Undervisningsopplegg
Blancamorphosis
av Jannali Jones
Introduction
Many of the English-speaking
countries around the world have
indigenous populations –native
peoples who have lived in these
areas for generations. As the British
started colonizing these territories
under the British crown, the
indigenous peoples were strongly
reduced in numbers and soon
became a minority in their own
homeland. The US, Canada,
Australia and New Zealand all have
native populations, and the
relationship between the indigenous
populations and the settlers in these
countries has been troublesome – to
say the least.
@Ivan Burmistrov/iStock
Aboriginal man from New South Wales.
The illustration was published in
"History of Mankind" in 1883.
Captain James Cook (1728-1779)
undertook several voyages to
Australia and New Zealand between
1768 and 1779 and opened these
territories to the British crown. From
1788 Australia was used as a penal
colony, and during the 1800s many
British settlers immigrated to
Australia voluntarily, particularly
during the Gold Rush in the 1850s.
The continent was described by the
Europeans as Terra Nullius – empty
land, as the indigenous populations
had not cultivated the land, but lived
as hunters and gatherers in scattered
tribes.
©Adam Booth/iStock
Captain Cook's Endeavor at
Darling Harbour, Sydney.
Before you read
What do you know about the
Australian Aborigines?
They have lived on the Australian continent for
nearly 50,000 years.
@ Paul Pegler/iStock
Kangaroo, an Aboriginal dot painting
by indigenous Australian Aboriginal artist,
Stanley Geebung, ochre on card, circa 1995.
More than four hundred
different peoples have
been identified, each with
their own language and
culture.
@Joe Biafore/iStock
The Aboriginal population today
is around 520,000 people, around
2.3% of the total population. The
Northern Territory is the area
with the largest Aboriginal
population – around 32% of the
population there are Aborigines.
The population declined rapidly
with the arrival of the first white
settlers, and was as low as 74,000
in 1933, before numbers started
to climb.
@Constance McGuire/iStock
Group of Aborigines. Engraving circa 1882.
In 1967, 90.77% of
Australians voted in a
referendum to change the
Constitution to allow
Australia to make laws for
Aborigines and to include
them in the census. This
also confirmed their right
to vote in elections.
The Australian Aboriginal flag is one of the
official flags of Australia. It was designed in
1971 by an Aboriginal artist. Black represents
the Aboriginal people, red represents the red
earth, and yellow represents the sun.
@ Anne Clark/iStock
From around 1909 to 1960,
aboriginal and mixed-race
children were removed from their
homes. The argument given was
that this was done to protect the
children and give them better
living conditions. Many were sent
to mission homes or adopted into
white homes, many functioning
more or less as servants. On 13
February 2008, Prime Minister
Kevin Rudd issued a public
apology to members of the
Stolen Generations on behalf of
the Australian Government.
@ Kerrie Kerr /iStock
Most Aboriginal people were
moved onto reserves and
missions, with every aspect of
their lives regulated by
government until the 1970s.
Most Aboriginal people became
dependent on support from
society to survive. Their
socioeconomic condition is worse
than for the average Australian –
their unemployment rate is
higher, fewer have post-school
qualifications, their income is
lower, life expectancy is shorter,
and life on many reserves is
impoverished.
@ Jeffrey Diamond /iStock
Young aboriginal street musician
(busker) plays a guitar and didgeridoo
in Melbourne.
Though increasing effort is made to
improve the living conditions for the
Aboriginal peoples of Australia, there
are still unresolved issues.
About the author
Jannali Jones is a young Aboriginal Australian
writer who uses humour to get her message
across in her short story – “Blancamorphosis”.
What does blancamorphosis mean, do you
think? (blanca – white, morphosis – change)
What happens when a young Aboriginal man
wakes up one morning and finds he has become
a white man? Who is he now?
Characters
Jon is both the
narrator and the main
character. His father is
a respected elder. He
has a loving family.
©Mick Tsikas/Reuters/NTB
Setting
Present-day Australia,
on a reserve.
©Bjørg Brauteset
Plot
A young Aboriginal man wakes up
one day and finds he has become a
white man.
Theme
• What identifies you as an
individual?
• What conditions are
different for a white man
and an Aboriginal man?
There are perhaps two
perspectives one can look closer
into:
• What does Jon lose and what
does he gain by becoming a
white man?
• As an individual – how does
his life change?
What does this tell you about
present-day social and
economic conditions for the
Aborigines in Australia?
Reading
Read the dialogue between Jon and
the government representative in the
community centre (page 260, line 29
to page 261, line 5). Explain what
learn about social security payments
in Australia in this dialogue.
Speaking
Expressing opinions – exercise 2c
“Now my country is Australia,
and my home will be the city,”
Jon says at the end of the
short story. Explain why he
says this, and what he means.
©David Joyner/iStock
Speaking
Exercise 3
The Basics card is being tested
out several places in Australia,
and governments in other
countries are also looking into
this way of organizing their
social security payments. The
list of arguments on page 262
may be a good starting point
for a discussion about support
for people in need.
©copyrightholder unknown/ukjent rettighetshaver
Writing
Writing about
literature
Use the Reference Section,
pages 349-350 and write a
comment or an analysis on
this short story. What do you
learn about the Aboriginal
people from reading this
short story?