the Aboriginals were forced to abandon (V. & P., 1875, p 624).
An even greater source of provocation during this period of frontier conflict, was the kidnapping of Aboriginal women and children. This was common practice throughout the entire North Queensland frontier (Eden, 1872). The Aboriginal women and children either accepted their fate, or came to prefer it to their tribal life. It was clear that the removal of the women and children from their tribes was to destroy traditional Aboriginal life (Eden, …show more content…
Their economic and social activities were prescribed so that they don’t get in the way of the settlers, and their resources were limited by the presence of settlers with their huge herds of cattle, their farms, settlements and towns (Loos, 1976).
In light of this history, it is evident that Aboriginal people should be treated with the respect they deserve, being the first Australians, and Owners of the Land. It is therefore necessary to have policies and procedures in place at early childhood centres that reflect inclusiveness and respect.
In order to create an environment that creates opportunities for children to explore cultural diversity, materials such as age-appropriate toys, books, puppets and musical instruments can be used (Santora, 2004). It is very important while making a decision regarding materials to be used in the program, that anti-bias materials are used that reflect many cultural groups, instead of using materials that could reinforce stereotypes (Santora,