Do white Aussies have Australian heritage ?

[Breathe]

Hey,

I live in USA and lots of white people here claim to have Native American ancestry. I wonder if it’s the same in Australia? Do lots of whites claim to have aboriginal Australian heritage there ?

[frankhammer]

[Aila]

Not in the same way, no, – not at all.

Although one of my late partner's nieces is so ‘white’, you would never think she has aboriginal roots, and she identifies with both.

Potentially a few ½ Finnish, ½ Aboriginal kids in my extended neighbourhood are my distant relatives. The oldest daughter is a real looker, she looks like a young Audrey Hepburn with somewhat aboriginalish nose and identifies herself mainly as aboriginal.

A corporate lawyer I knew, who all his life was told to have ‘Italian’ roots … but when he actually learned about his aboriginality - the jigsaw puzzle of who he is came down like a ton of bricks as he recognized it on a deep level and now he is a human rights lawyer.



A ‘white’ artist, who subconsciously ‘channelled’ Aboriginal paintings started questioning his heritage and learned about the ‘white’ lies about his ancestry.

These are just a few people I have personally met or known.

[Creoda]

No. White Australians who don't have Aboriginal ancestry don't claim to. Aborigines aren't romanticised in the way that Indians are in America, historically to have Abo blood would be seen as a stigma - however the way they've been pumping them up lately it probably won't be long before there are some.

On the other hand 'Whites' with minor Aboriginal ancestry do often claim it, but mainly just for the benefits. Or Social Justice clout if that's their politics.

[Aila]

Then again, we do have the “Stolen Generation.”

At first, we had the: “they took our children away”- songs.

Then with the link-up programs to reunite the families – the: “they are coming back” songs followed.

Lastly – but “who are they?” – songs … because quite a few who claimed to be Aboriginal, couldn’t be recognized by the traditional people as anything else but “white”. (Even though this is not talked about, and the “white” ones imagined it is only about ‘choosing’ your identity, nothing else).

Met one of those, who really highlighted the problematic issue to me.