Good-old colonialism

We watched Rabbit-Proof Fence last night, and it was a fantastic movie. I remember hearing good things about it when it came out a few years back, but never got around to watching it.

Another one of those heartwarming details of history you never really learned in school- assimilation. In the early part of the twentieth century, in their Australian colony, the British government decided that "the destiny of the natives of aboriginal origin, but not of the full blood, lies in their ultimate absorption by the people of the Commonwealth, and it therefore recommends that all efforts be directed to that end."

"Half-castes," or children of mixed descent (partly European), were stolen from their families, and put into orphanages, where they were forced to learn, act, and talk like Brits (no native languages allowed). They would then marry whites, ensuring that the native blood would be further dilluted. Similar Nazi-like practices were also common in the US when it came to dealing with indigenous Indians.

I'm probably making this sound like a quite depressing movie, but it has many uplifting moments, and it's definitely worth seeing. The three young Aboriginal girls, who had no acting experience, do a fabulous job. On a scale of 0-5, where 0= hated it; 1=disliked it; 2=indifferent; 3=liked it; 4=loved it; 5=instant classic, I'd give it a strong 4. Highly recommended.