Wide shot of two little Aboriginal girls in the living room of their adopted white family
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/video/poster_image03-2017/stolengenerations_02.jpg

Stolen Generations

Stolen Generations

Documentary about the Stolen Generations

SYNOPSIS

A documentary using historical and interview footage to tell the story of three people removed as children from their families, who are now one of the many referred to as the Stolen Generations. The tapestry of life experiences is woven around the filmmaker’s own personal questions of identity, and an administration put in place with the sole purpose of annihilating Aboriginal peoples.

CURATOR'S NOTES

By Romaine Moreton

Stolen Generations is a documentary that humanises the inhumane practice of removing children from their families. 'Stolen generations’, a term coined by Peter Read, refers to the assimilation practice of the Australian Government throughout history designed to remove the physical and cultural presence of Indigenous peoples from Australian society and cultural consciousness, and was informed by sciences such as eugenics, which the film explains. It became a less acceptable way of dealing with the Aboriginal population after the Second World War.

Stolen Generations offers a solid theoretical foundation while providing an emotional insight into the consequence of the implementation of the policies, and the children who endured them. The destruction of the familial, cultural and social fabric of Indigenous communities as the intention of the Australian Government throughout the history of colonisation, is demystified by Johnson’s documentary. The befuddlement of the children, now adults, as they try to translate the experience of being removed, means that the intensity of the experience is still being processed by those caught up in the administration of child removal. These experiences are also well documented in the Bringing Them Home Report, that provides personal accounts of children removed, and the confusion into which they were condemned. Testimonies in Stolen Generations show that, isolated and alienated within a strange culture, Indigenous children subjected to the cruel policies of removal are still healing, and some were never able to reconnect with their birth families.

The three main characters in this film are Bob Randall, Daisy Howard, and Cleonie Quayle, who give different accounts of the same policy. Stolen Generations takes us through the history of social theory that eventually led to children being stolen, and Johnson’s instigation to find answers to her own questions which thankfully, provide questions for the wider audience.

Stolen Generations: Half caste, plaster cast
NFSA-ID:
NFSA ID
448627
Year:
Year

Historical footage of a plaster cast being made of an Aboriginal man’s face by anthropologists. Henry Reynolds and Marcia Langton provide historical framework for government policies implemented through the history of the colonisation of Australia. Summary by Romaine Moreton.

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that the following program may contain images and/or audio of deceased persons
Stolen Generations: Dreams of whiteness
NFSA-ID:
NFSA ID
448627
Year:
Year

Historical news footage of Aboriginal girls removed from their families and being adopted by a white family as a result of the assimilation policies. Henry Reynolds tells us why Aboriginal children were removed from their families, and the policies that sought to justify such forced removal. Summary by Romaine Moreton.

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that the following program may contain images and/or audio of deceased persons
Stolen Generations: Never the same again
NFSA-ID:
NFSA ID
448627
Year:
Year

Footage of Beagle Bay Mission. Historical black-and-white footage of Aboriginal children. Daisy Howard tells us of her experience of being removed, and being robbed of the opportunity of having a strong relationship with her sister May. Summary by Romaine Moreton.

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that the following program may contain images and/or audio of deceased persons