Stephen it happened and as you described it. We invaded and took your land as we - Anglo/Celts - did to many other countries. We 'won' not because we were/are better people but we were stronger and had better weapons. We, in the main, treated the Aboriginal people with great cruelty, contempt and disdain. Yet at that time we treated our people no less savagely and with no less barbarism - re the convicts.
Stephen neither of us can change history, though we can make sure that it is the true history - as you appear to be doing. We need to look up to and respect one another, assist one another. dare I say it - love one another.Then live together as much as possible. Forget windshuttle and his lies and/or slanted history. Forget mean spirited, divisive,dimisive lying howard, though he does have a svengali (Correctly spelled?)hold on many deluded electors. Stephen don't get bitter, there are many of us whites who are sorry. There are many of us who are deeply ashamed as well. Hang in there friend, Regards, numbat

Numbat - We 'won' not because we were/are better people but we were stronger and had better weapons.

Well how else do you win - you can say the same thing about any other fight over territory that has ever occurred. That's what happened in the past when two groups claimed the same resources and it still happens now in some places in the world - Israel/Palestine anyone?

You heartfelt apology to the aboriginals really got me thinking about all the peoples and species my ancestors have had run ins with so here is my rather guilty sorry list.

Because of my Danish heritage I apologise to all the peoples of Europe who were raped, pillaged and plundered by the Vikings. It was a shameful exercise and is inexcusable.

Because of my English heritage I must apologise to all the colonies once under British rule. These are too numerous to list individually so I'll just lump them all together. Also to the Scots, Welsh and Irish - gee we gave you hard time for a few centuries. Sorry. Then there is Germany in WWI and WW2 - we just had better weapons (and the help of the Yanks)

Now my Maori heritage is shameful because our fierce warriors were pretty harsh on a lot of other Polynesian peoples during the past 1500 years. We didn't mean any harm.

My Aboriginality is harder because I don't know exactly who my tribe ever had squabbles with - but sorry to you. And also to the megafauna we helped make extinct when we got here 60,000 years ago.

And finally - on behalf of homo sapiens sapiens i am sorry to the neanderthals, homo erectus and other forms of early human for out competing you. This was very selfish and i now realise the error of my ways. I hope this apology makes up for it.

oh that's right - none of these apologies will change a thing and neither wil one from John Howard (who never killed or stole anyone)

t.u.s.

The usual suspect, you do make light of tragedies eh? Your compassion just bubbles out - well something bubbles out anyhow. The topic was our, not yours appently, invasion of this country and the dispossesion of its people. OF COURSE ! the same has occurred elsewhere yet that makes it right? numbat

no numbat it doesn't make it right but saying sorry doesn't change a thing. My point was that dispossession of land is as old as human history. The strongest have done what they want. making apologies, 50 years, 200 years, 1000 years after an event does not make it better. what is worse is when people apologise on behalf of someone else to people on behalf of someone else.

eg me apologising to poms whose ancestors were wronged by my ancestors. or John Howard apologising for things which he was not responsible for.

If you have never been racist towards aboriginals why do you apologise for past cruelty.

The only people to benefit from an apology would be some members of the legal profession who would hear the word sorry and see dollar signs.

t.u.s.

NUmbat, I didn't read 'making light' of TUS's post, I think he is hitting the nail right on the head.

To realize what he is saying, will be part of the healing for aboriginal people. If we had not managed to separate ourselves from what would otherwise be consuming anger over being dispossessed (and my ancestors were 'cleared' from the Scottish highlands for sheep pasture for English lords) and it would eat away at out souls and destroy us.

There ARE things we can do, but saying sorry is probably not a high one on the priority list, it wont change anything 5 minutes after any 'sorry' ceremony, but inviting aboriginals into our social circles WILL make a diff.

My wifes people have been (and are being) dispossed of vast tracts of land by the malaysian government, who allocate it as 'political booty' to MPs, it sucks, but there isn't much u can do besides start an insurrection or roll with the punches.

Anyone trying to tell me that our Aboriginal friends are less 'clannish' than those of Somalia would struggle to keep my attention. Human nature did not 'suddenly stop' being what it is at the borders of Australia and fail to infect aboriginals. We are all the same, and in one way or another, we are all victims of history.

Wars between groups such the British and the Irish are not the same as the ‘wars’ between the Europeans and the Indigenous peoples of the countries they colonised.

When the Scottish were driven from their land, and in Malaysia today both groups (the winners and the losers) shared the same basic philosophy and world view.

Their culture had private ownership, accumulated wealth, had a religion that advocated man as supreme over animals and the earth, both had a heirachy with clear cut class distinctions, etc

But through the 'war' in Australia not only did the Indigenous people lose their land and the economic basis for their lives, they also lost their culture.

They were told that they were primitive, they were less intelligent than white people. Until very recently, racism meant that there was bugger all chance that they could join white society in any but the most menial and degrading positions.

They are supposed to want to join a culture that is almost the opposite of what they had. Hard to believe for some of you, but this may not be seen as a better life, for people who were spiritually rather than materially oriented, who found satisfaction in relationships (with the land and their tribal groups) rather than with things.

There certainly are many white people who do not find happiness in our material culture so it should not be too hard to imagine that there are people who think maybe there is a better way.

It is not as simple as letting go anger at being dispossessed. It is far more complex than that.

We could say sorry because we are sorry that it happened. Since there are many different people with different needs, an apology just may help somebody feel better. Where is the harm?

The Canadian goverment apologised to their Indigenous people and there were no legal problems in that country. The legal thing is just an excuse for pig-headed racist people to avoid taking some responsibility. And just because you have some Indigenous heritage does not mean that you are not racist.