The Healing Foundation’s Institutions Map is a powerful tool for truth-telling, memory, and understanding.
At first glance, it appears to be a simple interactive map of Australia. But as you move across its landscape, dot by dot, region by region; you begin to see the scale and structure of policies that forcibly removed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families.
Each point marks an institution, mission, reserve, or children’s home connected to the Stolen Generations. Together, they reveal a system that operated across every state and territory, shaping lives and altering families for generations.
What makes the map so impactful is not just the data, but the stories behind it. The Healing Foundation created this resource through survivor testimony, archival records, and community collaboration.
In doing so, the map not only documents the physical places where children were taken, but also honours the resilience of those who lived through these experiences. It becomes a way to see history spatially. To understand that these removals were not isolated incidents but part of a coordinated national policy.
Another layer to this national story emerges when viewed alongside other truth-telling resources such as The University of Adelaide's Interactive Map of Colonial Encounters and The Guardian's The Killing Times Map.
These maps illuminate what many people now refer to as a number of things, such as the killing times or the frontier wars. Decades of violence, frontier conflicts, and organised massacres that devastated Aboriginal communities. When these maps are considered together, they show a broader pattern: a colony expanding through violence, then consolidating through control, surveillance, and the forced removal of children.
The institutions on the Healing Foundation’s map are therefore not separate from the conflicts marked on these other maps; they are connected chapters within a single historical arc of dispossession. Imagine a combined map, how horrifying it would look?
Interacting with the Institutions Map encourages a deeper appreciation of the trauma endured by the Stolen Generations. Seeing the sheer number of institutions forces us to confront the reality that removal was systemic. But the map also reminds us that healing and truth-telling are ongoing.
The Healing Foundation recognises that the map is not complete; many experiences, such as adoption or foster placements, are not represented. It is a living document, evolving as more information is shared and acknowledged.
Engaging with the map offers an opportunity for reflection and education. For families, it can help locate personal histories. For communities, it can spark conversations about the institutions that stood, often hidden in plain sight, within their own regions.
For educators and students, it provides a tangible way to explore the impact of past policies and understand how these continue to shape lives today.
Ultimately, the Institutions Map is an act of remembrance. It asks us to look closely, to learn honestly, and to recognise the resilience of those who survived and those who continue to carry these stories forward. It is a reminder that truth is not just something we read about; it is something we map, trace, revisit, and honour.
You can view the map here.