WHY WERE THEY TAKEN AWAY? WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?
There were many different reasons why aboriginal children were taken away from their families. Children born by aboriginal mothers and white fathers were taken away right after their birth and given to a white family. This was the policy back in those days because they thought that taking away the children from the 'bad influence' of their parents and families, it would be easier to make them more 'European,' to reject their aboriginal culture and so it would be easier for them to be forced into a white society. But as we all know they were wrong. The policy's foundation was very racist and they thought that indigenous parents couldn't look after their children properly, so their children were taken far away. The importance of Indigneous culture was completely ignored by the government and no one had dared to do anything to stop them from taking away their babies. Many people thought they were doing the right thing by taking the children away from their parents, but all they were doing was wrecking the precious moments of a new-born.
This socialisation was taken a step further in the 1920's. The aboriginal protector in Western Australia, Neville, thought that the indigenous race should be bred to extinction and so did a few others. In the early part of 20th century, this was the belief that many people held. This was then referred to Darwin's theories on evolution- the stronger race could overcome the weaker through selective breeding. Nevile believed that seperating children with European ancestry and not marrying people of indigenous ancestry that one day European blood would overcome Indigenous blood so that in a few genearations there would be no sign of black characteristics left. When the Eugenics programme was revealed in Nazi Germany, the ideas of Neville and others who believed in such policies, were no longer seen as acceptable.
Not all children who were taken were stolen. Some children were send away but being paid for their board and education because non-indigenous fathers thought that their children would be better off in a place where they could be raised in a stable white environment. Even some indigenous parents believed that they were doing the right thing for their children to be taken away for education, but none had noticed that by doing this, they may never see their children ever again.
This was all aimed at destroying the Indigenous race. If the children could be raised to think that they were 'white,' then they would be better off because everyone believed that European culture and way of life was far more superior than those of the Indigenous people. White people thought that indigenous people could not look after themselves, let alone look after children. There was no consideration put into thinking of the idea to improve the lives of aboriginal people, but authorities did believe that it was best to remove children from their only home and put them to work instead. It is these children who were taken away who are now known as 'Stolen Generations.' They were stolen from families, had stolen heritage and a stolen identity.