A Vision of GENUINE Reconciliation: Part 2 - Two Founding Peoples

Indigenous peoples’ main contribution was to share their land. Though the sharing was usually involuntary, it nevertheless makes ATSI people foundational for the nation. Moreover, that contribution was value-added. Down the millennia Aborigines had shaped the distribution of plant species, especially through frequent controlled burning.

They assisted colonists, guiding them to resources and pathways using their superior local knowledge. Later, some participated in the rural economy, for example as stockmen. Elements of their culture were often adopted by the settlers. Like ancient Celtic place names found throughout England, the large number of Aboriginal names for places and features across Australia signals their prior habitation and language. The same applies to names for implements, flora and fauna. By sharing the heritage of deep familiarity with country, indigenous culture helped those who came afterwards develop a sense of place. Indigenous peoples – mainly Aborigines – contributed to Australia’s identity.

Anglo colonists brought vast cultural capital, millennia worth of invention and accumulation across Europe and beyond in the realms of agriculture, science, medicine, industry, religion, law, politics, philosophy, the arts, and literature. The First Fleet brought Western civilisation, and with it the white race’s extended phenotype, to the Great South Land.

Written and spoken by Dr. Frank Salter.

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