Displacing Indigenous Peoples

The native peoples of the Americas differed significantly in their social organization:

• South America: Developed extensive empires with centralized state systems (e.g., Aztecs, Incas, Mayas). They had stone architecture, intensive agriculture (corn), and complex hierarchies.
• North America: Lived in smaller bands and tribes without large empires. They practiced a mix of hunting (bison), gathering, and simple agriculture. They did not build large stone monuments and had a more egalitarian social structure.

The USA in the 19th century reflected its English heritage through:

• Property Laws: Adoption of English common law concepts regarding private property ownership, contrasting with native communal land use.
• Capitalism: A strong focus on market economy, profit, and trade.
• Agriculture: Settlers cleared land for large-scale farming (wheat, corn) similar to European practices, viewing uncultivated land as “waste.”
• Christianity: The dominance of Protestant Christianity and missionary zeal.

To 19th-century Americans, the ‘Frontier’ represented:

• Opportunity: A boundless space for expansion, settlement, and acquiring land.
• Civilization vs Wilderness: It was the moving line between “civilized” European society and the “wild” lands of the indigenous people.
• Manifest Destiny: The belief that it was their divine right and duty to expand westward across the continent.

The history of Australian Aboriginals was largely ignored because:

• Terra Nullius: European settlers operated under the legal doctrine of Terra Nullius (nobody’s land), implying the land was empty before their arrival.
• Lack of Written Records: Indigenous history was oral. European historians prioritized written documents, thus dismissing oral traditions as “myth” rather than history.
• Justification of Colonization: Ignoring native history helped justify the seizure of land and the marginalized status of Aboriginal people in the new colonial society.

Museum displays are often unsatisfactory or incomplete because:

• Static Representation: They often present indigenous cultures as “frozen in time” or extinct, rather than as living, evolving communities.
• Lack of Context: Objects are displayed as art or artifacts without explaining their spiritual or social significance to the people who made them.
• Example: A display of Native American headdresses might focus on the materials (feathers, beads) but fail to convey the specific rituals, authority, or earning process associated with wearing them.

(A fictional narrative outline):

• The German (Gold Rush Settler): Might boast about the wealth of the land and the opportunities for those willing to work hard, reflecting the “Frontier” spirit.
• The Chinese Labourer: Would likely speak of the harsh conditions building the railways, the discrimination he faces despite his hard work, and his desire to return home rich.
• The Former African Slave: Could share his newfound but fragile freedom, the struggle for equality, and the irony of a land of “freedom” that was built on slavery.
• The Hopi Native: Would likely express deep sorrow over the loss of his ancestral lands, the destruction of the buffalo, and the strange concept of “owning” the earth that the others possess.