What changes resulted from the English settlement in the aboriginal australians?

Answer 1

European settlement had a widespread and lasting change for the Aborigines and their way of life.

At first the Aborigines regarded the strange white men in large ships as ghosts, possibly ghosts of their own ancestors. They were prepared to deal with them peacefully. As long as the two groups of people stayed out of each other's way, there was no conflict.

The real problems started when cultural misunderstandings occurred. In one example, Captain Arthur Phillip sought to meet with an aboriginal tribesman on the beach. In standard English manner, he thrust out his hand in welcome, to shake hands. Not understanding the cultural context, the Aborigine believed it was an act of aggression, and speared him in the shoulder.

The Aborigines had no concept of ownership, and they did not see why the white strangers couldn't share the land. They also didn't see why they were not permitted to spear the big, easy-to-catch livestock of the white settlers for their own food.Tthese beasts were valuable and so naturally, the white settlers saw the aboriginal actions as attacks, and hostilities began to grow, with landowners sometimes gathering together and setting out to eradicate groups of "troublesome" Aborigines.

The arrival of the First Fleet meant that Aborigines were forced off their land. Although this did not happen immediately, it was certainly a lasting impact. Many aboriginal tribes were forced from the abundant coastal areas where food was plentiful, into the more arid interior areas. To Aborigines, the connection with their homelands is part of their very identity, and the loss of their home was a wrenching process for them. It led to feelings of dispossession, feelings which have continued to this day.

The arrival of the First Fleet also brought the introduction of diseases to which the Aborigines had no immunity. between the years 1788 and 1900, it has been estimated that as much as 90% of the aboriginal population was lost. Tasmanian Aborigines were completely eradicated. Simple diseases like measles, chickenpox and the 'flu led to epidemics that swept through the aboriginal camps, wiping out many of them. For the first time, Aborigines faced real death and disease, which could not be countered by their bush medicines. There were also the more deadly diseases like smallpox.

The First Fleet brought foods that were harmful to the Aborigines, again because they were not used to them. Flour, tea, tobacco and even alcohol were introduced, leading to obesity and Alcoholism that has continued right through the generations.

The First Fleet and subsequent European occupation also resulted in the introduction of many new animal and plant species, which ultimately led to the extinction or near-extinction of many, many native species. The balance of the land and the environment was lost, particularly once tree-clearing started and agriculture was introduced.

Later on, Europeans interfered with the aboriginal way of life to the point where they took the aboriginal children away from their families. They believed the Aborigines were incapable of raising their children properly. The children were taught to be white, but often they were treated badly, and as little more than servants. This led to the loss of the aboriginal culture, languages and traditions, as the children gradually forgot everything they had been brought up to believe, and lacked the contact with their tribal elders to reinforce this knowledge and pass it on to their own children.

There were many more impacts of the First Fleet and subsequent Europeans settlements on the aboriginal people, but these are the main ones.

Answer 2

Colonisation by the British settlers completely changed the way of life for the Aborigines, having a long-lasting effect on their culture and traditional way of life for all generations that followed.

When the white settlers came, the Aborigines were dispossessed of their land and, much later, "encouraged" onto reserves, supposedly for their protection. They were forced off their traditional hunting grounds, and herded away from the fertile coastal areas where there was plenty of food. White settlers wrecked the very effective native fishing traps, cleared native habitats and reduced the native food supplies, as well as polluting their water.

Massacres of the indigenous people occurred on a regular basis. The Coniston massacre, the massacre at Myall Creek, the "Battle of Risdon" in Tasmania and many others, all were perpetrated against the Aborigines by the Europeans. There were years of conflict between Tasmanian Aborigines and white settlers which eventually resulted in the loss of the purebred aboriginal race from Tasmania - virtually genocide.

The Europeans also introduced foods and diseases, all of which were perfectly harmless to the white settlers, but lowered the life expectancy of the aboriginal people. Simple diseases like Measles and Influenza had devastating effects on Aborigines. Foods containing wheat and sugar resulted in Heart disease and obesity among the indigenous Australians. Europeans introduced new flora and fauna which took over native habitat, leading to the extinction of many plants and animals on which the Aborigines relied.

When the aboriginal children were forcibly taken from their families, this directly led to a loss of culture, language, customs and traditions among the Aborigines. When the Europeans first came to Australia, there were around 250 different aboriginal languages in Australia. There is just a fraction of that number now. Many stories from the aboriginal Dreaming (creation legends) have disappeared forever.