Rabbit Proof Fence

“When a tradition gathers enough strength to go on for centuries, you don't just turn it off one day” (Chinua Achebe). As seen though this quote, once the colonizers impede on the natives way of life, it is very difficult for the natives to maintain their cultural identity. Throughout the world's history native cultures have drifted away repeatedly due to the encroachment of various settlers, whom enforce their traditions onto the indigenous peoples. In the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Christian missionaries came to Nigeria- specifically where the Igbo tribe was located, and imposed their religion and culture upon them. Similarly, in the film Rabbit Proof Fence directed by Philip Noyce, the colonial government of Australia put in
place the Aboriginals Act, which allowed for the colonizers to remove “half-caste” children from their homes, and were then sent to a Christian boarding school. Furthermore, the story of the Indigenous Dakota Tribe was told in Silas Hagerty’s film Dakota 38; during the mid 1800’s the Dakota people were stripped of their land and culture, and forcibly integrated into American society. That is to say, when colonization occurs natives are forced to assimilate to the religion of the settlers, which in turn causes indigenous culture to disintegrate. As the european settlers encroached on the Igbo’s land in Achebe’s book Things Fall Apart, they forced their religion onto the natives, who in turn lost their cultural identity. Surprised were the indigenous Umuofians when they saw foreigners taking over their land, but even more surprised were they when fellow community members left behind long known traditions of Umuofia. Soon many had deserted the Igbo culture- by choice or by force, “three converts had gone into the village and boasted openly that all the gods were dead and impotent and that they were prepared to defy them by burning all their shrines”( Achebe 154). By burning the shrines that they had previously worshipped, it represents how the native traditions are falling apart due to colonization and the enforcement of Christianity- the religion of the settlers. The colonizers had taught them that to prosper and be well respected, which was desired by many Umuofians, one must follow in their footsteps. This meant converting to Christianity and leaving behind old customs. A similar instance occurred when a Umuofian convert killed a python, which is very sacred in the Igbo religion (Achebe 158). By doing so, it displays the transformation of natives turning away from their culture and towards the faith of the settlers; this has a huge impact on the identity of the Igbo because their lifestyle revolved around their religion, and once it was abandoned their culture was lost. That is to say, under the pressure of the colonizers, Umuofians practiced the Christian faith and left behind their indigenous way of life. In a like manner, the indigenous Australians also were stripped of their culture due to colonizers imposing their religious beliefs onto the natives, as seen in the film Rabbit Proof Fence.
The settlers believed that they were superior to all, and that in order to be civilized one must follow the same traditions as them, including being a Christian. In response, the settlers decided to rid the country of aboriginal culture by sending “half-caste” children, children with an indigenous mother and European father, off to Christian boarding schools. As the “Chief Protector of Aborigines”, Mr Neville believed that aboriginals must be “bred out”(Noyce). His way of doing this was to tear the native children away from their families and traditions. By doing so, the culture of the indigenous Australians would disappear as the new generation would learn European traditions. While living at the boarding schools, the children were given no choice but to follow Christian traditions; before eating they all had to recite prayers, in the mornings they would go to church, and everyday they were taught by members of the Christian community such as nuns. By surrounding the aboriginals with this faith and way of life, the colonizers destroyed any chance that the native culture could strive and carry
on. The native Dakota tribe also suffered from colonization, as they too were forced to assimilate to the religion of the settlers, therefore leaving behind the precious traditions of the past. When Europeans began to explore America, and more specifically the midwest, they encountered indigenous people whom practiced a very different lifestyle from their own.
The faith of the Dakota was deemed wrong and their culture was not taken seriously, as the settlers took more and more away from them.
They started with stealing their land and shoving them onto reservations, and then moved to rid them of their culture by taking their children and sending them off to boarding school where they would be taught the lifestyle of the settlers. At the boarding school they had no choice but to dump their previous customs; instead they dressed in American clothes and practiced the religion of the settlers. Additionally, a horrendous atrocity was committed with the aim of removing indigenous culture from the land. On Dec. 26, 1862, 38 Dakota men were hung in Mankato, Minnesota, which is the largest mass execution in US history. The Dakota people still suffer from this event emotionally and struggle with poverty due to the harsh circumstances they were put under, which makes it very difficult for their culture to prosper. As a result, very few strains of Dakota culture is seen today, compared to when Minnesota was composed solely of their customs. To say the least, the Dakota people’s culture was dismantled by the colonizers, and replaced with the settlers’ customs; more specifically the settlers enforced Christianity upon the Dakota, which replaced their native
faith. In conclusion, colonization causes indigenous cultures to be lost due to the enforcement of the settlers’ religion. Often the colonizers force the natives to obey them and become “civilized”, meaning they follow the same customs and faith. In the process, many natives are hurt emotionally and physically, and can be seen in all three sources. In Things Fall Apart, it is evident that the society is impacted hugely by the settlers, mainly through the enforcement of a new religion and the disappearance of old traditions. Similarly, in Rabbit Proof Fence it is clear that once the settlers came, forcibly removed “half-castes” from their homes, and then sent them to Christian boarding schools, the native culture disappeared as Christianity took over. Dakota 38 proved an alike point in that the settlers forced the Dakota to convert to Christianity at the expense of the Dakotas culture. Overall, it is seen throughout the world the damaging effects that colonization causes, and when we take a closer look at those societies we see the loss of culture due to forced assimilation into a new faith.