What is the current political and social situation for Australian aborigines?
Asked by Janice, Utah, USA By Max DuBuisson Historically, like African-Americans after the abolition of slavery in the United States, the aboriginal peoples of Australia were not considered citizens. The difference between these two situations, however, is that aborigines have inhabited Australia for tens of thousands of years! Only in the past few decades have they gained political rights as a group. Long ago, Europeans who colonized Australia took the aborigines native lands. Recently, many aboriginal groups have applied for ownership rights because their heritage and culture is tied to the land and the environment. Large tracts of land in central Australia have been given to them, and some aboriginal groups have even won rights to their ancestral lands. Aborigines do now have political rights like other Australian citizens, but in many places people still have racist attitudes towards them. Many aborigines have passed down their heritage, and many of their sacred places have been pr
