|
|
"So, what DO Indigenous people want?!
AND, what can I do
about it?"
Frank Hytten, Coordinator, ANTaR Vic
"So, what DO Indigenous people want?!"
The question ought to be "what are Indigenous people
owed?" and must be asked of non--Indigenous people. ANTaR calls for individuals to take the following steps as a basis for the development of mutual respect and justice.
- Acknowledge Sovereignty:
Aboriginal people have been on this land for over 60,000 years, have never surrendered
their claims to sovereignty, have never sold their country and have never lost a war.
Aboriginal people still live on this land. We must acknowledge that they are sovereign
owners of this land. It is only on the basis of this acknowledgement that we can negotiate
our continued presence on this land and become a civilized people.
- Be Honest about our history:
The truth must be told in regard to the facts of history. That is, that Aboriginal
people have suffered greatly, but have endured and survived in spite of the conscientious
efforts by the dominant culture, including our attempted genocide of their culture (land,
language, belief systems and way of life), their society (family, systems of authority,
group integrity and rape) and of them as peoples (massacres, removal of children, reasons
for and rates of incarceration, deaths in custody, physical forced relocations and
structural exclusion to name but a few). As such, Aboriginal people are NOT the problem. They do face huge
problems - US and OUR (the dominant) culture. We have to change what we do if Aboriginal
people are to survive, let alone thrive.
- Safeguard Aboriginal Cultural Heritage:
Cultural Heritage can be defined in at least two ways - as physical and as social.
In the short term, the remaining physical traces of Aboriginal history and culture must be
protected - sacred and burial sites, artefacts, art, ceremonial grounds and so on.
Aboriginal people must be given the means and authority to protect these. In the
context of social heritage, Aboriginal people must be given the means of preserving
their languages, society and people. From the denial of their Land Rights, through
the on going 'Deaths in Custody', to the continuing removal of their children, the
dominant culture seems to still be pursuing policies that equate to a sort of relentless
'genocide by stealth'. We must act to stop the destruction before this unique Australian
heritage is lost to us all.
-
Recognise and Respect Aboriginal culture:
Aboriginal cultures are the oldest surviving cultures on this planet. Aboriginal people deserve respect not the
derision we have for them as we destroy this, their land. We must recognise this as
fact and learn to behave accordingly. We must also realise that given the damage we
have done in every one of the generations with which we have had contact over the last
200 years or more, that it will take years, perhaps even a generation or two, for
Aboriginal people to rebuild their society - providing, we STOP sabotaging their every
effort! Rebuilding will take time, money, mistakes, confusion, conflict and great
leadership. Our job is to provide the resources, a stable and safe context and if asked,
particular expertise; it is the job of Aboriginal people themselves to work through the
mess we have created for them and to determine their own futures.
-
Seek Aboriginal representation in all areas and at all
levels of civic society:
To negotiate for their immediate survival and a longer-term prosperous future,
Aboriginal peoples need the status of being 'equals as negotiating partners'. As such,
Aboriginal people must be allowed to the time and means of developing and be resourced to
operate their own systems of representation by which to interface with the dominant
culture (they already have models of governance that, if allowed, supported and adequately
resourced, can work effectively within their own communities). These representative
mechanisms will be the foundation of future relationships between the governments and
other institutions of the dominant culture and Aboriginal peoples.
-
Pay reparations:
The past cannot be forgotten or ever entirely forgiven. What has been taken is nothing
less than almost 'everything' - the land (economic base and state of place), the languages
(meaning and unconscious connections), culture (the way of being and spiritual possession)
and family (the founding relationship between the self and all others in the world). Money
will not compensate for the losses, but it may enable a fresh start - built from a secure
economic base. Besides, in the dominant culture, money is the means of compensation and
should not be denied to those whose losses, at out hands, are the greatest.
"What Can I do???"
If the above is to come alive YOU will need to act. So as a response
to the next most frequently asked question - "what can I do about
it?" I propose a matrix of options, from which people can chose
the most relevant and/or do-able activity. It looks something like
this, but remember there is a lot more that can and should be done.
Talk to ANTaR Vic if you are having difficulties.
CATEGORY |
ACTIVITY LEVEL 1 |
ACTIVITY LEVEL 2 |
ACTIVITY LEVEL 3 |
ACTIVITY LEVEL 4 |
ACTIVITY LEVEL 5 |
ACTIVITY LEVEL 6 |
1 Acknowledgement
|
Give a verbal
|
|
|
Seek, pay for & act on advisory input
|
|
Use/Change street & other names |
2
Honesty |
|
Where are you from - really?
How racist are you? |
|
Build into all NGO policy & procedure |
Build into all Govt policy & legislation |
Build into all Corporate policy & procedure |
3
Safeguard |
Participate in a "Learning Circle" |
|
|
Learn some local Language |
Support Native Title,
|
Include in Park & forest management |
4
Recognition & Respect |
Build into family, work, faith, friends
culture |
|
|
Understand cultural obligations (eg. HR
policies) |
Ask for info & pay for expertise |
Land: Pay-the-rent |
5
Representation |
|
Change existing organisational & representational
culture to suit Aboriginal people |
Create the expectation of self-determination
as the norm |
Make demands on NGO and faith groups |
Schools, Tafe & Uni - ensure that Aboriginal
viewpoint is heard |
Govt (all levels) & Corporate policy bodies |
6
Reparations |
Make space, provide resources & allow time |
Human Remains returned from Australia &
Overseas |
Create and honour Indigenous Land Usage
Agreements & other agreements |
Establish secure opportunities |
Commonwealth. State and Local Government
Area land returned |
Land returned with freehold title |
*NOTE: Schools, Tafe and Uni; NGO and faith groups; Workplace
and recreation place; Govt policy & legislation; All other institutions;
Corporate
Further reading
Statement by Lillian Holt on where
to start
Extract from Gary Foley's paper Whiteness
and Blackness in the Koori Struggle for Self-Determination
CONSULTATION - means to listen, not talk, and beware not to swamp!
|