"We'll be getting our citizenship papers next month," writes a W.A. native girl, "and then we'll be able to walk straight into the pub and have our glass of beer or wine, and no-one will be able to stop us." Needless to say, the point in mentioning this is that the girl in question had been cared for in a Christian Mission since early childhood. She had never associated with drinkers. It was simply that, to her thinking, a fair deal meant being able to do all the things which she had been prevented by law from doing previously.

What is an Aborigine?

      The actual legal definition differs in different States of the Commonwealth. In some places he is a full-blood Australian aboriginal native or one with a preponderance of aboriginal blood. That is, a half-caste is not included in the definition. In other places the definition covers all with more than 25 per cent native blood. In this case, a quarter-caste is not a native, while a person with five-sixteenths native blood or more, is legally so.

      In either case, a person with any degree of native blood may be declared to be an aborigine, and under certain conditions brought under the sway of covering legislation. At the same time, those who are legally aborigines may be exempted from the Act, and/or granted citizenship rights. Strangely enough, the children of a person granted citizenship rights may or may not be included in the citizenship. In some cases their names are written into the official papers held by their parents. In other cases they remain

aborigines, and are still under the Act.

      In actual practice, the term "aborigine" denotes any person of full or part aboriginal blood, ranging from the naked nomads living still in their stone-age civilisation, right through the scale to the cultured and gracious people one occasionally meets, who by their manner of life put many whites to shame. I am thinking, in this latter case, of a preacher, a hospital matron, a school-teacher, the manager of a sheep, station . . . all aborigines. In such cases the stigma attached to them by society is not through cultural inadequacy, but because of all unfortunate choice of ancestors.

      Even skin coloration is no true guide. Although aborigines are often referred to as "black-fellows" some who are legally aborigines are as light in skin colour and hair toning as the pure (?) white who contributed to their ancestry. For instance, when a child is born to a light part-blood mother, of a white man whose existence is not proven to legal satisfaction, the child is generally referred to as "half-caste", though in fact the percentage of aboriginal blood may be exceedingly small. Incidentally, there are no "black-fellows" amongst the aborigines. A dark brown or chocolate colour is the darkest to be seen.

What Constitutes Fair Deal?

      The field of discussion has in these days been narrowed down to either segregation or assimilation. Both have their adherents.

The Question of Segregation

      Although public thought on the aboriginal question is advancing rapidly, there are still some people who think that the best thing for the native is segregation. But it is not the segregation of concentration camps, Jim Crow regulations, separate buses, etc. It is rather the humanitarian attitude expressed in the plea "Let them die out in peace."

      The argument runs something like this . . . The native people are doomed to extinction. They cannot compete with modern civilisation. Their social structure is deteriorating. Their numbers are dwindling, Why try to make them compete? Wouldn't it be better to place them on adequate reservations, where, under kindly supervision, they could live their lives according to their age-old customs, unaffected by the rush of modern life, untrammelled by the frets and cares (and the gadgets!) that occupy so much of our thought and energy in the world today. One can become almost lyrical at the prospect!

      Such a dream-bubble bursts on contact with reality! In the first place, we are many years too late, even if the segregation of the aborigines were desirable. We cannot turn back the pages of history. The forces against segregation have been at work from the time Captain Cook first visited these shores, and sought specimens of aborigines and all similar heathenish wild-life to take back and exhibit in England. For better or worse, the impact of European civilisation has been made, and cannot be unmade. To attempt segregation, this late in history, would inevitably cause the native people deprivation and hardship. It would logically lead to the harsh laws and concentration camps which exponents of the view are at such pains to avoid. It would mean suppression, and unrest which only extremely severe police methods could keep under control.

      In the second place, it is now questionable whether the aborigines are dying out. The rapid decline in numbers of full-bloods seems to have been arrested. And in any case, the aborigine who typifies the problem today is not the sad old man whom Kendall pictures sitting with head in hands, in the dust, frightened even to think of his loneliness The typical

man today is young and lighter-skinned. He is lithe and upright, perhaps even arrogant because of attempted repression. He is a good horseman, and an excellent shot with a rifle. He owns a reasonably modern utility, which he loads with his family, his tent, his gun and his dogs. He is at home wherever he builds a camp fire. Whether he realises it or not, he is the hope of the vast hinterland of "station" country in the north. He earns good wages, which he spends too freely. He loves his family, and is fiercely determined to give them the opportunities which were denied to him. Despite his faults, and he is not without them, he represents tremendous possibilities. And he certainly isn't dying out!

The Alternative is Assimilation

      Many people are still afraid of it. ("Would you like your sister to be married to a dirty native?") But let us never forget that it is the only Christian answer. How ridiculous to think that it means that the aborigines are immediately going to shift into your street, and turn it into a native camp! Taking the value off your hard-earned property! Intermarrying with the whites, and lowering the standard of living! Perhaps the aborigines would have some feelings about these matters, if they were consulted!

      Assimilation is not something that can be brought about by legislation. It represents the culmination of generations of education, social and cultural development. At present we are only beginning this slow process. The work of Missions, the granting of citizenship rights, the seeking of openings for employment for natives amongst whites, the cultivation of a right social attitude amongst whites . . . these are only steps towards the attainment of the goal. Any impatience on the part of either Missions or Legislators is going to work against the ultimate achievement of the end in view.

      In actual fact, assimilation simply means treating the aborigines as human beings, with personalities, hopes and ambitions just as we have ourselves. The personality of every human being must be treated as sacred. It must be given full opportunity to express itself to best advantage. The aborigine must learn to contribute to the common good, and share equally in the benefits of our common life.

The Contribution of Missions

      Missions are a sitting shot for every sniper in the country. Like the poor, whom we have always with us, we are still afflicted with the person who vehemently declares that he (and presumably he alone) knows how "niggers" (or "boongs") ought to be treated. He is at great pains to declare the faults of both the missionary and the government official. He tells (with appropriate emotion) of the dear old near-slave of his childhood days, who wrought heroic deeds, and expired gratefully in the bosom of tale-teller's family, eternally thankful for the damper and black tea which inspired his faithful service. He sadly regrets the modern tendency to pamper the aborigine, and let him get above himself.

      However, there are some of us who believe that the right kind of Mission plays an indispensable part in giving the aborigines a fair deal. One of the things which ought to be self-evident, yet is often overlooked, is that no two Missions should be exactly the same, for the simple reason that no two districts have exactly similar needs and circumstances. Thus, some Missions need to cater exclusively for children, others provide employment for adults, some combine the two. Some need to make a greater social emphasis, while others can emphasise the more spiritual aspect. The important question is not whether this Mission is doing what

that Mission found effective, but whether it is meeting adequately the spiritual and social needs of the native people in its district . . . never forgetting the ultimate aim of the assimilation of the aborigines into the spiritual and cultural life of the community.

      Here at Carnarvon, for example, a careful survey showed certain lines of procedure to be necessary. In the first place. the native population was beyond the reach of the Gospel by the normal channel of church activity. The churches were in the town, which was at that time closed to natives. Even if the ban had been broken down, there was no point of contact or inducement for the native to go to church. Therefore a Mission here must provide the point of contact, and reach out to the aborigine in friendliness.

      Then again, it was found that there was no scarcity of employment in the district for adult natives. Thus there was no need to build up an industrial work which would bind the native permanently to the Mission for economic reasons.

      The responsibility of a Mission, along material lines, is to provide the training and incentive that will fit the aborigine to express his own personality . . . that will make him able and willing to share in both the responsibilities and privileges of our Australian way of life. This was best implemented at Carnarvon in accepting responsibility for the education and training of children and young people, and through them reaching the older native people. The method adopted has proved to be the right one. There was the immediate result that the unsavoury camps on the edge of the town, (where the women congregated, ostensibly to send their children to a school which did not want them) were no longer necessary. Mothers were happy to leave their children in the care of the Mission, and return to their husbands at work on the distant stations. The children were given an opportunity to grow up in a good moral environment, were well-fed, and attended a school regularly. And over the years, the visits of adults to the Mission, and the holiday visits that the children have made to their parents have not been without effect. The manner of life of adults has improved in many cases, and young people are going out from the Mission equipped to contribute to the life of the community in a way that their parents could not do.

      If a Mission is really working towards ultimate assimilation, every success it has is a step towards its own extinction. Examples could be given of young people who have successfully taken their place in normal society. They are on friendly terms with their own people. and make no attempt to disown them. But they have the moral courage to stand for a better way of life. In such cases, except for the friendly, spiritual atmosphere which the Mission provides, it has ceased to exist. They are able to find spiritual fellowship in the normal church. Their children will not be in need of the Mission's ministrations. On the other hand, there are those whose children will again need the help which they themselves received. Not every Mission graduate is successful.

Problems to be Faced

1. The Inner Urge

      Probably the greatest obstacle in the way of a fair deal for the aborigine is the aborigine himself. For generations he has taken the line of least resistance. He is not by nature aggressive, pugnacious, ambitious. His easy-going temperament has been his downfall. Perhaps if the aborigine had had a bit more of the Maori ability to fight back, Australia's history would have been different.

      Many failures with Mission-trained young people can be traced to this cause. Usually it is not the fault of the Mission. In fact, the

Christian Mission is unique amongst aborigines' uplift movements in that it is best able to counteract this apathy, and cultivate an inner urge. The emphasis in the Bible upon the development of personality, the demand for clear-cut decisions, the insistence of Christ that in life one should know the end from the beginning and choose accordingly . . . these emphases of the Christian Mission can give the aborigine a material advantage in the struggle for existence.

      Most school-teachers who are working amongst aborigines can point to brilliant young native scholars who have gone just so far . . . and then no farther. What actually happened? It is not that they have reached saturation point intellectually. It is that the incentive to study has gone. Some of these young people will rationalise the position by explaining, "We don't really have to act and think like white-fellers. We'll get along better by being what we are." Once that position is reached. it is almost impossible to revive the inner urge.

      Young women go out from Missions. They are apparently equipped to meet the problems of life. They cannot be forever shut up in monastic seclusion. While we may rage impotently against the moral lepers who defile and corrupt some of these girls, yet it must be admitted that not all make any real effort to maintain their purity. They lack the essential will to win. Thank God for the increasing number of girls who both will and win! You will find them nursing, school-teaching, and in the business world. Some are now faithful wives and good mothers. But how we feel for those who give up the struggle!

      Employers lament some aboriginal employees who throw in the towel as soon as the going gets tough. They may leave their job at a critical moment, rather than face up to a problem. Again it is the lack of the vital spark. But the very fact that some young men and women keep their jobs and earn the respect and trust of their employers indicates that the possibilities of improvement are there. There is need for the greater emphasis upon the development of character. Without it, the best education and cultural development is only a shoddy veneer that peels off after the first sun-shower.

2. The Whites Who Should Know Better

      Most native people are quick to discern the white man who can be excused for not knowing any better. They make allowances for such. But aborigines are very badly hurt by the treatment of people from whom they expect sympathetic understanding. Even Mission-minded church folk are not immune to this failing! What an unhappy experience it is to take a visitor on a round of native camps, and suffer the embarrassment and shame of their comments, made in front of the native people themselves, much as folk would do in front of the monkey's cage at the zoo. It is immaterial whether their comments are complimentary or otherwise. These people obviously think that aborigines cannot understand English spoken in normal tones, for they always speak with a loud voice when conversing with natives.

      There is likewise some evidence in the worn-out rubbish at times sent with the good gifts from the churches. ("It is no more good for a white child, but the dear little black children will be glad to get it!")

      It is encouraging to find that the comments one makes here concerning the attitude of white people will probably be out of date very soon, for there has been a rapid improvement in the relationship between white and aborigine in recent years. But there is still need for a thorough and continuous campaign to educate the white people, so that the aborigine may be given an opportunity to make

his contribution to our community life.

      Young people who have to go to the cities for special training, or apprenticeship to a trade, find things especially difficult. There are few reputable homes or boarding houses available to them. If there is no government Hostel provided. they are practically forced to live amongst the lower elements. As a result. the manner of living they acquire from their newly-made friends incapacitates them from pursuing a steady trade apprenticeship. Or, alternatively, the lack of accommodation forces them to return to the country. In either case, through circumstances, they are virtually barred from any skilled trade or occupation.

      The aborigine also suffers from the type of generalisation which. during the war, decided that every German was a war-monger, and every Japanese was cruel. The argument runs something like this . . . "I had an aborigine working for me once. He became restless, and left me in the lurch. I'll never employ another aborigine!" Or perhaps "Old so-and-so wasn't particular about his personal habits. That has finished me with aborigines forever." Nothing could be more unjust! Who would say, "A white man I knew was gaoled for theft last week, I'll never again employ a white man in my business!"

      Perhaps it would be better to leave unsaid the comments that could be made concerning the lower type of white man. The man, who, for instance, thinks that a shade of darker colour pigmentation in a girl's skin automatically cancels out the need for him to exercise moral decency, and absolves him from responsibility for his lechery. Or the person who assumes that the "coloured boy" will just naturally be prepared to compound a felony, or accept money as a procurer of females of his own race, or share in any kind of filth and debauchery, simply because of his native antecedent! Most natives, fortunately, have learned to recognise and avoid this type of person, either male or female. But even so, many are sucked down into the slime of our civilisation.

3. The Problem of Citizenship

      Actually this is not one problem, but a series of problems. When should citizenship be granted? On what grounds? Having been once granted, under what circumstances can it be revoked? Would the same thing be done to a white citizen?

      A Magistrate told me on one occasion that if he had the slightest pretext for granting citizenship to a native, he would grant it. He did so on numerous occasions. His argument was that even a poor sample of a citizen was better than a non-citizen. He was able to instance some of history's great men, who were "born on the wrong side of the railway track." In other words, they sprang from parents who were unworthy citizens. There is a lot to be said for his point of view.

      One of the stumbling-blocks to citizenship is that it must be applied for. Papers must be filled in. The applicant must appear in court, and be subject to searching enquiry before his application is endorsed. As mentioned earlier, his children may or may not be included in his citizenship. It is sad that, after all these years, this should be so in Australia. The illegitimate child of the convicted felon transported to this land in an early prison ship, was a person in his own right. His citizenship was never questioned. A young native man, a trusted employee, a good husband and father, living in better conditions than many surrounding whites, says, "If I have to make an application and appear in court to be granted citizenship, I'll do without it. I was born in Australia, the same as the white people, the same as the child of foreign parents. Why should I alone be the one who has to crawl?"

      Someone will point out that his attitude shows a lamentable touchiness. It would certainly be better for his children's standing if he would climb down and do some "crawling." But who can blame him for his attitude?

      The indiscriminate granting of citizenship would, however, serve to accentuate problems already in existence. I have never heard of an aborigine who really wanted citizenship in order to vote intelligently. But I know of many who want it in order to be able to go in through the swinging doors of the nearest pub, instead of losing a percentage of their liquor to the white man who acts as go-between. One young unmarried mother-to-be wanted citizenship in order to claim the maternity allowance. (This is payable to all except aborigines without exemption, though Child Endowment can be claimed by the aborigine.) The very fact that certain things have been denied to the aborigines for so long makes them the more anxious to have them. Especially is this true of drink. The native is inclined to think that alcohol is one of the very special privileges that the white man has kept selfishly to himself!

      If some way could be devised, so that every aboriginal child reared in civilisation could be automatically placed on equal footing with white children as regards citizenship, the aborigine would have the opportunity to grow up with a normal attitude towards the liquor question.

      There is great need that the responsibilities of citizenship should be emphasised amongst the aborigines. To some extent this is done with New Australians. Why not a course of training for Old Australians, preparatory to their reception of citizenship rights?

4. The Problem of the Half-caste

      Strictly, a half-caste is one who is one-half of native ancestry, and one-half of white (or Chinese, etc.) A half-caste would therefore have one parent each of native and white, or both parents themselves half-caste. The term is more loosely applied to all with any degree of mixed ancestry. Government authorities can give (or guess) ancestry to the nearest sixteenth. (I. e., a native may be officially classed as eleven-sixteenths native, or some similar fraction.) I am wondering whether the children of these fractions will be classed as thirty-seconds, and where it will end! Perhaps it will be necessary to introduce a decimal system!

      These mixed-bloods, part-whites, or "coloured people" as they often refer to themselves, are presenting us with many problems. They are increasing in numbers, mostly from intermarriage amongst themselves. They are active and vigorous, the typical "battlers" of the back country. Some of them are extremely touchy about their ancestry, and do not wish to be classed as aborigines.

      One of the fallacies people hold concerning the half-caste is that he combines the worst features of both races. He does, to the extent that a white child combines the worst characteristics of both parents! But it is just as well for the good of mankind generally that children are able to perpetuate some combination of the best of both parents. So with people of mixed aboriginal and white blood. Many of them are managing to improve considerably on white fathers and coloured mothers!

      There is room and opportunity, particularly in the north of Australia, for any of these people whose education and outlook has fitted them to live and work there. Some are already in positions of responsibility in sheep and cattle stations. But they are not limited to station work by their brains and ability. They should be able to make their mark in various types of work, according to their inclination.

      The thing most to be avoided is to allow them to develop into a pool of unskilled labour, herded together in a shanty-town on the edge of our communities. They must be taught to be individuals. and given individual opportunity for advancement.

In Conclusion

      A fair deal for the aborigines is not, and never can be, a blue-print over which politicians nod, and to which ordinary citizens give a cursory approval. With all the plans that are being made, and with all the laws being passed, the aborigine will never get his fair deal unless there are people who will get down beside him and walk with him along the road, translating the final goal into a practical way of life.

      This is where the Church comes in! The Christian's job is not simply to preach at people. It is to share the heart-aches and humiliations, the futilities and the failures, the ambitions, the struggles. the victories . . . all that make up the life of the aborigine in his struggle towards the light.

DAVID G. HAMMER

      Born in N.S.W., graduated from the College of the Bible in 1936. Returning to N.S.W., he engaged in several ministries with churches, and at the same time was state secretary for Overseas Mission Committee. Went out to relieve in the New Hebrides Mission for six months, remained four years. Forced to return to Australia through ill-health, has engaged in several ministries in South Australia.

      Was invited by Aborigines Board to go to Carnarvon, W.A.. to commence a Mission there in 1945. Is now engaged in a second ministry as Superintendent of Carnarvon Mission.

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