Today marks the anniversary of the disembarking of British colonists in Australia in 1788. Cook's d…

Today marks the anniversary of the arrival of British colonists in Australia in 1788. Cook's determination, 18 years earlier, that the continent of Australia was "terra nullius"—nobody's land—was the legal justification for this settlement. The claim was and is patently false, and has since been legally overturned (it's Mabo, it's the vibe), but is still the foundation of the nation's existence.

Australia is in many ways an incredible place to live. But Jan 26 is not a date to celebrate. It's a date to lament, to wrestle with our difficult history, and to acknowledge the devastating impact that colonisation has had on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their cultures.

Cook was killed in an altercation with Hawaiians in 1779. Whilst the story that he was cannibalised is a dramatic fabrication, his body was likely cooked in some fashion as part of the funerary rites (graciously) observed by the Hawaiians.

#invasionday #jan26 #captaincook #terranullius #itsmabo #treaty

Видео Today marks the anniversary of the disembarking of British colonists in Australia in 1788. Cook's d… канала Danny Bale