Journeys into Genocide:
TWO: LAND
PROGRAMME LENGTH
1 hour
SCREENING DETAILS
Monday May 28 at 9.30am EST/ NZ
This program discusses the motivation for genocide. The program puts genocide into
the historical context of the European conquest of the “new” worlds of America and
Australia.
In particular this program discusses the processes of colonisation and dispossession
that saw the demise of indigenous populations. Throughout there is input from
international scholars and experts in the field of genocide studies.
This is a must see program for all secondary students. In the course of the general
discussion there is detailed and specific reference to genocide in Ireland, America and
Australia.
Denis Mootz
Teachers will need to be sensitive to the potential diversity of their
students before using this program in the classroom.
STAYING FOCUSED.
This is the data collection stage of the activity.
The detailed questioning is designed to ensure that students decode the visual and aural materials
presented to them in the video.
The video programs can be stopped at the end of each section. This will allow students to share and
discuss answers.
Introduction.
Note the fate of the Navajo.
Why were they forced to submit? Result? Implications?
Act 1.
Why was Columbus’s “discovery” of America the beginning of a new age?
What were the chief characteristics of this new age?
What was the result for the colonisers?
What was the result for the original inhabitants?
Why was co-existence not possible? Result?
Note the comments on “civilisation” by Ian Hamm. Implications?
What were the “good intentions” of colonisers? Result?
What was the “obsession” of post-reformation England? Result?
Note the method used by English colonists? Result?
Note Dr Mark Levene’s comments on Australia, America and Ireland. Implications?
What happened to populations that got in the way of “progress”?
Note comments by Prof. Mancall on the impact of colonisation.
What usually resulted from this contact?
When was Ireland colonised by the English?
Why did Mary Tudor decide to make fundamental changes in Ireland?
How were the changes implemented? Result?
Note Prof. Canny’s comments on the impact of the colonisation. Result?
Why was land critical in Ireland? Result?
Note the resistance in Ulster? Result?
What tension did access to land produce in Ireland? Result?
Why did Cromwell invade Ireland? Result?
Note what happened at Drogheda. Result?
Note Cromwell’s actions after his victory? Result? Implications?
Note details of the Cromwellian “settlement” of 1652. Impact?
Why is this policy described as genocide?
Why did Cromwell fail?
What lesson had been learned in Ireland? Result?
Act 2.
Note the competition for control of the “new world”. Result?
What was the English attitude to America in the late 16th century?
Why was colonisation so important? Result?
What was the initial impact on indigenous populations in America? Result?
Note details of the “plains” culture.
Why did relations begin to deteriorate between colonists and native populations? Result?
Note what expectations each had of the other.
Note details of Powhatan.
Why was there an uprising of native Americans in eastern Virginia? Result?
Note the description of the role of “land”.
Why did land become such an issue?
Note native American ideas about land ownership. Result?
Note the Navajo concept of relation with “land”. Implications?
Note the impact of European diseases in America. Result?
Note the role of “fire water”. Result?
When did dispossession begin? How? Result?
Why did England lose control of America? Result?
How were problems dealt with now? Result?
Note the policy of “removal” after 1830. Result?
Note how President Jackson convinced Congress to remove native Americans across the
Missouri? Result?
Note details of the reservations system. Result?
Note the fate of the Navajo people. Result?
Note the Allotment Act of 1887. Result?
What happened to the native Americans who tried to assimilate with the new culture?
Act 3.
What was the “final frontier” for colonisation?
Note the reason given for English interest in Australia. Result?
Note Colin Tatz’s comments on transportation.
Note Dr Richard Broome’s comments on “other ideas” for the settlement.
What is meant by “terra nullius”? Implications? Result?
Why were the indigenous considered uncivilized?
Note Colin Tatz’s commenting on European concepts of “land”. Result?
Note Richard Broome’s comments on the Aboriginal “culture of the mind”. Result?
When did the “demise” of the Aboriginal population begin?
Note the factors that contributed to the deaths of the Aboriginal population. Result?
Note English attitudes to the Aboriginal population. Result?
Note mark Levene’s comments on the “frontier”. Implications? Result?
How did government react to atrocities? Result?
What impact did eventual official government intervention have? Result?
Note Colin Tatz’s comments on “private” genocide. Implications?
Why is the state complicit in even “private” genocide?
Why were the native police appointed? Result?
Note details of the policy of “dispersal”. Result?
Note the assumption made in 1901. Implications?
Why were Aboriginal people excluded from Australian society? Result?
Note the work of the Commissioner Archibald Meston in 1897. Result?
Act 4.
Note the last phase in the demise of the Australian Aboriginal people.
Note the details of the policy of “forced assimilation”? Implications? Result?
What was the basis for the “stolen generation”? Result?
Note Ian Hamm’s comments on being “grey”.
Note Robert Manne’s comments on genocide. Implications?
When did Australian Aborigines receive the right to vote in Australia?
Where do the Aborigines live today? Why?
Note Colin Tatz’s comments on the “culture” of despair, of poverty and of impoverishment.
What is ironic about this? Implications? Results?
Note Prof Marcia Langton’s comments on “apartheid-like” separation and exclusion.
Note Colin Tatz’s comparison between Australia and South Africa. Implications?
EXTENSIONS.
Useful, interesting, challenging, books, sources and websites will provide materials to supplement and
complement the History presented in the video program.
The data collected here should be used in the notemaking below.
Some useful Internet sites:
Age of Discovery: http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007043
http://geography.about.com/od/historyofgeography/a/ageexploration.htm
http://www.historyguide.org/earlymod/lecture2c.html
http://www.hcs.ohio-state.edu/hcs/tmi/hcs210/hortorigins/AgeofDiscovery.html
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/expl/hd_expl.htm
Civilisation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilization
http://arts.brighton.ac.uk/study/english-literature-studies-brighton/brightonline/issue-number-one/kirstinpapworth
http://www.eolss.net/Sample-Chapters/C04/E6-97-08.pdf
http://www.historycooperative.org/cgibin/justtop.cgi?act=justtop&url=http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/jwh/17.4/br_1.html
Colonisation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonization
http://www.historycooperative.org/cgibin/justtop.cgi?act=justtop&url=http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/jwh/17.4/br_1.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonialism
Ireland: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cromwellian_conquest_of_Ireland
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Famine_(Ireland)
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=18156
http://inpursuitofhappiness.wordpress.com/2008/04/09/britain%E2%80%99s-cover-up-of-the-genocide-inireland/
http://noraid.com/Holocaust.htm
http://espressostalinist.wordpress.com/genocide/the-irish-genocide/
http://www.eirefirst.com/archive/unit_6.html
Australia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_genocide_debate#Genocide_debate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terra_nullius#History_in_Australia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archibald_Meston
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aboriginal_Protection_and_restriction_of_the_sale_of_opium_act_1897
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_6941/is_1_35/ai_n28371453/
http://www.kooriweb.org/gst/genocide/tatz.html
http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/research/docs/dp/DP08.pdf
http://www.australian-news.com.au/Aboriginal.htm
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/stolen-generations-listed-as-genocide/story-e6frg6nf1111115870201
http://www.stolengenerations.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=71&Itemid=14
USA: http://www.dickshovel.com/500.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_Powhatan
http://www.wicocomico-indian-nation.com/pages/genocide.html
http://www.iearn.org/hgp/aeti/aeti-1997/native-americans.html
http://acsa.net/cain2004.org/home.html#background
http://www.operationmorningstar.org/genocide_of_native_americans.htm
Genocide: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genocide
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genocide_definitions
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genocides_in_history
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convention_on_the_Prevention_and_Punishment_of_the_Crime_of_Genocide
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007043
NOTEMAKING.
This is the collation stage of the activity. Students need to organise the field of information and begin to
explore its context.
Directions and /or Inquiry questions are provided for notemaking / summary exercises that
will follow the viewing of the video.
The materials / data for the summaries have been collected above.
The activity could be done in teams, groups, or by individuals, or as a class with teacher direction.
1. Draw up a timeline / chronological chart of the events described and discussed in this program.
2. Note details of the English conquest of Ireland.
3. Note details of Cromwell’s policy for “settlement” in Ireland.
4. Note details of European discovery of the “New World”.
5. Note details of the European colonisation of newly discovered lands.
6. Note details of the dispossession and dispersal of the Native Americans.
7. Note details of the dispossession and dispersal of Aboriginal Australians.
8. Note details of the concept of “Terra Nullius”.
9. Note details of “Stolen Generation”.
10. Note details of the definition of genocide.
ISSUES & INQUIRY.
Key issues and inquiry questions that have been raised by the video are addressed at this stage for
discussion and research.
1. What was the result of the European desire for colonisation and the concept of Terra Nullius in
Australia?
2. What factors contributed to the decline in population of Indigenous peoples after European
“colonisation”?
PROBLEMS of EVIDENCE.
Questions of reliability and validity of the perspectives, evidence and sources presented in the video
program need to be considered, tested and researched.
1. In what sense could the forced resettlement of Indigenous populations be called genocide?
2. In what sense could the forced assimilation of Indigenous populations be called genocide?
COMMUNICATING.
The key issues and inquiry questions are potential topics for debate, essay writing, reports, historical
recount and explanation.
1. Write a REPORT on Terra Nullius.
2. Prepare notes (both sides) for a DEBATE of the proposition that
European ideas of a superior civilisation were the driving belief behind the demise of Indigenous
peoples.
3. To what extent was the European settlement of North America an example of genocide?