Surviving Columbus : indigenous peoples, political reform and environmental management in North Australia

Abstract

In 1992 the world observed the quincentenary of Christopher Columbus’s first voyage to the New World. Many books were written about Columbus, his voyages and the impact of his so-called ‘discovery’. However, many indigenous people found few reasons to celebrate the dreadful treatment of the their people that followed in the wake of Columbus in the Americas and later, Captain Cook and other explorers in Australia. ¶ The Northern and Central Land Councils (NLC and CLC), the Australian National University’s North Australia Research Unit (NARU), and the Island Coordinating Council (ICC) of the Torres Strait, were interested in providing a forum at which community people, expert researchers, active indigenous leaders, staff of indigenous organisations, representatives of indigenous communities (including some from overseas), civil servants and the general public could exchange information and ideas. Although history cannot be changed, there are lessons to be learnt from both the past and experiences of others elsewhere in the world. Most importantly just before 1993, the United Nations’ International Year for the World’s Indigenous People, was a good time to seek new opportunities to build better and fairer relationships between indigenous peoples and non-indigenous peoples. Show more