The Life as an Indigenous

April 3rd 1832,

Hello my name is Karen, 14 years old and I’m an indigenous. I’ve  lived in here, Van Diemen’s Land since I was born. Sadly, my life is so full of fears and anxiousness. You know what’s happening? I actually had known nothing until my grandmother told me the history.

It’s the story when she was a little. So when people were working as usual for their life, there were commotion and noise nearby the sea. Then my grandmother and other people went to see what was happening. When they arrived at around the sea, they  were shocked to see some creatures that they had never seen before. She told me that each of the them had 2 legs, 2 arms, a face at the top, had a pale-skinned and they were strangely dressed.

According to what she told me, it seemed that my grandmother and grandfather were very surprised of their unusual appearances and they thought they were evil, ghost or even god. But around 2 years after they lived together with my grandmother and others, we realized that they were humans just like us but they came from another land far away from our place which is called Europe. Some of them treated us nicely but there were some who did rudely too. That’s the history that my grandmother told me.

But currently they’re controlling us. Last time they gave us strict laws and we were totally condemned. For example, they decided some boundaries by their own and we were prohibited to do various things arbitrarily.

“How are we supposed to just sit nicely and listen to them ordering us while this land is originally ours?! They just suddenly came and rule us! Who do you think they are? We won’t be that obedient!” we united our voices.

So, we decided to do what we want to do without being bounded by them anymore. But of course the European got very angry to see how we acted. Since ever, they have attacked us very severely. I think they’re trying to vanish us, you know. And because of this horrible situation,  I’m so scared to go out. It’s just like my heart jumps every time I hear the gunshot.

In fact, this really is a great bloodshed. I just don’t understand what they really want exactly. They just keep on attacking us. I guess more or less, only 200 people are left here. All my father, mother, sisters and brothers  are gone, because they’re murdered by those European people.

Furthermore, I and the others are evacuating right now. I’m at a rainforest with the others and I’ve been hiding here for a month. Since I’m still fourteen, I can’t do anything. If I merely join to fight against those very weird European people, I’d be shot directly before I success hitting one of their face with a gravel. So all I can do is just stay here and pray that all of these will be over soon.

July 15th 1837,

Hey now I’m 19 years old! Anyway, after all those hardship we faced, finally we were moved to another island which is Flinders Island! I’m incredibly happy! But we all are forced to wear that European clothes. Well I don’t dislike it either... So it doesn’t matter! The thing is, I’m very thankful that now we’re liberated from those incredibly terrible bloodshed. 

Presently, I’m doing well without any conflict even though it's not familiar yet for me to do the daily things that European usually do. Such as studying, working, fishing, doing household, etc. The thing is I just can't stop saying the bunches of thanks to the God. I hope my future will be much better than now.