Sad reason 20-year-old Indigenous woman’s heritage was kept ‘hidden’ as a child

When she was a child, this young Australian woman was told her family was Spanish. This was a lie, with the truth being hidden for a disturbing reason.

Gabrielle Miller is a proud Gomeroi woman who is using her growing online platform to share her experiences as an Indigenous Australian.

The university student has more than 13,500 followers on TikTok and has dedicated her page to educating people on the issues and continued racism Aboriginal people face daily.

Gabrielle is deeply connected to her ancestry but there were times during her childhood when she didn’t have an opportunity to celebrate her culture.

In fact, for part of her early life she was told her family had a Spanish background in an effort to keep their Indigenous heritage “hidden”.

The 20-year-old’s father is a Gomeroi man and is Indigenous to the Moree, Tamworth area.

“We didn’t grow up around our culture. When my dad was younger it was very hush hush. We were told that we were actually Spanish. It was very much hidden from my dad,” she told SEEN TV.

“Like a lot of Indigenous families, Indigenous culture was kept secret for the safety of the children so that the children weren’t taken away or weren’t treated differently because they were Indigenous.”

Gabrielle Miller is a proud Gomeroi woman. Picture: Gabrielle Miller/Instagram

She uses her platform to talk about Indigenous issues. Picture: Gabrielle Miller/TikTok

Now, as a young woman, Gabrielle is doing everything she can to celebrate her Aboriginal heritage and be an advocate for other Indigenous Australians.

She is studying at Newcastle University, where she is also enrolled in an Indigenous studies course.

“I am surrounded by other mob and we can have conversations,” she said.

Gabrielle also previously organised and took part in Black Lives Matter protest, saying she has become vocal about her Indigenous culture and the rights of First Nations people because of the horrific experiences she had throughout high school.

She said she was known as the “tokenistic Indigenous kid” during school and faced years of racism, including comments that her family “must be alcoholics because you’re Aboriginal” and even being called the N-word by another student.

But one of the worst experiences of ongoing racism she experienced was from one of her teachers, an adult she was supposed to be able to trust.

Gabrielle didn’t grow up around her culture as a young child, saying her Indigenous heritage was kept ‘hidden’. Picture: Gabrielle Miller/Instagram

“For about two years, I was racially abused by a teacher who would publicly humiliate me,” she said.

“It was a school carnival day and we were doing sport. He decided he wanted to make a joke about how I could throw a javelin because I am, quote, ‘an Aboriginal person’.

“Those comments were constantly made during the day about how I should be able to jump high because I am Indigenous and I have some sort of connection to kangaroos and because I must be like a kangaroo.

“Those were all done in font of other students.”

This teacher also had a “fascination” with Gabrielle’s curly hair and would frequently touch her head.

Gabrielle eventually left high school because the racism she was experiencing was impacting her mental health.

Because of her experience she was “so afraid” of being in another educational environment.

But through her Indigenous studies course at university, Gabrielle is surrounded by people she can speak to and who understand her experiences.

“Because of what I went through it really opened my eyes and having conversations with other Indigenous people,” she said.

“I think it is safe to say most Indigenous people will face racism in an educational environment.

“I think a lot more needs to be done, specifically in schools and in universities to make people aware and educate people on Indigenous culture.”

Gabrielle experienced horrific racism during her high school years. Picture: Gabrielle Miller/Instagram

For Gabrielle, her heritage is her life and she has chosen to use her platform to talk about Indigenous issues because she felt “outraged” that so many people weren’t listening to what First Nations people were saying.

She believes it is also important for young Indigenous people to see other Aboriginal Australians succeeding and expressing their culture in their everyday life.

“I think a lot of people misunderstand Indigenous communities. People think Indigenous people are lazy, that they’re not hardworking, that we can’t be academic,” Gabrielle said.

“I think that really needs to change and I think those beliefs are all very harmful.”