Belvoir goose

Went to the theatre tonight to see an excellently produced, thought provoking, challenging and well crafted work called "At What Cost?" which  (and I'm oversimplifying here) tackles the subject of "tick a box" indigenous Australians, specifically Tasmanians.

It was something I had wondered about (the "tick a box" bit) but also did not know much about.  When I was at school I was lead to believe that Tasmanian aborigines had been wiped out.  Of course, this is absurd when I think about it.  Perhaps they had all been "relocated" or inter-mixed but of course there were and still are many whose ancestors are Tasmanian.

Anyway, it's much better explained here in this article from The Guardian from almost 20 years ago, which my beloved read to us in the car on the way home, written by Richard Flanagan "The lost tribe".

It's a longish read but well worth it if you're interested.

Only a handful of native Tasmanians escaped being slaughtered by the English in the 19th century. Now a bitter row has broken out between the many people - some black, some white - who claim to be their descendants. Acclaimed author Richard Flanagan asks what it really means to be an Aborigine.