Australian Human Rights Commission

Part one – What did Indigenous peoples experience?

Listed below are some of the common experiences of those Indigenous children who were removed. Find an example from what you know of the characters in Stolen that relates to each of these.

Common experiences mentioned in Bringing them home	Character	What happened to that character?
Discouraged from having contact with their family
Taught to reject Aborigines and Aboriginality
Conditions in the institutions were very harsh
Their education was often very basic
Excessive physical punishments
Authorities failed to care for and protect the children
Some found happiness

Part two: What were the long-term effects?

Listed below are some long-term effects the removals had on Indigenous people and communities. Again, these come from the submissions presented to the Inquiry. Find an example from Stolen that suggests or represents each of these listed effects.

Long-term effects of removal	Example in Stolen
Loss of the primary carer in infancy
Indigenous parenting skills were undermined
Loss of heritage
Delinquency and other behavioural problems
Racism

13. Character profiles activity sheet

Stolen

Select a character from Stolen and answer the questions below:

Where are they from?

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  What does 'home' mean to the character according to their first line?
  
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  How did they get to where they are?
  
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  What happened to them? Does the plot reveal how they were removed?
  

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Do you think they have a strong sense of where they came from or their identity?

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  What are the character’s general characteristics?
  
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  In what ways is this character strong?
  
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  What is their general tone of speech/attitude?
  
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  How would you describe them? Refer to sections or lines from the play to justify your statement.
  
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  What 'markers' or things are used to reveal something about their character?
  
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  How would you describe their personality?
  

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What is the character’s 'crucial issue'?

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  What is their main issue, concern or problem?
  
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  How is their removal relevant to this concern?
  
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  Can you find a story from the Inquiry that is similar to this character's?
  

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Relationships

• 
  How does this character relate to each of the other characters?
  
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  Which character do you suppose they would have the strongest connection with? Why?
  
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  Do the characters have the same level of support?
  

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'The Welfare'

• 
  What relationship do they have or have they had with 'the Welfare'?
  
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  Do they have any interaction with 'the Welfare' during the play?
  
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  What relationships do they have with non-Indigenous people in the play?
  

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How does the character develop?

• 
  What is the turning point for this character?
  
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  What are the other key events they experience in the play?
  
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  How do they develop or change from the beginning to the end?
  
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  Did your opinion of them change at any stage throughout the play? If so, what made you change your opinion?
  

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Where is the character going by the end?

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  What happens to the character in the end?
  
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  Where do you think they are going?
  
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  Do they find home?
  
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  What do they discover that they didn't know in the beginning? How do they respond to this?
  

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