Thanks, Jim. I much appreciated reading your summary. I can certainly
understand your objection to 'part-Aboriginal'. I think it is now
generally accepted that all those who identify themselves as Aboriginal are
described as Aboriginal, and that is as it should be.
However, occasionally we are faced with the need to describe past
Government policy. The removal policies in northern Australia focused
particularly on those Aboriginals described as 'half-caste',
'quarter-caste', etc. We have no wish to use those terms, except in direct
quotes to illustrate the attitudes of the time. What term do we use to
explain those people the Government mainly targeted in northern Australia?
I agree that 'race' is a dubious term. Perhaps 'ancestry' is better. In
the Gunner-Cubillo court case, Peter Gunner and Lorna Cubillo's lawyers
argued that the removal of children in northern Australia was determined
far more on the basis of their ancestry than the Government lawyers were
prepared to concede. How do we express this ancestry respectfully?
Perhaps we should say 'Aboriginal people with some non-Aboriginal
ancestry'? I would be grateful for your thought.
With appreciation,
John
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