Introduction
Aboriginal Identity
Jimmy: “I’ve been a thug and a thief – but I’ve never stolen anyone’s soul.” (P.34.)
Removal has had devastating effects on Aboriginal communities because the people’s sense of self is totally bound up with kinship. In Aboriginal society the family unit is very large and extended, often with ties to the community. Breaking down the family unit has created many emotional, mental and physical problems. It also impeded intellectual development.
A Sense of Place
Sandy: “Back to me place. That bit of red desert. I still remember it. The sand must have seeped into my brain.” (P.36.)
Stolen shows that despite some of the physical characteristics that distinguish the characters from one another they all felt a spiritual tie with the land. It also shows how removing them from the land took the spirit out of the character’s life. Added to this, human contact was always authoritarian in the institutions where the children were placed. Is it any wonder that they failed to grow?
Cultural Stereotypes and Cultural Superiority
Anne’s adopted parents: Father to the Mother: “We’ll give her the best of everything.” (P.7.)
Anne: “I thought they’d live in the country or the outback or something. You know on the land.” (P.28.)
White Voice: “Maybe ya just wanna get a cheap loan or handout.” (P.29.)
Stolen shows the stereotyped views of Aboriginal people that existed in society. It also shows that culturally stereotyping was not limited to white people. It is Jimmy who says “God I hope she’s (his mother) not real dirty or something.” (P.30.) It could be argued that public anxieties about the well-being of Aboriginal children at the time were subject to a cultural code of silence. Did people not speak out for fear of upsetting the status quo?
Hope and Reconciliation
Sandy states, “I don’t have to hide. I’m going – home.” (P.36.)
Stolen shows the strength of Aboriginal identity and the determination of the characters to return to their families. At the end of the play, all of the characters are reunited with their Aboriginal families. In one sense this could be seen as hopeful.
Jimmy: “I’ve been a thug and a thief – but I’ve never stolen anyone’s soul.” (P.34.)
Removal has had devastating effects on Aboriginal communities because the people’s sense of self is totally bound up with kinship. In Aboriginal society the family unit is very large and extended, often with ties to the community. Breaking down the family unit has created many emotional, mental and physical problems. It also impeded intellectual development.
A Sense of Place
Sandy: “Back to me place. That bit of red desert. I still remember it. The sand must have seeped into my brain.” (P.36.)
Stolen shows that despite some of the physical characteristics that distinguish the characters from one another they all felt a spiritual tie with the land. It also shows how removing them from the land took the spirit out of the character’s life. Added to this, human contact was always authoritarian in the institutions where the children were placed. Is it any wonder that they failed to grow?
Cultural Stereotypes and Cultural Superiority
Anne’s adopted parents: Father to the Mother: “We’ll give her the best of everything.” (P.7.)
Anne: “I thought they’d live in the country or the outback or something. You know on the land.” (P.28.)
White Voice: “Maybe ya just wanna get a cheap loan or handout.” (P.29.)
Stolen shows the stereotyped views of Aboriginal people that existed in society. It also shows that culturally stereotyping was not limited to white people. It is Jimmy who says “God I hope she’s (his mother) not real dirty or something.” (P.30.) It could be argued that public anxieties about the well-being of Aboriginal children at the time were subject to a cultural code of silence. Did people not speak out for fear of upsetting the status quo?
Hope and Reconciliation
Sandy states, “I don’t have to hide. I’m going – home.” (P.36.)
Stolen shows the strength of Aboriginal identity and the determination of the characters to return to their families. At the end of the play, all of the characters are reunited with their Aboriginal families. In one sense this could be seen as hopeful.
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