WI: All Melanesians and Aborigines Blond

[tallwingedgoat]

Melanesian children and some Aborigines are blond, this is less common among adults. What if nearly all of them remain blonds into adulthood, how would early European explorers react? Would settlers be more sympathetic?

[tallwingedgoat]

Somewhat related content.

Early migration of Aborigines decoded:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15020799

[twovultures]

Originally Posted by tallwingedgoat

Melanesian children and some Aborigines are blond, this is less common among adults. What if nearly all of them remain blonds into adulthood, how would early European explorers react? Would settlers be more sympathetic?

The settlers may be more 'sympathetic' at first, and this may result in a greater attempt to 'civilize' rather than exterminate the Aborigines (not that this would necessarily be much of an improvement from the perspective of the Aborigines). But cultural chauvinsim and land hunger would soon erase any sympathy, and history would go on the same path as OTL.

[Roberto]

From a modern, social perspective, it would be interesting if more Melanesians/etc were blond and this didn't affect history as a whole. What are the chances that real blond afros are a thing that gets big in the Western World and modern fashion is thus heavily influenced by Aborigines and Torres Straight Islander culture?

[Screvier20]

I most would not change history to much. I agree that the Europeans would be little more sympathetic but that would not last long. Long term maybe the surviving Aborigines population is larger by maybe 5-10% of OTL population.

[MadMc]

It would not change much, Europeans would have been surprised to begin, but then would go on to try and civilize them. though they do look interesting with blond hair

[tallwingedgoat]

Originally Posted by MadMc

It would not change much, Europeans would have been surprised to begin, but then would go on to try and civilize them. though they do look interesting with blond hair

Australian settlers treated the Aborigine even worse than the US did the Native Americans. In the US at least there were negotiations, land concessions, temporary alliances. The Aborigines were seen as something not even human.

Different appearances matter a lot. Sure they would not be treated well, but there was clearly a difference between how the Aborigines were treated versus how the Spanish treated Indians and Filipinos for instance.

[Ar Skoul]

The main problem for aborigines was not their appearance but their technological level. Papouans and Melanesians looked the same but fared better because they were at the neolithic level and therefore more numerous. American Indians were numerous and advanced enough to put a reasonable fight and even win a few battles.

The aborigines were few in number, divided into small groups with not even bows. They could not hope to win even against a group of armed civilians, so of course they were bound to be curbstomped, not by the colonial government, but by individual settlers or crewmen.

Making them blond wouldn't change that. It could even make thing worse, as the practice to raid aborigines groups for "wives" would be more widespread.

[kasumigenx]

Originally Posted by tallwingedgoat

Australian settlers treated the Aborigine even worse than the US did the Native Americans. In the US at least there were negotiations, land concessions, temporary alliances. The Aborigines were seen as something not even human.

Different appearances matter a lot. Sure they would not be treated well, but there was clearly a difference between how the Aborigines were treated versus how the Spanish treated Indians and Filipinos for instance.

Actually if the Australian Aborigines were not Isolated and accepted influences from the Nearby South East Asia the British will not treat them like that.