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Clip description
The Second World War interrupts the fight for Aboriginal rights and many Aboriginal men go to war. Professor Marcia Langton of the Yiman-Bidjara Nations, Professor Bain Attwood and Richard Frankland of the Gunditjmara Nation discuss the issues and implications of Indigenous people fighting for Australia.
Curator’s notes
The series’ focus on individual experience to tell larger stories is evident in this clip as the concerns of Jack Patten and William Cooper about joining the war effort are heard. Attwood and Frankland expose what would have been a hard decision for Aboriginal men at this time in Australia’s history. It was also a bit of a catch-22: to serve and risk your life for a country of which you are not legally a citizen, but perhaps receive some sense of equality in the process.
