brooklyn13, Good article this one, your first link: The 'Doctrine of Discovery' legitimated land grabs
In the Eurocentric view of the world, it was the so-called 'Age of Discovery' when European nations sent out their explorers during the 15th to 17th centuries.
Their governments were greatly influenced by Catholic doctrine and papal power. One doctrine was that Christians had the right to claim lands, territories and resources of Aboriginal people all over the world because they were not Christians.
On 4 May 1493, Pope Alexander VI issued a Papal Bull, “Inter Caetera”, which became known as the Doctrine of Discovery. It was central to the Spanish conquest of what the conquering nations called the 'New World', supporting Spain’s strategy to ensure its exclusive right to the lands 'discovered' by Christopher Columbus.
The Bull stated that any land “not hitherto discovered” by Christians was available to be claimed and exploited by Christian rulers and declared that “the Catholic faith and the Christian religion be exalted and be everywhere increased and spread, that the health of souls be cared for and that barbarous nations be overthrown and brought to the faith itself” [1] (my emphasis).
It basically meant that the "barbarous nations" could be enslaved or murdered if they refused to convert to Christianity. It also meant that Aboriginal peoples' long-standing rights to land could be wiped out.
The Doctrine of Discovery is a key premise for post-invasion government claims to legitimacy on and sovereignty over Aboriginal lands and territories. It was used not only by Spain, but also by former British colonies like Canada, Australia, New Zealandand the United States of America [2] to seize Aboriginal land.
In the USA, where the Doctrine has been enshrined in law, it was used as the foundation for the western expansion [1] and to justify efforts to eliminate Aboriginal languages, practices and world views, and it affects Native American sovereignty and treaty obligations. [3] Courts have based judgements on it as recently as 2005.
As a result of the Doctrine the delusion that white people and Christians had certain 'divine rights' was deeply ingrained in the policies of many colonial and post-colonial societies. [
Not that the history of invasion, subjugation and exploitation by Christian nations is unknown to any of us, still that is a good article.
Though we have a long way to go i'm happy to report that conditions for the indigenous people of Australia is slowly improving.
It's sweet that you are so interested. Just sincerely wish you could lend some of your love and empathy for our Australian aborigines to the long suffering and dominated Palestinians of the West Bank and Gaza.
Sheesh, you really do have problems with empathy and compassion, eh.
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