More Aboriginal than thou
The week's news at a glance.
Hobart, Australia
The indigenous community in the Australian island state of Tasmania is bickering over who has the right to claim Aboriginal heritage. Elections are coming up for a powerful committee that controls millions of dollars in funding for indigenous causes. Many candidates are accusing one another of fabricating Aboriginal ancestry to boost their chances of election. White colonists killed most of the Aboriginal population in the 19th century, and survivors fled to a nearby island and intermarried with white whalers. Their descendants, who look largely white, claim to be the only true Aborigines of Tasmania. A separate group of Tasmanians claim to be the real natives, saying they’re the descendants of Aborigines who did not flee.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Fannie Flagg’s 6 favorite books that sparked her imagination
Feature The author recommends works by Johanna Spyri, John Steinbeck, and more
-
Google: A monopoly past its prime?
Feature Google’s antitrust case ends with a slap on the wrist as courts struggle to keep up with the tech industry’s rapid changes
-
Patrick Hemingway: The Hemingway son who tended to his father’s legacy
Feature He was comfortable in the shadow of his famous father, Ernest Hemingway