The Tiwi are robbed again

If there were a Hall of Fame for the Most Cruel Colonizers of the World, Australia would have a prominent place. Early British settlers (“unsettlers” or displacers, more accurately) hunted the Tasmanians to near-extinction. None of the indigenous groups have been left unscathed. And today the cruelty  continues in new, more “civilized” guises such as economic development.

Editorialist Verlyn Klinkenberg reports on his findings from a recent visit to Melville Island, off the coast of the Northern Territory.  With neighboring Bathhurst Island, it makes up the Tiwi Islands, original home of the Tiwi people.  As his small plane flies over the island, he can see a 75,000 acre plantation of acacia trees.  It is a forestry project run by Great Southern Plantations, a company based in Perth. Acacia trees grow quickly and provide wood chops for the paper industry. The plantation was built on aboriginal reserves, in collaboration the Tiwi Land Council representing Tiwi “traditional owners.”  The goal was to create 300 jobs for Tiwi Islanders and lay the foundation for an enduring forest industry.

However, the company collapsed in May and the project is in receivership. Instead of the anticipated jobs and  income stream, there is desolation and increasing mistrust of Great Southern, the Northern Territory government, and the Tiwi Land Council.

Many Tiwi regret the clearing of the forest and many feel a sense of being robbed of their entitlements once again. They tried in good faith to work with outsiders to pursue economic goals that would help them maintain their self-determination. What seemed like a good investment was instead a high-risk gamble, and the Tiwi lost.

Somebody, however, made big money when the forest was cleared for the plantation. Moreover, the failed acacia plantation is not the only development disaster that has been foisted on the Tiwi Islands.

See some related blog commentary here.

Photo, “Changing Seasons”, of Australian acacia trees from Flickr via Creative Commons.