Aboriginal

10 Stories

Australia to Mining Firm: Rebuild Those Ancient Caves

Rio Tinto detonated explosives to access iron ore

(Newser) - Calling the destruction of 46,000-year-old Aboriginal caves "inexcusable," lawmakers in Western Australia have ordered a mining firm to rebuild caves that are among the country's most significant archaeological sites, the BBC reports. The company, Rio Tinto, detonated explosives in May to access $96 million in iron...

Artist Has Himself Buried Alive in Memorial to Victims

Mike Parr, 73, went underground to make a statement

(Newser) - An Australian artist has been buried alive with a bucket and a book, but don't worry—they plan to dig him out Sunday. More than 3,000 people watched Thursday as Mike Parr, 73, descended a ladder into a 25-foot-square box under a road in Hobart, Australia, for a...

The Girls Made a Suicide Pact. Now 3 Have Followed Through

Wapekeka First Nation declares state of emergency

(Newser) - A simple text saying goodbye. That was the last anyone heard from 12-year-old Jenera Roundsky, who committed suicide in Wapekeka First Nation in northern Ontario on June 13. Jenera had been part of a suicide pact made by young girls in the community of 400 Oji-Cree, which suffered the suicides...

Museum Won't Return Spears, Despite Claim of Personal Ties

Rodney Kelly is trying to get Aboriginal artifacts returned to Australia

(Newser) - The British and the Aborigines first crossed paths in 1770, when famed English explorer James Cook landed in what is now Sydney. It was a violent meeting, and Cook departed with some of the Gweagal's spears—and the UK's Cambridge University says it won't give up the...

First Nation Suit: Canada's Parliament Is on Our Land

Aboriginal group says it never relinquished title

(Newser) - Ottawa's Parliament, Supreme Court, and the National Library may soon have some new owners—or new old owners. The city's south bank where these three institutions lie is in the middle of a land ownership lawsuit filed Wednesday by a Quebec First Nation, CTV News reports. "The...

Australia's Aborigines in Cycle of Poverty, Jail

Kids are 28 times more likely to be detained than other Australian kids

(Newser) - For Australian Aborigines, life in the Outback has grown so bleak, jail is not only more appealing, it has nearly become a rite of passage for teens. A parliamentary report last week called the worsening situation a national crisis, noting the imprisonment rate for indigenous Australians has soared 66% in...

Vogue Goes Aboriginal
 Will She 
 Be the First 
 Aboriginal 
 Supermodel?
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Will She Be the First Aboriginal Supermodel?

'Smoldering' Samantha Harris wows Aussies

(Newser) - A striking Aboriginal model has nailed the cover of Australian Vogue after Aussie Fashion Week fans were blown away by her "smoldering beauty"—and may be on her way to being the first Aboriginal supermodel. Samantha Harris, 19, showed off creations by 18 different designers at Australian Fashion...

Anthropologist: Modern Male Is 'Worst' Man Ever

We're not as robust, Aussie argues in new book

(Newser) - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is such a girly man by Neanderthal standards that some caveman's wife could have kicked his ass in arm wrestling, an Australian anthropologist argues in his new book. In fact, Peter McAllister calls modern males the "worst" men in history, at least when it comes...

UN Calls Aussie Aboriginal Policies Racist

(Newser) - Australia’s interventions in remote Aboriginal communities “overtly discriminate” against them, and prove that entrenched racism remains in Australia, a UN official said today. In 2007, Australia sent police and troops to aboriginal lands, and instituted special bans on alcohol and pornography. These measures "infringe their right of...

Aussie Aerial Shoot Could Cull 1M Camels

(Newser) - Australian officials are debating how to cull more than 1 million camels currently munching across the outback and irritating Aboriginals, the Independent reports. Some experts support an aerial shoot to save the desert ecosystem, but say it must be thorough; killing 80,000 would only match their birth rate. Estimated...

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