What was the impact on the aboriginals from the European settlement?

Answer 1

European settlement had a widespread and lasting impact on the Aborigines. The first of these was the misunderstandings that resulted in hostilities between the whites and the Aborigines.

At first the Aborigines regarded the strange white men in large ships as ghosts, possibly ghosts of their own ancestors. They were prepared to deal with them peacefully. As long as the two groups of people stayed out of each other's way, there was no conflict.

The real problems started when cultural misunderstandings occurred. In one example, Captain Arthur Phillip sought to meet with an aboriginal tribesman on the beach. In standard English manner, he thrust out his hand in welcome, to shake hands. Not understanding the cultural context, the Aborigine believed it was an act of aggression, and speared him in the shoulder.

The Aborigines had no concept of ownership, and they did not see why the white strangers couldn't share the land. They also didn't see why they were not permitted to spear the big, easy-to-catch livestock of the white settlers for their own food.Tthese beasts were valuable and so naturally, the white settlers saw the aboriginal actions as attacks, and hostilities began to grow, with landowners sometimes gathering together and setting out to eradicate groups of "troublesome" Aborigines.

The arrival of the First Fleet meant that Aborigines were forced off their land. Although this did not happen immediately, it was certainly a lasting impact. Many aboriginal tribes were forced from the abundant coastal areas where food was plentiful, into the more arid interior areas. To Aborigines, the connection with their homelands is part of their very identity, and the loss of their home was a wrenching process for them. It led to feelings of dispossession, feelings which have continued to this day.

The arrival of the First Fleet also brought the introduction of diseases to which the Aborigines had no immunity. between the years 1788 and 1900, it has been estimated that as much as 90% of the aboriginal population was lost. Tasmanian Aborigines were completely eradicated. Simple diseases like measles, chickenpox and the 'flu led to epidemics that swept through the aboriginal camps, wiping out many of them. For the first time, Aborigines faced real death and disease, which could not be countered by their bush medicines. There were also the more deadly diseases like smallpox.

The First Fleet brought foods that were harmful to the Aborigines, again because they were not used to them. Flour, tea, tobacco and even alcohol were introduced, leading to obesity and Alcoholism that has continued right through the generations.

The First Fleet and subsequent European occupation also resulted in the introduction of many new animal and plant species, which ultimately led to the extinction or near-extinction of many, many native species. The balance of the land and the environment was lost, particularly once tree-clearing started and agriculture was introduced.

Later on, Europeans interfered with the aboriginal way of life to the point where they took the aboriginal children away from their families. They believed the Aborigines were incapable of raising their children properly. The children were taught to be white, but often they were treated badly, and as little more than servants. This led to the loss of the aboriginal culture, languages and traditions, as the children gradually forgot everything they had been brought up to believe, and lacked the contact with their tribal elders to reinforce this knowledge and pass it on to their own children.

There were many more impacts of the First Fleet and subsequent Europeans settlements on the aboriginal people, but these are the main ones.