Interesting answers to the question, 'When you tell a lie often enough, it becomes the truth' - to what extent is this the case?

http://www.quora.com/When-you-tell-a-lie-often-enough-it-becomes-the-truth-to-what-extent-is-this-the-case

Adoption of Indigenous Australian children - History (10) - ABC Splash
splash.abc.net.au/home#!/media/153540/adoption-of-indigenous...children
Imagine being taken away from your family and forced to live with people from ... the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families.

It's an interview from 50 years ago, before the "stolen" idea was known.

Hi Paul,

Well, hardly. In that tragic news item, the little girls had got barely twenty miles (from Moore River to New Norcia) and had already been seen, and if they were actually heading for the Fence, they still had a hundred miles to go just to get there. And isn't it possible that if they couldn't even gut a rabbit, that they would not last too many bitter-cold winter nights out in the bush ? Isn't it possible that they perished in the scrub ?

Moore River was a miserable place to live at, as Neville constantly complained: the budget for his Department was constantly being cut, and his work being hindered by the Conservatives before the change of government in 1933: his testimony at the 1934 Moseley Commission initiated by the new Labor government, is full of such complaints. Children running away was not uncommon, so there were bound to be at least some cases of kids running, not towards Perth (the favoured destination, it seems) but in every direction.

Notice that there is no mention, or perhaps even a thought, of following the Fence. If there had been any more sightings, say one every twenty miles by the sound if it, surely the West Australian would keep on the story ? Shy didn't they follow up the story ? No more sightings; little children unable to even pull a rabbit apart, let alone cook it. It's unfamiliar country to them, they were probably under-nourished at Moore River. Isn't it possible that they died out in the scrub, after just a few days ?

A bit of a long bow, Paul :)

At nearly a thousand pages of transcript, the Moseley Royal Commission was probably the most exhaustive ever mounted in Australia on Aboriginal issues, until then. The sixty-page Index took me three months alone. Do you think I wasn't looking for any mention of these poor little girls constantly ?

By the way, as I understand it, the girls who were supposed to make this epic journey were at Moore River when they reached eighteen.

Cheers,

Joe

Hi avgain paul,

I feel liked I'm constantly mopping up after you fellas :)

My reference to white attitudes to Indigenous 'culture' and education was precisely that: that to many people (in the old days, those on the Right; these days, those on the 'Left'), in order to stay truly Indigenous, Indigenous people would have to spurn education as alien - that the only 'true' Aboriginal people were those who had as little 'white' education as possible, etc.

Of course, it was different in New Zealand: the first schools, like Kendall's up at Kororareka in 1814, were for Maori kids, and (as best as Kendall could) in Maori. Interesting, the ship which brought over a load of Bibles to the Bay of Islands had at least one Aboriginal crew member.

My point tried vainly to deal with the attitudes - of both whites and Indigenous elites - to Indigenous participation in higher education. I think it's wonderful. But many whites can't seem to get their heads around the possibility, and/or are very uneasy with the notion of success. You can almost hear them thinking, "But .... but. won't they lose their culture ?" Thank Christ they're not in full control.

And Indigenous elites rarely seem at all enthusiastic about large Indigenous numbers - currently around two age-groups at any one time - participating in higher education. I've been keeping a database for many years now, and I can' recall any Indigenous academics showing any interest except Anthony Dillon at Uni of Western Sydney, and a couple of others who would probably prefer to remain nameless.

So the conundrum is: for the 80-85 % of Indigenous people who live in urban areas, should they be encouraged to participate in higher education, or - to protect their 'culture' - urged away from it ?

Or am I being paranoid ?

Joe

Dear Loudmouth,

My apologies for turning this into a bit of a sport. I should have twigged that you obviously have an enormous amount invested in maintaining the journey was a myth, so best we just leave it there. Look after yourself mate.

Joe
Is it chasing rabbits or red herrings? University education is hardly the point is it? But like all references to fact given to you this info will probably go down a black hole.

Indigenous Studies | Nura Gili | UNSW Australia
www.nuragili.unsw.edu.au/indigenousstudies.htmlMar 17, 2015 -
Indigenous Studies is an interdisciplinary field of study that offers students the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the history and ...
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Check out the Indigenous staff and their motives. But you'll find some illogical argument against it won't you.