Stolen Generations

Quick Facts: Who was Stolen Generations?

Subject:

Stolen Generations

Known for:

Forcible removal of Indigenous Australian children by government agencies between 1905 and 1967.

Verified Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The Stolen Generations (also known as Stolen Children) were the children of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent who were removed from their families by the Australian federal and state government agencies and church missions, under acts of their respective parliaments. The removals of those referred to as "half-caste" children were conducted in the period between approximately 1905 and 1967, although in some places mixed-race children were still being taken into the 1970s. Official government estimates are that in certain regions between one in ten and one in three Indigenous Australian children were forcibly taken from their families and communities between 1910 and 1970. The Bringing Them Home Royal Commission report (1997) described the Australian policies of removing Indigenous children as genocide. Numerous 19th and early 20th century contemporaneous documents indicate that the policy of removing mixed-race Aboriginal children from their mothers related to an assumption that the Aboriginal peoples were dying off.

Career & Major Achievements

Given their catastrophic population decline after white contact, whites assumed that the full-blood tribal Aboriginal population would be unable to sustain itself, and was doomed to extinction. The idea expressed by A. O. Neville, the Chief Protector of Aborigines for Western Australia, and others as late as 1930 was that mixed-race children could be trained to work, and over generations would marry into and be culturally assimilated into white society. The Colony of Victoria was the first to pass acts (1869 and 1886) that allowed for the removal of mixed-race persons from Aboriginal reserves. An 1899 regulation expressly granted permission for the removal of Aboriginal children from their families. Some European Australians considered any proliferation of mixed-descent children (labelled "half-castes", "crossbreeds", "quadroons", and "octoroons", terms now considered derogatory to Indigenous Australians) to be a threat to the stability of the prevailing culture, or to a perceived racial or cultural "heritage".

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The Northern Territory Chief Protector of Aborigines, Dr. Cecil Cook, argued that "everything necessary [must be done] to convert the half-caste into a white citizen". In the Northern Territory, the segregation of Indigenous Australians of mixed descent from "full-blood" Indigenous people began with the government removing children of mixed descent from their communities and placing them in church-run missions, and later creating segregated reserves and compounds to hold all Indigenous Australians. This was a response to public concern over the increase in the number of mixed-descent children and sexual exploitation of young Aboriginal women by non-Indigenous men, as well as fears among non-Indigenous people of being outnumbered by a mixed-descent population. Under the Northern Territory Aboriginals Act 1910, the Chief Protector of Aborigines was appointed the "legal guardian of every Aboriginal and every half-caste child up to the age of 18 years", thus providing the legal basis for enforcing segregation. After the Commonwealth took control of the Territory, under the Aboriginals Ordinance 1918, the Chief Protector was given total control of all Indigenous women regardless of their age, unless married to a man who was "substantially of European origin", and his approval was required for any marriage of an Indigenous woman to a non-Indigenous man.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1869: 1869 Milestone — The Colony of Victoria was the first to pass acts (1869 and 1886) that allowed for the removal of mixed-race persons from Aboriginal reserves.
2. 1899: 1899 Milestone — An 1899 regulation expressly granted permission for the removal of Aboriginal children from their families.
3. 1905: 1905 Milestone — The removals of those referred to as "half-caste" children were conducted in the period between approximately 1905 and 1967, although in some places mixed-race children were still being taken into the 1970s.
4. 1910: 1910 Milestone — Official government estimates are that in certain regions between one in ten and one in three Indigenous Australian children were forcibly taken from their families and communities between 1910 and 1970.
5. 1918: 1918 Milestone — After the Commonwealth took control of the Territory, under the Aboriginals Ordinance 1918, the Chief Protector was given total control of all Indigenous women regardless of their age, unless married to a man who was "substantially of European origin", and his approval was required for any marriage of an Indigenous woman to a non-Indigenous man.
6. 1930: 1930 Milestone — Neville, the Chief Protector of Aborigines for Western Australia, and others as late as 1930 was that mixed-race children could be trained to work, and over generations would marry into and be culturally assimilated into white society.
7. 1997: 1997 Milestone — The Bringing Them Home Royal Commission report (1997) described the Australian policies of removing Indigenous children as genocide.

Notable Quotes by Stolen Generations

“The Bringing Them Home report (1997) described the Australian policies of removing Indigenous children as genocide.”

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Stolen Generations

True or False: “The Stolen Generations policy was solely enacted by federal government legislation across all states and territories.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): The removals were conducted by a combination of Australian federal and state government agencies, as well as church missions.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Stolen Generations