Thank you, Sara, what you write is long overdue and I hope your article provokes thorough debate and argument, but I'm not holding my breath.

Let's remember something: nearly half of the Indigenous population now lives in metropolitan areas, and most of the rest live in urban areas, large cities, smaller cities, large towns. And it's been moving in that direction for more than sixty years now.

Two-thirds or more of the Indigenous population are working alongside other Australians. They have not 'assimilated', they are Indigenous people living urban lives, and doing it willingly. It is not a matter of either-or, either segregation or assimilation: I don't know many Aboriginal people here in Adelaide who have 'assimilated', but I know plenty of Aboriginal people who are comfortable - as Aboriginal people - living in the city.

Pericles,
I have great respect for your contributions to OLO but to your question: " ... it is difficult to determine what sort of "outcome" Ms Hudson favours. Does she want the aboriginal population to be educated in the same way as the rest of the country?" - from her article, and from her other writings, the answer is surely yes, yes, yes ! Do you have a problem with that ?

More than twenty six thousand Indigenous people have graduated from universities around Australia - by the end of next year, the total may exceed thirty thousand. Fifty thousand by 2020. Getusedtoit.

Indigenous enrolments at universities are at record levels, year after year. The participation rate of Indigenous women is two-thirds that of non-Indigenous women - with one third of the Indigenous population mired in lifelong welfare dependence, what more could you ask ?

"Culturally adapted education" was the standard colonial form of low-level education in Africa and other colonies, implemented by all colonial powers, after about 1905. It was violently opposed in most colonies, and provoked many liberation struggles. It is grotesque to hear people who think they are progressive, or radical, supporting it. How easily we forget our history, or never learn it in the first place.

Joe

Joe, it might be germaine (I like that word) to point out, that a large percentage of these 'indigenous' people you speak so highly of, are not 'indigenous'. They are the product of in many cases, several, unions between an aboriginal and a white person, therefore not really indigenous at all. I have two Irish grandfathers, but I make no claims to being Irish, even though I am eligible to obtain Irish citizenship.

If we follow the lead of the Maoris who arrived in New Zealand early in the previous millenium, in another several hundred years our descendants will all be able to claim that they are indigenous, regardless of their colour or parentage.

David

Thanks for your comment VK3AUU,

When my wife and I got married, her being classed as 'Aboriginal', born on a mission station, we were supposed to get permission from the Aborigines' Department. When we moved to Victoria, we were supposed to get permission from the Aborigines' Department. When we moved over to New Zealand for a couple of years, we were supposed to get permission from the Aborigines' Department. Little did we know :)

My wife was raised, along with nine other kids, by her mother who was Aboriginal. SHE was raised by her mother who was Aboriginal (and who could never vote). She was raised by HER mother who was Aboriginal. And so on - all born on the mission, by the way. At what point should somebody have stepped in and told them that they weren't Aboriginal ? What do you think your chances might be these days of doing that and getting away with anything less than a fat lip ?

The great majority of Aboriginal people that I know take for granted that they are Aboriginal, they don't have to make it up, or hum and ha about it: whatever and wherever they are, whatever job or education they have, they are Aboriginal.

Not too many people fractionise themselves, VK3AUU, and usually if they do, it's because ethnicity doesn't have any particular significance. But even most Irish-Australians would probably be happy to assert their Irish ancestry, even if it is mixed up a bit with others, even with English.

I agree that some people mayhave made capital from claiming some distant 'part-Aboriginal' ancestor: by the way, many whites in the late nineteenth century had 'Australian Native' on their papers, i.e. whites born in Australia, not shoe-horned into good jobs in Australia from the imperial home-country, exiled drop-kicks. I suspect that many 'Aboriginal' people have taken up good jobs on the strength of this 'ancestry'.

But the great majority of people who assert their Aboriginality are not in it for the money, or position: they have lived it, they don't have to scratch around for a 'part'-Aboriginalgreat-grand-mother.

Joe - I suggest your situation is not uncommon but then again certainly not 'typical'. Having worked in the public health sector where one encounters a large number and diversity of people I have observed a many people of aboriginal and islander heritage both as clients/patients and fellow health workers.

Although no longer working in health, my past experience was the vast majority of those with education beyond year 10 were predominately 'white'. By this I mean they might have acknowledged/claimed indigenous heritage and had some of the appearance but genetically were predominately caucasian - with the occasional asian or other racial mix thrown in. They also tended to lead pretty 'typical aussie' lifestyles.

Don't get me wrong - I believe this is a good thing AND the way of the future but it does amuse me when someone with lighter skin tones than myself, fair hair AND blue eyes proclaims they are aboriginal. Now my Great-grandfather (mothers mothers father) was a Cantonese gold miner. I am not very tall, have dark eyes, had very dark very straight hair (before the grey) but I don't go claiming to be CHINESE. Daresay if I decided to try I would be laughed at - at the least.

In essence the 'Australian Aboriginal' now comes in a huge and confusing assortment of packages with the 'wrapping' becoming paler and paler with each generation. Hopefully in another 50 or so years it will be a bit of novelty to say that there's a bit of native in the family mix and that will be about it.

With respect, divine Ms_n, you don't know what you are talking about. Perhaps it is the case that mothers, rather than absent fathers, raise their kids and that their kids take their identity cues from their mother rather than their father, but there are many other factors, mostly social and political:

* Aboriginal kids, no matter how pale, tend to have only Aboriginal relations (that they know of, or have contact with);

* in country towns, the 'Aboriginal family' is not fractionised by non-Aboriginal neighbours, but considered to be 100 % Aboriginal;

* government agencies, at least in the past, considered people to be Aboriginal if they had any Aboriginal ancestry, no matter how pale they might have been.

With those factors, how could, or why would, Aboriginal people consider themselves to be anything but Aboriginal ? Run your slide rule over them all you like, that's how it is.

Of course, with far more intermarriage in the towns and cities than a generation or two ago, much of the antipathy from non-Aboriginal people - which facilitated the development of a strong in-group, in-family, Aboriginal identity - has evaporated. But it is still up to people themselves to work out their own allegiances, it is not up to somebody with a colour or DNA chart. In short, it is not up to whites to tell Blackfellas whether they are or aren't Blackfellas.

One day, I hope that whites can get that through their heads. I guess superiority and power impulses die hard.

Joe

Whatever Joe. You have your experience and observations and I have mine.

You talk about all the 'aboriginal' uni students/graduates. Many have taken advantage - and power to them for making the most of an opportunity - of their heritage to recieve assistance to reach educational goals but 'aboriginality' means little to them. That's mainly because their backgrounds are predominately other racial groups, mainly caucasian and they live a typical 'aussie' lifestyle.

Yes there are also plenty who 'identify' as 'aboriginal' in an urban sense. Not too many of the outstation kids among their numbers though, eh! Alice Springs grads pretty sparse on the ground too?

I want to see 'aboriginal' australians living healthy productive happy lives and the only way I see that happening is integration. And it is an undeniable fact that the population is becoming increasingly 'white' through interbreeding. The 'outback aboriginal' is likely nearing extinction. Another 50 years max ... Another undeniable fact is that when someone of aboriginal heritage is seen to be living a good life they are generally held in the same regard and respect as any other member of the community. Sure there will be some individuals who would express a racist viewpoint but likewise there are aboriginal individuals with exactly the same attitude.

The sooner we become one society with the same basic expectations obligations and rights for all the better. That's not just a reference to aboriginals either.