Was the First Fleet settlement or invasion?

Answer 1

Both. The First Fleet was supposed to be a settlement, but for the Aborigines it was more of an invasion. Whilst the First Fleet established the first settlement in New South Wales, Captain Arthur Phillip was instructed to try and communicate with the Aborigines and to find out more about their culture. His attempts to carry out his orders were commendable, but it led to unfortunate results because there was a great deal of miscommunication between the cultures. This included Phillip's kidnapping of several aboriginal men in an attempt to bridge the divide between the peoples.

Unfortunately, the very presence of the white settlers meant an invasion of the aboriginal culture. 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 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.