Native Americans and Indigenous Australians have a scarred history of torture, dismissal, abuse, and neglect from their respective countries. A discussion of current practices and plans for the future success of these populations in higher education is not relevant without an initial understanding of where and when their struggles began, as well as the current climate for these people within their countries and states of residence. A timeline for the history of Native Americans and for Indigenous Australians is included below to highlight the difficulties faced by these distinct groups in general, as well as in their quest for higher education.
1795
The Treaty of Greenville is signed allowing the United States
1819
The Treaty of Saginaw is signed resulting in the removal of Ojibwa tribes from their traditional lands (Schonberg, 2004).
1824
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is created taking the mission of Indian education out of the missionaries’ hands and into the government’s (Guillory & Ward, 2008).
1840
President Jackson ordered the removal of all remaining Native Americans in Michigan
1879
1887
The Dawes Act is created in order to determine land distributions; this act has been considered unsuccessful as many Native Americans refused to leave their lands (Schonberg, 2004).
1896
Plessy v. Ferguson
1902
25 federally funded non-reservation schools existed with over 6,000 students in total (Wikipedia.org).
1924
Native Americans are classified as citizens by the Federal Government and achieved the right to vote (Roadtrip, 2009).
1928
The Meriam Report, which details the harsh conditions of Indian boarding schools, is released (Guillory & Ward, 2008).
1934
The Indian Reorganization Act is passed in Congress that protects against loss of land and provided funds for American Indians (Roadtrip, 2009).
1944
The National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) is created in order to monitor federal policies (Roadtrip, 2009).
1961
-The National Indian Youth Council (NIYC) is forced to resurrect a sense of national pride among young Native Americans (Roadtrip, 2009).
-Only 66 Native Americans graduate from four-year colleges this year (Guillory & Ward, 2008).
1968
The first tribally controlled institution, Navajo Community College Arizona Tribal College
1972
-The Indian Education Act authorized funding for special bilingual and bicultural programs, culturally relevant teaching materials, and appropriate training and hiring of counselors. It also created an Office of Indian Education in the US Department of Education (Roadtrip, 2009).
-The presidents of the first six tribal colleges created the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) (American, 2011).
1989
The American Indian College fund is created (Guillory & Ward, 2008).
2009
President Obama signs Native American Apology Resolution on December 31st, 2009 (NativeVote).
Timeline for Indigenous Rights in New South Wales Australia
1909
Aborigines Protection Act is initiated that forces children to attend school. Essentially this is a “separate, but equal” act (Government, 2011).
1965
Charles Perkins becomes the first Aboriginal man to receive a college degree in NSW (Read, 2001).
1967
Aboriginal people are counted in the Australian citizens (Government, 2011).
1972
The NSW Department of Education is no longer allowed to refuse Aboriginal students entry to public schools (Harris, 1976).
Aboriginal teacher aides are fist employed in public schools (Berg, 2003).
1975
The National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA) is formed- this organization established arts training programs for Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islanders (Horton, 1994).
Aboriginal Unit established at the NSW Department of Education (NSW AECG Inc. and NSW DET, 2004).
1977
The NSW Anti-Discrimination Act is passed that protects race, gender, and ethnicity (Fletcher, 1989).
1978
Graduate Diploma in Aboriginal Education at Armidale- this was one of the first Aboriginal programs in NSW (Elphick, 1989).
1987
Aboriginal studies in all NSW schools become mandatory.
1998
Sorry Day is recognized in public schools- this is public recognition of the harm caused by child removal policies and as a reconciliation/healing process (HREOC, 1997).
1983
