Phillip's motivation
There are those who regard Phillip as treating Bennelong and Yemmerrawanyea like pets, and that they were paraded around London as though they were a movable zoo exhibit. We can understand why this belief is held, but we don’t think this was the intention.
That doesn’t excuse the stupidity of Phillip’s actions in taking them to England, except to say he meant it for the best and had no idea what these two unfortunate men’s futures held, or that what he was doing had a fairly predictable outcome.
Of course, to be fair, perhaps it wasn't so predictable at that time, with the lack of knowledge and understanding most of the English had. From the lofty heights of the 21st century we have the great assistance of hindsight and later learning to help us so clearly see the likely outcome. And to understand the negative consequences of a totally misplaced, but nonetheless powerful belief of cultural superiority on the part of Phillip and the English.
Phillip’s intention was probably not only to teach Bennelong and Yemmerrawanyea the wonders of English civilisation, but to educate the English in the fact, as perceived by him and, of course, known by us, that the Indigenous Australians were intelligent humans quite capable of adopting what the English regarded as civilisation. The fact the Indigenous Australians already had a brilliant civilisation of their own just didn't occur to them.
Sadly, most of the English were no more capable of understanding that Indigenous Australians were as intelligent as them than most Indigenous Australians could recognise the benefits of English civilisation. Mind you, one group, and just in case anyone is in doubt of our views it was the Indigenous Australians, was significantly more right than the other, as has been shown since.
That doesn’t excuse the stupidity of Phillip’s actions in taking them to England, except to say he meant it for the best and had no idea what these two unfortunate men’s futures held, or that what he was doing had a fairly predictable outcome.
Of course, to be fair, perhaps it wasn't so predictable at that time, with the lack of knowledge and understanding most of the English had. From the lofty heights of the 21st century we have the great assistance of hindsight and later learning to help us so clearly see the likely outcome. And to understand the negative consequences of a totally misplaced, but nonetheless powerful belief of cultural superiority on the part of Phillip and the English.
Phillip’s intention was probably not only to teach Bennelong and Yemmerrawanyea the wonders of English civilisation, but to educate the English in the fact, as perceived by him and, of course, known by us, that the Indigenous Australians were intelligent humans quite capable of adopting what the English regarded as civilisation. The fact the Indigenous Australians already had a brilliant civilisation of their own just didn't occur to them.
Sadly, most of the English were no more capable of understanding that Indigenous Australians were as intelligent as them than most Indigenous Australians could recognise the benefits of English civilisation. Mind you, one group, and just in case anyone is in doubt of our views it was the Indigenous Australians, was significantly more right than the other, as has been shown since.