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This
study provides a picture of the extent to which the Board for Protection
of Aborigines (BPA) sought to control the day to day lives of Kooris
in Victoria. Using samples of fabric located in an archive box relating
to the provision of clothing and rations to Kooris as a starting point,
a story of the attitude of the BPA towards the every day activities
and work of Kooris on missions and reserves emerges. Examination of
documentation relating directly to the fabric samples and their use
demonstrates that the BPA wielded the supply of rations and clothing
as a powerful tool in its attempts to coerce Kooris to comply with other
rules and regulations. This regime was organised around the principles
of erasing Aboriginality and inculcating white values such as settled
life, individualism, European gender roles and work patterns. |
