Introduction
Today we will be looking at the ways in which the popular, public perception of the ANZAC legend has overlooked the participation and mistreatment of indigenous Australians. Specifically in relation to our period of study: the First World War (1914 - 1918)
By the end of these activities, you should have a clearer view on the indigenous experience of the war, and how it compared of non-indigenous experiences.
Task
On your graphic organizers, you will have some questions and spaces in which to answer them. These questions will show up again here, alongside their allocated resource. Read the linked or pictured resources and use them to answer these questions as best you can. we will be using your answers as a basis for a discussion about the indigenous experience.
KEEP IN MIND: Many of these resources will discuss experiences that go beyond just the first world war. For this task, we are only interested in the First World War. so keep your answers specific to that period :)
BE AWARE: Once you have all finished these activities, we will be engaging in a whole class discussion about these questions and more, so make sure you have a thoughtful answer for each one that you can contribute!
Process
Read through these resources and collect any relevant information that applies to any of the questions (you may need to use information from multiple resources to properly answer a question). Once you have collected a few points for each question, write a paragraph which incorporates each of your points into a snappy statement.
Here are the sources:
Indigenous Australians at War:
https://www.dva.gov.au/i-am/aboriginal-andor-torres-strait-islander/indigenous-australians-war
Aboriginal service during the First World War
https://www.awm.gov.au/about/our-work/projects/indigenous-service
Indigenous Defence Service
https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/indigenous
Indigenous ANZACs: Letters Home
Indigenous Australians at War: Why Did They Join?
And here are the questions once again:
1. What role did Indigenous Australians play in Australia's contribution to the First World War?
2. What was the experience of the average Indigenous Australian during the war?
3. Were enlisted Indigenous Australians treated differently to non-indigenous Australians?
4. How did things change for Indigenous Australians, in light of their contribution and sacrifice?
Evaluation
Having now answered all the questions on your organizer, it's time to put those answers to work!
I want you to think about, and write down a response to the following question:
Was the experience of the First world war for Indigenous Australians fair?
Conclusion
Thanks for participating! Once you feel you have properly answered all of the listed questions, and have reflected on feel free to quietly compare your answers with a neighbour (providing they have finished everything too!).
IF YOU HAVE TIME: continue your search around some of the linked websites and articles to see if there are any other ideas or perspectives (such as the experience of women) that may be related. Feel free to bring them up in the discussion if you think they are of interest.
Keep in mind, at this stage we are only interested in perspectives to do with the First World War, so try to stay on topic :)
REMEMBER: you may want to return to these resources and ideas when you start the propaganda assignment at the end of this week