Alas Poor Yagan facts for kids
Alas Poor Yagan is a cartoon drawn by Dean Alston. It was printed in The West Australian newspaper on September 6, 1997. The cartoon shows eight drawings of Noongar activist Ken Colbung talking to three Indigenous Australian children. Many Australians found the cartoon offensive. A complaint about racism was made to the Australian Human Rights Commission. The commission decided that the cartoon made inappropriate references to Noongar beliefs. However, it did not break the Racial Discrimination Act 1975. This decision was later supported by the Federal Court of Australia.
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Why the Cartoon Was Made
The Alas Poor Yagan cartoon was published soon after Yagan's head was returned from the United Kingdom. Yagan was a Noongar warrior. He fought against the European settlement of Western Australia. A settler shot him in 1833. His head was removed and sent to the United Kingdom for display in a museum. In 1964, it was buried in an unmarked grave in a local cemetery.
The Noongar community started working to find and bring Yagan's head back in 1990. Yagan's head was finally dug up in September 1997. However, getting the head back caused some disagreements. There were arguments about who had the right cultural claims to bring the remains home. These disagreements within the Noongar community became public. At one point, they even involved legal action.
How the Cartoon Was Published
The West Australian newspaper covered the story of Yagan's head being returned. This included the disagreements within the Noongar community. The Alas Poor Yagan cartoon was published on September 6, 1997. The cartoon criticized the fact that Yagan's head returning had caused conflict. It was meant to bring people together, not divide them. The cartoon also made fun of the behavior of those involved in the conflict. Some people also felt it insulted parts of Indigenous Australian culture. Others felt it questioned the true identity of Indigenous Australians with mixed backgrounds.
The Complaint About the Cartoon
On September 24, 1997, a complaint about the cartoon was made. It went to the Race Discrimination Commissioner. This commissioner works for the Australian Human Rights Commission. The complaint was made by human rights lawyer Hannah McGlade. She represented a group called "The Nyungar Circle of Elders." This group included Albert Corunna, Richard Wilkes, Violet Newman, Mingli Wanjurri, Leisha Eatts, Robert Bropho, and Ken Colbung. They claimed that Alston and The West Australian had broken a part of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975.
On March 4, 1998, the Race Discrimination Commissioner stopped her investigation. She said the cartoon was an "artistic work." She also said it was published "reasonably and in good faith." This meant it was allowed under a different part of the Act. The Nyungar Circle of Elders did not agree with this decision. They asked for the case to be looked at in a public hearing.
A public hearing was held on April 29, 1999. The findings were released on April 12, 2001. The Commission found that the cartoon did break the Act. Specifically, they found that the cartoon:
- showed Yagan in a disrespectful way;
- used a negative stereotype about Indigenous Australians;
- made disrespectful references to the Wagyl, which is a religious figure;
- dealt with death in a way that was offensive to Indigenous Australians;
- suggested that Indigenous people were unfairly getting benefits.
However, the commission also found that the cartoon was allowed under the Act. This was because it was done reasonably and in good faith. Part of the reason was how The West Australian covered the whole issue. The newspaper had provided a balanced report. It also shared an opinion that encouraged unity and support for the Aboriginal community. Because of this, the decision by then editor Paul Murray to publish the cartoon was found to be reasonable.
Robert Bropho then asked for a review of the commission's decision. But his request was turned down on December 4, 2002. Bropho then appealed this decision to the Federal Court of Australia. On February 6, 2004, the Federal Court dismissed the appeal. Bropho was ordered to pay all costs.
See Also
- Yagan
- Racial Discrimination Act 1975
