Mythbusters

For this volume of the newsletter, we decided to open up our interview section to everyday students! To students in high schools across the world, we posed some questions that addressed the most common myths and misconceptions about Indigenous cultural genocides - below we’ve summarised the main responses for each question. We wanted a good cross-section of society to see how much we already know about the issue and gauge where there is more work to be done in education. Enjoy reading through - maybe you’ll bust some of your own myths!

Did you know that Indigenous children in Australia and America were removed from their families? If so, why do you think so?

I knew that American Indians had their land taken away; however, I didn’t know that children were removed

Yes; the government maybe separated them because they thought Indigenous communities were not safe

I knew about America but not Australia

Thousands of children from Indigenous communities were forcibly taken in the 19th and 20th centuries. The main reasons for this removal were policies of segregation and assimilation that aimed to effectively ‘stamp out’ the Indigenous identities and cultures of children.

Were the children taken because they were in danger?

About 70% said no, which is the correct answer!

How were Indigenous children treated when they were taken away?

I think they were treated against their human rights

They were taken forcefully

The general gist of all the answers is correct! They were removed forcefully from their families and placed in reserves, missions or boarding schools, where they often experienced severe abuse and were severed from their communities and culture.