Captain Cook Statue and the History of Aboriginals
Introduction
Australia has a rich history that includes colonization by Britain. The colonization of Australia did not turn out as expected, and the indigenous Australians have lived to recount the unfortunate turn of events since the British rule was established. The definition of culture is a sensitive subject in Australia with a risk of conflict every time a particular group feels targeted. The statue of Captain Cook in Sydney has been viewed as a historical monument for a long time. Captain Cook was the British captain claimed to have discovered the east coast of Australia in 1770 before claiming the region for British rule. Most European powers were in the process of establishing their leadership in less developed areas with the promise of bringing civilization. Captain Cook’s statue is dated approximately a century after Captain Cook’s arrival to Australia. The construction of Captain Cook’s statue was funded by the government of South Wales and members of the public.
Captain Cook’s statue has an inscription, “Discovered this territory, 1770”, which has been criticized for overlooking the existence of the indigenous Australians. The debate on whether the statue should remain has made the site more popular with the indigenous Australians standing for the opinion that the statue should be brought down, or the inscription changed. Generally, the Aboriginals were negatively affected by the British colonization of Australia and would not take any form of discrimination lightly. The Aboriginals believe that the Statue of Captain Cook stands as a reminder of the British supremacy over the Indigenous communities.
Review of Sources
The history of Australia has been presented differently by different scholars. Most scholars have found themselves in situations that need them to take sides. For example, writing the history of Australia may require taking sides between the supporters of the British rule in the country and the indigenous groups who believe that the British rulers are to blame for sufferings that happened. Also, debates keep appearing on the right way of maintaining the history of Australia alive without bringing out wounds of racism and discrimination. Generally, the unity of Australia has been the issue of concern of scholars in the recent past.
Higgins, Hales, and Sparrow (2019) did a study on the position of Australians towards forgetting and remembering the past. The history of Australia involves the erection of statues used to remind the Australians of the past. The study brings the points of contention that Australians have been having while referring to history. For example, whether the statue of Captain Cook should be used to remember the discovery of Australia by the British or to forget the sufferings that the indigenous Australians went through the hands of the British. According to the study, Indigenous Australians do not know the position to take because erasure of such monuments may be seen as an acceptance of their acceptance of ceding sovereignty. On the other side, keeping such statues may imply that the Australians are contented with the past presence of the colonial powers in Australia. The researchers concluded that a gap exists in the analysis and interpretations given to the monuments. Therefore, the study aims at addressing the social, political, and cultural contestations that are caused by the presence of historical monuments in Australia.
A study carried out by Cater (2018) showed the perception of Australians towards historical monuments. The study brings out the claim that Captain Cook was assassinated in Hawaii and that his assassination did not make the Australians contented with the punishment. The presentation of Australians carrying stones ready to deface Captain Cook’s statue shows that the monument was not serving the intended purpose of keeping the history of Australia alive. Instead, the indigenous Australians believe that the statue continues to presents the way the British overlooked the natives during the colonial rule. The study addresses the claim by the Australians that the settlement of Australia by a colonial power was an act that should not be overlooked. Also, the Australians do not take the attempt of using monuments as a scapegoat in good faith.
Australians believe that history can be used to serve justice. According to Wainwright, (2017), some Australians hate the statues due to lack of knowledge of their significance. Several statues are significant in helping Australians who need to pursue justice. Wainwright claims that the monuments feature the colonial founding fathers who participated in mass massacres of the Aboriginal people.
Conclusion
The Aboriginal society has been on the receiving end of discrimination for a long time. Before the British colonization of Australia, the Aboriginals were among the strongest and most significant groups in Australia. The coming of the British settlers, however, came with unforgettable sufferings. For example, the mass deaths of Aboriginals from diseases believed to have been brought by the British almost swept out the entire Aboriginal population. Also, the Aboriginals did not have access to better health care services since the British settlers discriminated them. The choice of the statue of Captain Cook is strategic in that most of the history of Australia is based on the events that followed the ‘discovery’ of Australia by Captain Cook. Besides, Australians hold different opinions on the significance of the statue of Captain Cook, and thus the choice of the site in this study covers several opinions of the Australians.
The statue of Captain Cook appears as a sad reminder to the Aboriginal community at the beginning of their woes. The discovery of Australia by Captain Cook marked the beginning of a colonization era that would lead to the sufferings that the Aboriginals went through. The statue may be used to serve major purposes in the study of the history of Aboriginals. For example, the statue could be used to show the mistake that the Aboriginals made by allowing British colonization into Australia. Also, the statue may be used to remind the Aboriginals and other Australians of the far that Australia has come from as a country and the importance of staying united. The study will aid in providing some recommendations on the way forward concerning the debate on whether to keep or erase the historical monuments. The statue of Captain Cook is essential in that it is popular among the Australians owing to the debates surrounding its existence and the meaning of the words the statue bears.
References
Cater, N., 2018. Enlightenment virtues and Australia’s origins. Quadrant, 62(6), p.12.
Higgins-Desbiolles, F., Hales, R. and Sparrow, S., 2019. Remembering and Forgetting First Nations in Australia: Unsettling the Silence on the Founding and Building of a New Nation. In The Nexus among Place, Conflict and Communication in a Globalising World (pp. 207-231). Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore.
Wainwright, S., 2017. History denied is justice delayed. Green Left Weekly, (1151), p.5.