With Whom Do We Reconcile?

I investigate here the historical circumstances that since 1900 have created at least three kinds of Australian Indigenous people. The first are those, often of lighter complexion, whose forebears’ identity was frequently challenged by white officials utilizing conflicting definitions of Aboriginality, and later by other Aborigines. The second group is that of the stolen generations, some of whom were not aware, as children, of their Aboriginal identity at all. The third section comprises those of more secure identity whose family identity has remained unchallenged. These sections of the Aboriginal community, especially the first and the third, are sometimes in serious conflict. Non-aborigines looking for a role in reconciliation are seriously handicapped by failing to understand this very wide diversity of Aboriginal historical experience. We cannot begin serious reconciliation until we understand with whom we think we are reconciling.