Immerse yourself in the sparkling pearl of the South Pacific, Australia, a 769An economic powerhouse of 20,000 square kilometers, it stands proudly at the peak of prosperity in the southern hemisphere and attracts global attention.
However, in the long course of history, this land has witnessed a dark past. In the far south of Australia, Tasmanians once lived leisurely, and their culture flourished like poetry.
However, the British colonists, the self-proclaimed "civilized" landers, ruthlessly erased the traces of the Aboriginal population in just a few decades, and the glory of the Tasmanian tribe disappeared forever from the face of the earth.
* The tragedy of that small island, why did they commit heinous crimes when they claimed to be civilized? What is the last Tasmanian wish? The controversy and reflection on this period of history are still thought-provoking.
Now, let's unveil this chapter of history, a painful memory for Tasmanians – that with the advent of colonization, European powers rushed to explore the world in an attempt to extract the value of their colonies.
In 1606, the Spanish explorer Torres skimmed the Australian coastline, and in the same year, the Dutch were the first to land and give the land a land"New Netherland"The imprint.
Although Spain and the Netherlands did not formally occupy it, the arrival of British explorers in 1770 changed the situation. They named the land"New South Wales", the British claimed their sovereignty with a greedy mentality.
However, the original motivation of the British was not because of its value, but for its use as a place of exile for prisoners. In 1778, Captain Philip led the first group of convicts to Australia, including 736 prisoners.
Since then, Port Jackson has witnessed the birth of the first British colony. However, these"Intruders"There is no respect for the native culture and ethnic traditions that have existed in this land for 40,000 years.
The former tranquility was shattered, and in the footsteps of the British colonists, the traditional life of Port Jackson suffered a merciless assault. Not only did the colonizers continue to impose racial prejudice, but they also strategically excluded and isolated indigenous peoples.
As a result, Australia's Aboriginal population has been decimated, and Tasmanians have suffered particularly from their roots, rooted in the south-eastern island of Tasmania, where they have thrived since prehistoric times, where totem worship is celebrated, the moon is a symbol of their faith, and elven tales are passed down by word of mouth.
However, by the beginning of the 19th century, their tribe numbered more than 6,000 and had more than 20 tribes, and their technology and culture were still in a semi-primitive stage.
Tasmania's Aboriginal people, active in the forests and swamps during the warmer season, have their hunting lives carved into historical stone statues.
However, this tranquility was shattered in 1803 by the British colonists led by Bowen, a group of more than 30 male and 20 female prisoners who established the first colonial base in Reisden.
Since then, Tasmania's fortunes have changed dramatically, and the bad nature of the colonists and their armed forces, such as guns and swords, have set off a tragic chapter in the land.
Revealing the dark side of history, the British colonists deviated from their original intention of harmony with the Tasmanians, and the ** in their hands was not just self-defence, but a symbol of aggression.
The initial friendly treatment did not stop them from expanding their desire to invade land, covet resources, and even attempt to establish permanent colonies. In 1804, 300 innocent migrants were merely innocent sacrifices carried away by greed.
Although the impulsiveness of the officer William Monet led to the tragedy, according to bystanders, the conflict was ignited by the misdeeds of the British.
The incident claimed the lives of more than 50 Tasmanians, and the colonizers' indifference and cruelty to the Aboriginal people escalated the conflict.
The seeds of hatred are deeply rooted in the Tasmanian people, who stand firm in their determination to protect their homeland and their fellow citizens. Driven by this situation, the intensity of the confrontation between the two sides is becoming more and more intense, which is what the historian Melville wrote"Black War", which chronicles the fierce fighting between the Tasmanians and the British colonists around 1835.
Behind the sharp decline in Tasmania's indigenous population is a brutal impact of multiple factors. The colonizers greedily demanded resources, causing the original self-sufficient living system to collapse in an instant.
The abundant resources of the Australian continent are stretched thin by inefficient production in isolated environments. A severe drought of 1806-1807 exacerbated the existential dilemma and forced inter-tribal conflicts to escalate.
With the acquiescence of the British authorities,"Jungle cavalry"Appearing as prisoners, they illegally plundered the precious food of the Aboriginal people, and the violence was frequent, which directly led to the innocent loss of countless Tasmanians.
The story of the Tasmanian bush reveals the silent loss of Aboriginal rights. The colonists' expansion is looming step by step, and the island's ecological treasure is the focus of contention. They ruthlessly occupy one-third of the land, deprive the indigenous people of their sovereignty under the banner of "enclosure", and openly characterize the territories that originally belonged to the indigenous people as "ownerless".
Year 1823,"Newcomers"With the acquiescence of **, 175704 hectares of land were seized on a large scale, and grazing and breeding were excessive, while ignoring the far-reaching harm to indigenous lives and the environment.
In the context of Australia's abundant livestock industry, the limited huntable area and ecological imbalance have led to a sharp decline in animal populations. Tasmania's traditional livelihoods are facing serious challenges, forcing local residents to venture into white farms to survive, which undoubtedly exacerbates social tensions and conflicts.
The brutal nature of the colonizers was intertwined with a disregard for indigenous rights, and they behaved like the African triangle of yesteryear, treating indigenous people as tools rather than human beings.
White men wantonly assault indigenous women, brutally abandon them, and the dark side of humanity is clearly revealed in this land.
In Australia, innocent Indigenous children are not immune to the cruel fate of history. From the moment they were born, they were ruthlessly taken away from their parents and sent to schools that purported to be education but were in fact isolated from their traditions.
The curriculum there was imbued with the imprint of British culture, gradually eroding their sense of belonging to their native and ethnic origins, and even making them acquiesce to the atrocities of foreign invaders in their land as justified.
When they enter the labor market, they are faced with a very different treatment from white people, and they can only toil at the bottom of the farm and suffer from life.
With the loss of land, sacred religious sites ceased to exist, and their original cultures and rituals were ruthlessly destroyed, and their spiritual world was devastated.
In the face of unprecedented social tensions, Arthur of England made a decisive proclamation in 1828"Separation of whites from natives"This act, in essence, acquiesced in the legitimization of colonialist violence, making the killing of indigenous populations an officially sanctioned act.
This was followed by a more draconian introduction in the United Kingdom"Martial law", characterizing indigenous people as:"Open enemy of the king", giving soldiers the right to ** at will. Hence the name "One Session"."Black War"The large-scale conflict swept across the island.
In this brutal struggle, the Tasmanian Aborigines put up stubborn resistance, but at great cost, with the lives of more than 50 British colonists falling within two years.
In the face of the expansion of the colonists, the primitive power of the natives, although tenacious, was difficult to resist for a long time. Some people are misled into believing that submission can be treated kindly, but they do not know that behind this illusion of peace lies a cruel fate.
Exiled to Flinders Island, the harsh living conditions and the ruthlessness of the colonists cut them off from survival. The original 220 residents, under the relentless invasion of infectious diseases, in less than a decade, only about 40 people remained in this barren land.
The coastline of Flinders Island has witnessed a painful turn in the fate of the race. Violence and civil strife are like cold blades, curtailing the vitality of the race. Although some of the bloodlines are difficult to maintain, they are like candles in the wind, dim.
In the mid-19th century, the glory of the Tasmanian nation was numbered, and the pressure and practical considerations of the colonies allowed those survivors to return to their homeland.
In 1869, cholera claimed the life of a purebred man, Lannay, and just a century later, in 1876, Trucanini, the last woman of Tasmanian descent, also said goodbye.
In the final chapters of her life, Trucanini witnessed the ruthless destruction of her fellow citizens by the colonizers, and the cruel memories were deeply imprinted on her mind and body.
On her deathbed, she begged British officials not to desecrate her body, and only to return her ashes to her homeland and blend into the sea.
However, the ruthless colonists did not listen to her wishes, and her body became a cold piece of incriminating evidence in the Hobart Museum - a human specimen.
Originally a space to display national art and traditions, this exhibit now silently tells a history of blood and tears, reminding the world of the heaviness of history.
The imprint of British colonists is clearly visible in the history of the Hobart Museum, and they are considered to be a key factor in the demise of the local race, which is deeply concerned by the people of justice around the world.
However, there are also arguments such as Parthenia Corbyn that try to defend the colonizers, suggesting in his essay "The Truth About the Extinction of the Aborigines of Tasmania" that the Aborigines might have ceased to exist without the involvement of Europeans, such as the moa in New Zealand and the mysterious builders of Easter Island.
However, such a view was immediately questioned and refuted by the academic community.
Although Tasmania's Aboriginal has survived for 23,000 years or more, just 73 years of colonial settlement led to the disappearance of the last pure-blood Aboriginal people.
Corbyn's views, ruthlessly exposed by scholars such as Juliette Clark, Charles Perkins, and Scott Carney, as racist interpretations, are a deliberate distortion of what history really is.
In the past, Tasmania has not been alone, as many races in Australia have also suffered deep oppression, and their figures, like Tasmanians, have faded away in the torrent of history.
The survivors are silently drowning in time, failing to get the justice they deserve. However, the post-World War II global human rights wave has brought light at the end of the tunnel, and the focus on international perspectives has increased attention to indigenous issues within Australia.
In the process of urbanization, some indigenous people have integrated into modern life and gained more political and economic power, and they have begun to use their influence to awaken the world's memory of that neglected and unjust history through art, ** and other forms.
Their voices are being heard, giving more Australians insight into the suffering of Indigenous peoples.
In Australia in 1958, the Aboriginal progressive forces set sail in Adelaide. After years of baptism, they shook hands with ** and put forward innovative seven-point demands.
The primary goal is to rid them of all laws that are prejudiced against indigenous peoples and to urge them to be given the sanctity of legal protection by the Constitution. Improving housing conditions, making their homes a symbol of dignity, advocating equal pay for equal work, and equal rights to education cannot be ignored in terms of labor rights.
The ownership of reserves, public or private, is a sign of respect for indigenous cultural sovereignty. More importantly, elevating the necessities** and ensuring a steady improvement in the quality of life of indigenous people is a strong commitment to historical justice.
Australia** cares for indigenous communities and solves employment problems with practical actions: first, through the implementation of the CDEP community development plan, it stimulates local innovation and provides abundant employment opportunities for indigenous workforce; The second is to implement the policy of immigration-oriented employment, guide the integration of rural indigenous residents into the city, and expand the employment territory.
Education is the key to changing destiny, and we are committed to integrating tradition and modernity to create an education system with unique indigenous characteristics, so that every indigenous child can bathe in the sunshine of knowledge and become self-reliant with wisdom.
At the same time, medical issues left over from the past are brought into the overall scope of attention,** and every effort is made to improve the health environment of indigenous people, ensuring their quality of life and well-being.
Today's Aboriginal well-being reforms, weaving a network of health care in remote areas and guarding Aboriginal people through regular health screenings, have succeeded in curbing the ravages of diseases such as lung infections and eye diseases, thereby raising their life expectations.
We must understand that the road to equal rights for indigenous groups is not an easy one, especially in a land that has suffered from the vicissitudes of racial history.
Although there are still some people who cling to old prejudices, the voice of justice is growing louder and more committed to redressing the injustices of history and shining a light of hope for those who have been ignored by history.
Looking back, although the arrival of the British brought about technological progress and cultural integration, the impact on the indigenous people is a fact that cannot be ignored.
In today's globalized world, although the violence of the colonial era has gradually faded, the haze of discrimination and oppression has not dissipated. From Oceania to Africa, there are still tribes fighting silently.
Our responsibility is to deepen our understanding of history and to reveal what is hidden"Civilization"The truth of the Western world under the surface advocates respecting and exposing historical facts, and letting the sunshine of justice shine in every corner.
As Trucanini wished, they were not heretics or objects of conquest, but living people with equal rights. Although the scars of the past cannot be repaired, the struggle for equality for people of different nationalities, colors and races around the world is still the eternal pursuit of countless people who yearn for a harmonious world.