SCIENCE

Members of the Stolen Generations may finally find a way back to their country, thanks to new research that reveals differences in Aboriginal DNA can be linked to specific geographic areas. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Who were the Stolen Generations?

Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers Toolkit.

Discussion Ideas

• Where did the first Australians come from? Take a look at our study guide on ancient migrations to Australia for some help.
  • All Aboriginal Australians are descended from a single population that migrated across what is now the Arafura Sea and Torres Strait, from what is now the island of New Guinea. Fifty thousand years ago, Australia and New Guinea were a single continent known as Sahul. After the last ice age, rising seas rushed in and sank low-lying parts of Sahul, creating the strait and isolating Australia from the rest of the world.

• Take a look at the beautiful migration map above. The first Australians took two routes after arriving on the continent—along the west coast and the east coast. Why do you think these ancient populations didn’t venture straight through central Australia?
  • Central Australia is dominated by an enormous, forbidding desert. It remains sparsely populated today—take a look at a population density map of Australia here.

• What new information does the study confirm about the migration patterns of ancient Aboriginal peoples?
  • Aboriginal Australians colonized the continent very quickly, navigating Australia’s coastal regions in as little as 1,500 years. But after that, the populations mostly stayed put—they remained independent and isolated, rarely interacting with each other.
    • “The amazing bit is that they don’t seem to move again. There has been some movement into the desert interior, but that basic pattern has held for 50,000 years.”

• Why do you think Australian populations remained relatively stable in both size and location for thousands of years?
  • Unlike ancient populations in Africa, Mesopotamia, and Asia, indigenous Australians did not engage in agriculture. This impacted both aspects of population.
    • population size: “If you don’t have cheap carbohydrates, you don’t increase in population size,” says the lead researcher.
    • location: Without farming, Australians were not threatened with the prospect of crop failure. When that happens, “there’s only one response—mass migration.”

• How was the DNA collected?
  • The analysis is based on mitochondrial DNA found in 111 hair samples taken from Aboriginal people during anthropological expeditions carried out between 1926 and 1963. In addition to genetic information, the expeditions also collected media and information about language, songlines, art, ceremonies, folk tales, and other aspects of indigenous culture.
  • Crucially, the samples were collected with permission from families and descendants of Aboriginal Australians who had been forcibly relocated during the 20th century. Researchers say “it was important Aboriginal people played a major role in developing the right cultural and ethical framework for the study.”

• The ABC article says the new research may allow “members of the Stolen Generations to finally find a way back to their country.” Who were the Stolen Generations? Take a look at our short resource for some help.
  • The Stolen Generations describes Aboriginal Australian children taken from their families and raised under European supervision in group homes. At least 100,000 children were forced from their homes, prevented from speaking indigenous languages, and kept from practicing indigenous customs. This practice continued until 1969.

• How might the new research help the Stolen Generations “find a way back”?
  • The records of many members of the Stolen Generations (including documents identifying birth families and regional homelands) have been lost or destroyed. By tracing genetic ancestry of such isolated populations, the technology may help these Australians to locate the families and cultures from which they themselves were stolen.

• Why do some researchers think more research is needed to investigate genetic diversity among Aboriginal Australians?
  • One geneticist brings up the point that Aboriginal Australians had been relocated long before the time the oldest samples were taken, about 91 years ago. Europeans arrived in Australia 229 years ago, and evidence shows the native population being forcibly removed almost immediately.
  • Archaeologists question whether Aboriginal populations could have remained relatively isolated from each other for thousands of years. Many Aboriginal groups belong to the same language family and shared similar Stone Age technology.

TEACHERS TOOLKIT

ABC: DNA confirms Aboriginal people have a long-lasting connection to country

Nat Geo: Australia Apologizes to the ‘Stolen Generations’ article

Nat Geo: Australians Spent 50,000 Years Isolated From the Rest of Us study guide

(extra credit!) Nature: Aboriginal mitogenomes reveal 50,000 years of regionalism in Australia