This song is by Archie Roach called 'Took the children away'. I came across it while visiting the Bunjilaka exhibit at the Melbourne Museum.
This story's right, this story's true
I would not tell lies to you
Like the promises they did not keep
And how they fenced us in like sheep.
Said to us come take our hand
Sent us off to mission land.
Taught us to read, to write and pray
Then they took the children away,
Took the children away,
The children away.
Snatched from their mother's breast
Said this is for the best
Took them away.
The welfare and the policeman
Said you've got to understand
We'll give them what I want.
Teach them how to really live.
Teach them how to live they said
Humiliated them instead
Taught them that and taught them this
And others taught them prejudice.
You took the children away
The children away
Breaking their mothers heart
Tearing us all apart
Took them away
One dark day on Framingham
Come and didn't give a damn
My mother cried go get their dad
He came running, fighting mad
Mother's tears were falling down
Dad shaped up and stood his ground.
He said 'You touch my kids and you fight me'
And they took us from our family.
Took us away
They took us away
Snatched from our mother's breast
Said this was for the best
Took us away.
Told us what to do and say
Told us all the white man's ways
Then they split us up again
And gave us gifts to ease the pain
Sent us off to foster homes
As we grew up we felt alone
Cause we were acting white
Yet feeling black
One sweet day all the children came back
The children came back
The children came back
Back where their hearts grow strong
Back where they all belong
The children came back
Said the children came back
The children came back
Back where they understand
Back to their mother's land
The children came back
Back to their mother
Back to their father
Back to their sister
Back to their brother
Back to their people
Back to their land
Oh the children came back
The children came back
The children came back
Yes I came back
Archie Roach was institutionalised and then fostered. These are very sad lyrics from his past experiences.
By 'learning to be affected' I am trying to engage in this scenario of when Archie and many others were taken away. For a second I want to put myself in Archie's shoes and look at this scenario from a different perspective. I wonder how I would feel If I was young and In Archie's shoes?
My question to everyone is how do we as educators learn to be affected when in comes to the stolen generation of Aboriginal people? What can we do to begin to close the gap?
It is very creative how you brought in a song by Archie Roach into your blog. I think the stolen generation of Aboriginal people is very sad and if i was in Archie's shoes i wouldn't know how i would've coped. I think when it comes to the stolen generation, it is a great value to show and teach children the hardships and struggles the Aboriginal culture had to go through to protect their family and land.
ReplyDeleteImagine having some strangers come and take everything you love and your home away from you and making you do things that you don't want to do. It will be horrific! I think by embracing the Aboriginal culture in schools and teaching kids how about the stolen generation will give them a better understanding of how the world they're in came about today. It will give them knowledge about the history of the land created and why cultural identity is important to everyone.