The Queensland Native Police and strategies of recruitment on the Queensland Frontier, 1849-1901
Article
Article Title | The Queensland Native Police and strategies of recruitment on the Queensland Frontier, 1849-1901 |
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ERA Journal ID | 34876 |
Article Category | Article |
Authors | Burke, Heather (Author), Barker, Bryce (Author), Cole, Noelene (Author), Wallis, Lynley A. (Author), Hatte, Elizabeth (Author), Davidson, Iain (Author) and Lowe, Kelsey (Author) |
Journal Title | Journal of Australian Studies |
Journal Citation | 42 (3), pp. 297-313 |
Number of Pages | 17 |
Year | 2018 |
Publisher | Routledge |
Place of Publication | Australia |
ISSN | 0314-769X |
1444-3058 | |
1835-6419 | |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1080/14443058.2018.1474942 |
Web Address (URL) | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14443058.2018.1474942 |
Abstract | Although historians have provided substantial insights into the structure, development and activities of the Queensland Native Mounted Police, they have rarely focused on the complex and sensitive issue of Aboriginal recruitment. A careful reading of historical records, however, identifies several methods, including coercion, intimidation, kidnapping and inducement, as well as 'voluntary' enlistment. It is difficult to identify Aboriginal agency in recruitment processes as the records are entirely one-sided — the voices of the troopers themselves are absent from the archival sources. In this article, we examine the cultural and historical contexts of Aboriginal recruitment — for example, the dire social situations of Aboriginal survivors of the frontier war and the absence of future survival options for the potential recruits. We explore, through the framework of historical trauma, the impacts on vulnerable victims of violence and other devastating effects of colonisation. We conclude that the recruitment of Aboriginal troopers was far from a homogeneous or transparent process and that the concept of agency with regard to those who can be considered war victims themselves is extremely complex. Unravelling the diverse, conflicting and often controversial meanings of this particular colonial activity remains a challenge to the historical process. |
Keywords | Native Mounted Police; recruitment; coercion; desertion; historical trauma |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 450107. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history |
Public Notes | Files associated with this item cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions. |
Byline Affiliations | Flinders University |
School of Arts and Communication | |
James Cook University | |
University of Notre Dame Australia | |
Northern Archaeology Consultancies, Australia | |
University of New South Wales | |
Institute for Resilient Regions | |
Institution of Origin | University of Southern Queensland |
Funding source | Australian Research Council (ARC) Grant ID DP160100307 |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/q4v00/the-queensland-native-police-and-strategies-of-recruitment-on-the-queensland-frontier-1849-1901
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