Racial classifications hardened as European mixing increased. Early classification was based on skull shape that didn't fit African or East Asian types This categorization occurred before any mixture with Europeans By mid-19th century, mixed ancestry children and communities were widely recognized
Early classifications grouped Aboriginal Australians using skull measurements before European mixing. But as mixed communities became widespread by the mid-19th century, colonial classifications actually became MORE restrictive. Eugenic frameworks developed policies to control and assimilate mixed populations, treating them as a problem to be solved rather than recognized as human. 😔
Key Facts
- Early classification was based on skull shape that didn't fit African or East Asian types
- This categorization occurred before any mixture with Europeans
- By mid-19th century, mixed ancestry children and communities were widely recognized
- As more Aboriginals became mixed with Europeans, classifications became MORE racist
- Colonial administrations developed policies to control and try to erase mixed populations
- By late 1800s, assimilationist and eugenic frameworks treated Aboriginals as a problem to be solved
- Early European observers used relatively neutral terms before racial hierarchies fully hardened
Source: Why were Aboriginals labeled “Caucasian” for 150 years? (he really does have blue eyes) by Timeless with Fred Snyder