Backbencher

The Maori of New Zealand and the Aborigines of Australia were the primary topics of conversation within the first lecture. Among the first points brought up were the ways in which Europeans affected the natives. The Europeans believed that the Aborigines were inferior to them and worked to push them out of Australia. By taking Aborigine children from their parents at an early age and adopting them out to European families, they believed this could be achieved. Though the Aborigines presented a great deal of resistance to the adaptation/change that the newcomers were forcing upon them, they never gained the independence or respect they were seeking. Yet another piece of information communicated about Australia was the concept of "firestick farming." This was a technique that involved burning existing brush in order to allow for productive, lush land later.
The Maori of New Zealand were perceived in a much different manner than the Aborigines. Perhaps this was because of the willingness to change the Maori demonstrated upon the Europeans' arrival. They readily adopted certain European ways and it seemed as if they had grown immensely from the experience. The Europeans saw them as a functioning culture, as they had demonstrated advanced communication and organization.
Though both Australia and New Zealand seem to be doing quite well today, it is difficult not to wonder what they would have been like had the Europeans faced further battles with the natives. Indeed, there could have been many differences.