What is the meaning of the aboriginal day of mourning summed up thanks mat?

Question

thanks heaps

Answer 1

From "Day of Mourning," by Kezia Dawkins:

"The first Day of Mourning occurred on 26 January 1938 in Sydney. There were three main people behind the organisation of this day: William Cooper, William Ferguson and Jack Patten.

Circumstances for Aboriginal people during the 1930’s were grim. The depression had begun and had left all Australians in a terrible position. Unfortunately as money ran low in the country, employers had to get rid of their employees; Aboriginal employees were usually the first to go.

If they were lucky enough to keep their job, they were frequently not paid a wage, used as slave labour and often given reduced rations, which were not enough to survive.

There was also the situation of having to live in designated places (reserves and missions) and of not having citizen rights; so Aboriginal people were not allowed to move around without permission. In addition there was no Federal policy on Aboriginals, instead each State had separate legislation. So moving State meant new laws. They were still seen as lesser beings, and white law did not always protect them, this lead to white people, literally, getting away with murder. Massacres, removal of children, the trafficking of women and physical abuse were common things to the Aboriginals of the 1930’s.

These harsh circumstances had Aboriginal people feeling that they may be wiped out. They had no voting rights, no political rights, they were loosing their jobs, had not housing and no land. It was this atmosphere of desperation that lead to the feeling the something drastic had to be done, and now!

In 1932 William Cooper, a Yorta Yorta man born in 1861, started Australian Aborigines League in Melbourne. He pleaded that change had to occur if his people were to live. He saw the potential that his people had to offer, and wanted reform to occur so that Aboriginal people were included in the mainstream of society, and had the same laws applied to them so they were as protected and nurtured as white Australians were. He drafted a petition to the King of England, but was warned that it would be unconstitutional act to send it.

In 1935 Cooper put forward to the Federal Minister of the Interior that there be representation of Aboriginal people in Parliament in the form of a Department of Native Affairs, and that there also be State advisory councils. There was no response to these requests.

In October 1937 Cooper drew up a royal petition and requested that the Commonwealth present it to King George V. With still no response from the government, Cooper called a meeting of Aboriginal people on 13 November, to discuss the idea of holding a Day of Mourning on the next Australia Day.

Together with William Ferguson, who had set up the Aborigines Progressive Association (APA) in 1937, Cooper planned the first Day of Mourning. To gain support and let people know of their plan Ferguson and Jack Patten (President of the APA) distributed a leaflet entitled Aborigines Claim Citizen Rights. This criticised the Aborigines Protection Act 1901-1936, and the Aborigines Protection board. They called for land rights and citizen standing.

The 26 January (Australia Day) 1938 marked the 150th anniversary of white settlement. This same day the Australian Aborigines League and the Aborigines Progressive Association united, risking government punishment and public vengeance, to march peacefully to Australia House and have the first Day of Mourning.

The next year Cooper wrote to the National Missionary Council of Australia (NMCA) to ask for their support in advocating for a Day of Mourning. So with this backing, in January 1940, the first Day of Mourning Aboriginal Sunday was celebrated the Sunday before the Australia Day holiday.

Later, in 1955, the NMCA put forward to the government that the day becomes a National Day so that a change in mainstream point of view could be encouraged. The result was for the date to be changed to the first Sunday of July.

Considering that Aboriginal people were still wards of the State – not citizens – and had no real human right for freedom of movement and protest, the Day of Mourning was a tremendous step in the Aboriginal movement. The tireless efforts of these brave people have lead to what we know today as NAIDOC week."

For additional information, please see:

http://www.abc.net.au/messageclub/duknow...

http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/baran...

http://www.skwirk.com.au/p-c_s-14_u-114_...