Aboriginal People in Australia and the United States
presentation Introduction for Thurday April 19, 2007:
The aboriginal people in the United States (Native Americans) and the aboriginal people in Australia have a long history of oppression by the national governments. Both nations were settled by the English who brought with them diseases and new ideas. The aboriginal people in both nations were forced from their lands by the British people’s greedy desire to have more land and resources. Over time, the people were forced onto reservations and their rights were slowly taken away. Today, many issues still exist in regards to the human rights of both peoples; there are governance issues, land issues, and issues with the overall quality of life of the aboriginal people.
Since I assume that most people have a more solid background on the rights of Native Americans, the readings focus more on the rights of Australian aboriginals.
http://www.eniar.org/issues/history.html -this page gives a brief history on the aboriginal people of Australia
http://www.eniar.org/issues/nativetitle.html - A description of the Native Title Act and its effect on the people.
http://www.eniar.org/issues/humanrights.html - a little bit on the human rights violations against aboriginal Australians