-
BrisbaneBlacksawakening the Black cONscIENcE | raising Black
aWaRENEss | articulating the Black REsIsTaNcE
ElEcTION 2013
Intervention, Constitutional inclusion, Native Title and the
failure to respect our basic human rights these are the policies
both Labor and the LNP are taking to the September 7 election.
Should we as
First Nations people bother voting at all? | PagE 2
cONstitutional inclusion
questioning the motive behind this multimillion dollar campaign
started by John Howard in 2007 to recognize First Nations peoples
in the Australian Constitution | PagE 3
PagE 7 | WEsT PaPUa recognises sovereignty of First Nations
peoples- Jacob Rumbiak
www.facebook.com/BrisbaneBlacks | [email protected]
| 0428 152 777
IssUE 1 - August 22, 2013
-
Issue 1 PagE 2 insight
By callum clayton-Dixon NgaNyayWaNa
Starting in 2007 with former Liberal Prime Minister John Howard,
the Australian Government has been pushing for Constitutional
recognition of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples.
However, many First Nations people are questioning the motive
behind this multimillion dollar campaign.
24-yr-old Gamilaraay man Boe Spearim from the Brisbane
Aboriginal Sovereign Embassy says it is hypocritical of both
mainstream parties to back Constitutional recognition and
reconciliation given their stances on other Black issues.
How can they support this [Constitutional recognition] and then
on the other hand, support things like the Northern Territory
intervention?
Veteran Gunnai activist Robbie Thorpe believes including First
Nations people in the Constitution equates to tacking us onto the
back of the White Australia Policy 100 years later.
If we do consent to that Constitution, were giving up our
sovereignty in a sense, and legitimizing whats happened to us over
the last two hundred years in this country, says Mr Thorpe, a
producer at Melbournes 3CR.
Kombumerri philosopher Mary Graham warns that the governments
campaign is not to be trusted.
It is recognition, but only on government terms of reference,
she says. Constitutional recognition is a way of promising
something, but with no real substance.
Aotearoa (New Zealand) is also in the process of reviewing its
Constitution, which happens to include both a Bill of Rights and
the nations founding document, the Treaty of Waitangi. An agreement
with First Nations people and a Bill of Rights are both documents
absent from Australias legal groundings. Two central focuses of New
Zealands Constitutional Conversation, instigated by the Maori
Party, are the role of the Treaty and Maori representation in
Parliament.
According to Chairman of the Centre of Indigenous Cultural
Policy Bob Weatherall, Constitutional recognition is yet another
paternalistic government policy.
Nothing has changed, says Mr Weatherall (Gamilaraay). Its just a
new Act and new provision thats being imposed on us, keeping our
people down. Well still have the dominant society over the top of
us who make laws and policies that continue to deprive us of our
basic human rights and fundamental freedoms.
In 2010, the Gillard government handpicked an expert panel to
make recommendations in regards to amending the Constitution.
Palawa lawyer Michael Mansell claims the panels proposal to
remove the race power (section 51xxvi) is redundant
as they simply replace it in a new section (51a). This new
section will preserve the parliaments ability to pass laws for the
benefit of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples [e.g.
Northern Territory Intervention]. Mansell also condemns the
proposed new section 127a which will confirm English as Australias
official language and recognize Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander languages as part of our national heritage. He says the
call stinks of racism and that First Nations people have the right
to maintain our languages against assimilation.
On the other hand, you have New Zealands recognition of Maori as
one of the nations three official languages, alongside English and
sign language.
Longtime advocate for First Nations rights Lilla Watson (Kungulu
& Birrigubba) accuses the Australian government of undermining
the legal systems that existed in this country prior to
colonization.
We had our own Constitutions written in our hearts and our minds
long before they came along with their written Constitution and
forced it on our land, says Ms Watson, former University of
Queensland academic.
Les Malezer, Co-chair of the National Congress of Australias
First Peoples criticized the push for Constitutional change and a
referendum labeling it a distraction from the unresolved issues of
sovereignty and Treaty. No deal has ever been made with us.
cONstitutional inclusion - a paternalistic ploy
Robbie Thorpe, Bob Weatherall & Lilla Watson [left to right]
question the Federal governments motives
-
Issue 1 PagE 3 insight
By callum clayton-Dixon NgaNyayWaNa
With the polling booths just around the corner, again returns
the question of which party in the western colonial electoral
system we as First Nations people should vote for.
Despite being granted the right to vote in 1962, less than 50%
of First Nations people are currently enrolled. We constitute
around 3% (700,000) of the entire countrys population. Whats more,
almost 50% of the 700,000 are too young to vote. Realistically,
First Nations people as a whole have extremely minimal impact on
the outcome of Federal elections.
Its a different situation in Aotearoa, where approximately 15%
of the countrys population is Maori and nearly
one in every five MPs is Maori. The current Minister for Maori
Affairs is also Maori. This is primarily due to the system of
dedicated parliamentary seats, a separate Maori electoral roll and
provisions set down by the Treaty of Waitangi. In Australias
Federal parliament, there is only one Aboriginal MP Western
Australias Ken Wyatt (Liberal Party). Australia has NEVER had a
Black minister for First Nations affairs either.
The so called democracy in this country leaves First Nations
people with two choices, given that none of the smaller parties
hold much sway at all:
a) Tony Abbott + Warren Mundine [LNP]
b) Kevin Rudd + Jenny Macklin [ALP]
The track records of both major parties and their leaders are
most
concerning when it comes to Black affairs. Genocide Jenny along
with Mundines newly revealed Indigenous advisory council are
equally fear-provoking.
Intervention, Constitutional inclusion, Native Title, token
Black representation and the failure to respect our basic human
rights these are the policies both Labor and the LNP are taking to
the September 7 election.
Despite the Greens Partys more desirable policies on issues like
climate change, refugees and gay marriage, they have succumbed to
backing the assimilationist push to recognise First Nations peoples
in the Constitution.
Should we as First Nations people bother voting at all? BeLoW
are three First Nations perspectives on why we should not vote in
this election;
should our mob vote in the 2013 election?
when it comes to the crunch, the outcome of this election will
be Abbott & Mundine or Rudd & Macklin
gaRy FOlEy - Gumbaynggir historianIf anyone out there thinks
voting in a different mob is going to change
anything, then youre fools. If anyone is scaremongering about
Abbott coming in and how awful its going to be, how much more awful
can it be than now?
I would encourage anyone not to vote. I dont waste my time. This
election is not
going to change anything.
lORNa MUNRO - Wiradjuri poetIf we keep being a part of this
system, were just giving it credibility, and in the end thats what
this Western society and
government really wants, so they can ultimately control us. As
someone who has been voting since I was old enough, I think its
come to an interesting political climate where Labor and Liberal
are just
as bad as each other.
BOE sPEaRIM - Gamilaraay activistI wont vote for anyone in the
Australian
political system, because at the end of the day, I dont want to
vote for someone to make laws on another
mobs country. If we are going to vote for either Liberal or
Labor, werestill going to be under the same dictatorship that we
have beenunder for the last 230 years.
-
Issue 1 PagE 4 editorial
By callum clayton-Dixon NgaNyayWaNa
What is journalism? The oxford Dictionary defines journalism as
the activity or profession of writing for newspapers/magazines or
of broadcasting news on radio/television. It is a Western word and
a Western profession.
Australias education system tells us what they think journalism
entails and how we as First Nations people should structure/run our
own media. The biggest problem with this is that the Western
concept of journalism is based around a Western system of ideals
and values, failing to take into account a number of critical
factors.
No Treaty or agreement has ever been signed between the
Commonwealth of Australia and First Nations; this country therefore
remains in a state of war. Its been several decades since the last
massacre, but paternalistic and oppressive government policy
continues and the conditions First Nations people endure around the
continent are those you would expect in a third world, war torn
nation. We only have to look at the Northern Territory Intervention
in 2007, which continues under the current Labor government, to see
the obvious truth of the situation. The reality is that First
Nations people linger in a state of fourth-worldness, a third-world
people living in a 1st world country who have had the right to
govern our own affairs taken from us. Consecutive Australian
Governments have refused to honour international obligations when
it comes
to our right to self-determination.Would you expect Palestinian
media
to be forgiving and tolerant of Israels tyrannical regime, or
Tibets media to hold the Chinese Governments hand as they illegally
occupy their country? The war of attrition has not ended in this
country they call Australia and First Nations media should act
accordingly. Like we have done with terms such as sovereignty, why
not reaffirm the BLACK meaning we put to a word like
journalism?
Black media can be a tool, a means, a method of our struggle,
our resistance, our insistence to not only survive but to thrive in
our own lands an evolution of how we tell our stories from our
perspectives, how we mobilize and reignite the fire in the minds
and hearts of First Nations people, to articulate our position and
raise our own awareness. It can also be our worst enemy, pumping
out assimilationist, right-wing, conservative propaganda in the
name of fair and balanced views.
Then theres the whole issue of how hostile Australias mainstream
media is to progressive Black issues. According to First Nations
philosopher Mary Graham (Kombumerri), the Australian public are
denied choice in terms of reporting on Black affairs. The only kind
of media in this country is conservative, she says. Its a habit of
theirs to demonize us wherever possible and to praise Murris who
are happy to be assimilated.
Mainstream publications in the UK like The Guardian and even the
New Zealand Herald seem to take a far more
open-minded approach to stories on the First Nations people of
Australia. Handpicked Aboriginal leaders like Marcia Langton, Noel
Pearson and Bess Price are already given more than enough coverage
by Murdoch and Fairfax without our own media giving them any page
space or airtime.
When leviathan publications like The Australian have got behind
the campaign for Constitutional inclusion of First Nations people,
its clear that Black media has an important job to do in trying to
balance the equation.
Earlier this year, SBS broadcasted a debate on the question of
Who should tell Indigenous stories? Editor of the NSW Aboriginal
Land Councils Tracker magazine, Amy McQuire, pointed out during the
program that it is essential to have First Nations people reporting
on First Nations issues.
A lot of White media arent accountable, whereas Aboriginal
journalists are held accountable to their own communities. I also
feel we have a lot more at stake and are a lot more passionate. Its
so important that Aboriginal people are equipped to tell our own
stories, and its not just about putting them in mainstream
newsrooms, because often you get assimilated to those news values.
I think its actually about building strong independent Aboriginal
media, so we have that diversity and can tell different stories,
about Treaty, about sovereignty - issues that arent reported [by
mainstream media] but are true Aboriginal aspirations.
Black MEDIa can play a role in our insistence to not only
survive but to thrive in our own lands
-
Director of Maori TVs news and current affairs department Julian
Wilcox was also part of the discussion. Wilcox emphasised the need
for Indigenous reporters in Indigenous communities.
Its important because Indigenous reporters get access that no
other people can, and they can tell the story that hasnt been told
[by mainstream media].
Veteran First Nations broadcaster Tiga Bayles (Birrigubba) says
Black media can play a massive role in the decolonization process,
resisting assimilation and integration.
Its enacting our sovereign right to be able to communicate and
disseminate information. Self-determination is part of that, where
we determine the policies, the news stories, the programming.
Unfortunately, aside from a few exceptions, the strong and
independent Black media we seek in this country is lacking. For
instance, a NITV reporter was reprimanded by management for
attending a recent sovereignty summit on his own time and
discouraged from reporting on issues relating to First Nations
sovereignty. Unlike the Maori station, NITV isnt independent; it is
a subsidiary of SBS. Therefore, this kind of repressive fiasco can
be expected.
Whats more, particular Black media outlets continue to rehash
mainstream media content along with simply republishing AAP
content. Then theres the scary fact that the National Indigenous
Times is not Black-owned. But dont get me wrong, theres nothing
inherently wrong with non-First Nations people reporting on our
affairs. Award winning journalist John Pilger is a White Australian
whose work is a prime example of quality and meaningful coverage of
Black affairs. Its a different game all together as well, when
Black owned and controlled media is employing and directing
non-First Nations people, on our terms.
Returning to the point of putting a
Black meaning to the term journalism, it seems appropriate to
find a way to articulate these kinds of concepts in our own
languages. So I have attempted to use my tribes language to
describe what journalism means to me as an Anaiwan man:
ayka, naka, uytika look, listen, speak
apala ilunano darknessWith regards to Black terms of
reference, you mightve noticed that I havent once used the
phrase Aboriginal &/or Torres Strait Islander or the word
indigenous. Such terms have become part of tokenistic government
rhetoric, and to me, are simply an evolution of savage and native.
For more than two centuries, the colonial society has tried to pack
us into their Western way of thinking and tell us how to identify.
In Canada, there has been a considerable push to replace the stock
standard Aboriginal with the term First Nations. This approach has
been adopted by Brisbanes 989fm Murri radio. Hence, the Brisbane
Blacks editorial team will endeavour to only use our own terms of
reference (i.e. First Nations or Black) when producing content.
Brisbane Blacks is not a stab at competing with the likes of the
Koori Mail, National Indigenous Times or First Nations Telegraph.
We simply seek to provide an independent, non-profit and conscious
alternative, not beholden to a board of directors, shareholders,
land councils or any other form of corporate entity. Its not about
the news cycle or putting the most sensationalized spin on
scandalous stories so as to attract the greatest number of readers
and attain big sponsorship/advertising deals. If this was the case,
Brisbane Blacks might as well join the mainstream media. News will
undoubtedly be a core component of our content, but we also seek to
establish a comprehensive library of timeless
resources relating to Black struggle and make this collection
readily available to the First Nations community.
Black Nation was a First Nations publication that emerged out of
the Land Rights movement in Brisbane just prior to the 1982
Commonwealth Games. There were five editions circulated locally,
nationally and across the globe between 82 and 85. The newspapers
editor was Ross Watson (Kungulu/Birrigubba). His editorial policy
was the following: We will always try to speak from within the
cause and as part of the movement. For these reasons we dont
propose to be objective when discussing Black issues.
We hope the work of Brisbane Blacks lives in the spirit of Black
Nation.
Media has also played a crucial role in the struggles of other
oppressed peoples around the world. THE BLACK PANTHER: Black
Community News Service was first produced by the Black Panther
Party during the late 1960s. By 1969, the paper had a circulation
of more than 250, 000 across the United States.
Our primary mode of distribution will be via social media
(Facebook, Twitter, SoundCloud, YouTube & Issuu) along with a
bi-monthly print edition funded by several unions. Were aiming to
circulate a diversity of content including news, features, opinion
pieces, community notices/updates, culture, conscious art, poetry,
music and history of the struggle (across a range of audio, visual
& written material). Additionally, there will be a place for
international perspectives from other First Nations and oppressed
people (e.g. Native American/Canadian, Maori, Palestinian &
West Papuan).
In terms of accountability, Brisbane Blacks is accountable to
the First Nations community, so if you have an issue with something
we have published, dont hesitate to contact us.
#circulateToEducate
-
Issue 1 PagE 6 insight
By Callum Clayton-Dixon, NgaNyayWaNaestablished three years ago
following the abolition of ATSIC in 2005, the National Congress of
Australias First Peoples now has around 6,000 members eligible to
vote in its biannual elections. This represents less than 1% of the
entire First Nations population (700,000). Only 809 members (13% of
members) actually voted in the most recent election, held in June
and July this year. Therefore, just over 0.1% of First Nations
people decided the leadership of Congress.
The co-chairs for the next two years are Les Malezer (received
313 1st preference votes) and Kirstie Parker (received 260 1st
preference votes). Can Congress really call itself a national voice
for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples?
congress has been an exercise in window-dressing by the
Commonwealth, as it is really an extension of government. It is not
an independent Aboriginal
and politically motivated voice to speak out openly and campaign
against one of the most racist governments weve ever come across.
Im not surprised that so few Aboriginal people bothered to even
participate in the
election. Congress use its funds, resources and time to try to
promote themselves as being very representative of Aboriginal
people. Theyve exposed themselves to
Aboriginal people as fake political representation. While we
keep having these advisory bodies and people willing to allow White
politicians to make decisions over
Aboriginal people, we will never have an Aboriginal government.
The Palestinians have learnt that the only people who should be
able to make decisions about the current situation and the future
of Palestinians are
themselves. They would never think for a moment to go on an
advisory body set up by the Israeli government.This is a strong
indication of how we are so afraid to stand up and call for
freedom. We need to be free
from the control that White people exercise over us. But well
never have that while we have these advisory bodies set up by the
Federal government, which are really there to protect the
government rather than
advance the cause of Aboriginal people.
could you ever imagine a Palestinian advisory body to the
Israeli government?
MIchaEl MaNsEll (Palawa man & aboriginal Provisional
government National secretary)
WayNE WhaRTON (kooma man & former aTsIc regional
councillor)
I knew aTsIc would not work because it operated on a
pseudo-democratic basis that was deliberately open for corruption.
Congress has the same flaw. Members
dont come with authority from their own nations. Whether it be
the Kooma, Waka Waka, Gamilaraay or any of the other First Nations,
we believe that we each belong
to a society, a tribe, a nation, and we operate as such.Before
White people came here and before the colonial democratic process
came here, we had our own form of governance that allowed more than
500 different nations to coexist on the one bit of ground.
Membership based on representing each of the tribes would give
Congress more accountability, but the current democratic system is
just a bastardized numbers game. It would be more strengthening in
terms of gaining proper dialogue in
dealing with the broader society.
So, what do we need instead of Congress to sufficiently address
the issue of genuine First Nations
political representation? Would we benefit from dedicated seats
in australias Federal and state parliaments like the Maori have in
aotearoa or an
independent First NatioNs GoverNmeNt based on tribal
affiliations like the Sami have in Norway?
-
Issue 1 PagE 7 insight
By callum clayton-Dixon & Boe spearim
West Papuas Indigenous population has been under foreign
military occupation since Indonesia annexed the region in 1962 with
the help of the United Nations. To date, up to 500,000 Papuans have
been killed as a result of the occupation. In the face of prolonged
genocide (torture/rape/massacre/slavery/dispossession), the
international community has failed to act accordingly, and the
issue rarely receives coverage from Western mainstream media.
Foreign Minister of West Papua Jacob Rumbiak spent 10 years as a
political prisoner in Indonesia, escaping to Australia 1999.
Rumbiak is currently based in Melbourne where he continues to fight
whilst in exile for his peoples right to self-determination. Having
developed rapport with First
Nations activists including Robbie Thorpe (Gunnai) and Kevin
Buzzacott (Arabunna), Rumbiak has played a key role in the uptake
of ORIGINAL NATIONS passports and the Freedom Flotilla to West
Papua. The flotilla set off in June with a vehicle convoy from Lake
Eyre, switched to a number of yachts in Cairns and is making its
way up the coast, through the Torres Strait and then on to New
Guinea. Indonesian authorities have issued pre-emptive threats
against the flotilla, claiming unsanctioned boat arrivals will be
intercepted by the navy and detained.
BB: What is the flotillas purpose?Rumbiak: It is part of
raising
international awareness and telling the Australian and
Indonesian governments, Before you foreign colonials arrived in our
home, we had our dignity and our sovereignty, so let us run our own
future.
BB: What role are the ORIGINAL NATIONS passports playing ?
Rumbiak: By using these passports and stamping them with the
Visa of the Federated Republic of West Papua, we recognize the
sovereignty of First Nations people.
BB: What are the implications of the Australian Commonwealth
Government refusing to comment on the genocide of Indigenous
Papuans?
Rumbiak: The Australian government is involved in crimes against
humanity of people of West Papua. Visiting Jakarta, Kevin Rudd
mentioned
that his government recognizes the integration of West Papua
into Indonesia. The money given in aid to Indonesia by the
Australian government is used to kill Papuan people.
BB: What are your thoughts on the struggle for
self-determination of First Nations people in Australia?
Rumbiak: To build the future of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander peoples, the Australian government must not only hear what
they want, they must implement these demands. The Australian
government should not be afraid of what the Indigenous people want.
If the Indigenous people can keep their lands, it will mean they
can operate themselves. Mining allowed by the Australian government
is destroying the Indigenous peoples holy land and destroying the
environment.
BB: At what stage is the West Papuan fight for
self-determination?
Rumbiak: Our transitional government was declared in October
2011 because the people of West Papua demand independence. It is
part of how we fulfil the requirements of international law. Were
telling the world that West Papuans are ready to run our own
future. It is a combination between traditional and modern
democratic government. In West Papua, we have 312 different tribes,
but we have the motto of one people, one soul. We use a federal
system, so that each state can have the right to autonomy and can
develop their own country. We also have a president and prime
minister, a cabinet of government and parliament.
jacOB RUMBIak Foreign Minister of West papua
the vehicle convoy from Lake Eyre in South Australia reached
Brisbanes Musgrave Park (above) on July 30
Flotilla to West Papua for self-determination
-
Issue 1 PagE 8 culture first
By Paul Spearim, gaMIlaRaayThe traditional process of imparting
First Nations cultural knowledge is unique. It involves a number of
elements, each of which is as important as the other.
These ancient techniques were bestowed upon me by my parents and
their ancestors. My father was initiated in the early 1900s. His
first language was Gamilaraay. He was one of the last fully
initiated members and teachers of the Gamilaraay Nation. My father
and mothers great grandparents were alive prior to 1788, and these
traditional tools were part of their everyday life.
Binangal Gayaa Wanangi translated means Throw the words from the
Almighty Creator Buwadjarr. This phrase encapsulates our entire
existence as Gamilaraay people in that how we understand our
physical existence is by fully understanding our spirituality
through learning these traditional techniques. The techniques are
storytelling; language; song, music and dance; art; and traditional
games.
SToRYTeLLING
Storytelling is always the first step. Our culture is one of
oral tradition. We use storytelling to impart important cultural
teachings, the main one being that everything within the Universe
is connected to us. An example of a traditional story is how the
kookaburra first began to laugh.
LANGUAGe
In todays society, because we speak English, using traditional
language gives us more context to understand our traditional
stories (e.g. Googoogagaa Maal Gaaga-li, translated this means why
kookaburra first began to laugh).
SoNG, MUSIC, & DANCeSong, music, and dance is another
way that we learn things traditionally, and begins to
incorporate a multi-sensory approach to teaching and learning.
(e.g. in teaching Googoogagaa Maal Gaaga-li, we mimic the actions,
sounds, and movement of Googoogagaa and Thinawan (emu).
ARTArt includes traditional forms of
painting and drawing, and is about teaching our oral history
through art. You would be familiar with ancient rock art. Other
forms of traditional art include tree carvings, sand drawings,
carved earth mounds, and painting our bodies. We create colours for
painting and drawing through the use of ochre (clays of many
different colours), fire ash, mixing ochre with sand, and charcoal.
Ochre was even traded between nations to obtain colours not seen in
particular areas. Gamilaraay people are well known as wood carvers
(e.g. Gamilaraay clap sticks and tree carvings). In the story of
Googoogagaa we would paint what has been told to us in the story,
and taught to us through the song, dance, and movement, to recreate
the story in an art form.
TRADITIoNAL GAMeSGames are another way in which
to reinforce the story, in a culture that traditionally did not
have written language. Games introduce another sensory experience
to our learning and teaching. Through traditional games we
interpret the stories, the song, the dance and so on. Using the
story of Googoogagaa, children form two circles, an inner circle
and an outer circle. Each child in one circle is Googoogagaa, and
each child in the other circle is Thinawan. Using a ball made out
of possum skin, the children in one circle begin to throw the ball
to each other. When a child misses the catch, they all drop to
the
ground, and the child who missed stands up and mimics their
animal, while the other children in the circle make the noise of
that animal. Then it is the other circles turn to start throwing
the ball, and similarly when someone misses a catch they in turn
mimic their animal, until theyve all had a turn at throwing and
catching. This also encompasses teaching about the family, the
clan, and your connection to each other.
oLD GAMILThe traditional methods of teaching
our culture to Gamilaraay people spans from birth to physical
death, and then OLD GAMIL (you might know this as dreamtime,
creation, or afterlife). As people age and mature, we teach the
story in more depth to give a greater level of understanding that
is appropriate to a persons age, maturity, and spiritual evolution
in our culture. OLD GAMIL to us means that when we sleep, we move
in time, and we are a part of everything. When we wake up we come
back to the physical plane and incorporate what we have learned
(e.g. if we wake up and hear Googoogagaa laughing, that is telling
us to make a new friend today). Life in OLD GAMIL is not something
that ever starts or finishes, it is eternal. OLD GAMIL and our
cultural teachings are not a tool of control, but about inclusion
and understanding that we are all a part of everything and that
everything is a part of us.
In order to respectfully teach First Nations culture in your own
communities, it is critical to acknowledge that each element is
integral to the process. You must include each element in your
teaching. As Gamilaraay is but one of hundreds of nations within
Australia, the most practical way to ensure you are being
culturally respectful is to approach elders of the local First
Nations community, with any questions you may have.
First Nations culture demystifiedinspiring meaningful
coexistence through education
ga dhama-li ga winanga-y dhama-li dhi ga nginaayngu giito touch,
to feel learning, from in your heart
-
Issue 1 PagE 9 insight
By callum clayton-Dixon NgaNyayWaNaThe First Nations
sovereignty
movement is often dismissed as anti-White and a push for
segregation.
For the past two centuries, First Nations people have been
subject to large scale dispossession, genocide and systematic
discrimination. The push for sovereignty is an ongoing attempt to
reverse this devastating process and establish a revived dignity
for First Nations people and their communities.
Talk of and calls for First Nations sovereignty is not something
new and radical. The movement in this country emerged from Sydney,
Brisbane and Melbourne in the late 1960s alongside the Gurindji
Strike in the Northern Territory, leading up to the emergence of
the Aboriginal Embassy in 1972, the 1982 Commonwealth Games
protests demanding Land Rights for Aboriginal people and the call
for a Treaty towards the start of the new millennium.
Other Indigenous peoples around the world have varying degrees
of tribal sovereignty, recognised by colonial
society and governments. The Treaty of Waitangi in Aotearoa (New
Zealand), signed in 1840 between more than 500 Maori chiefs and the
British Crown, established the principle of partnership between
Maori and non-Maori. As well as the Treaty in New Zealand, similar
agreements exist in both Canada and the United States of
America.
Veteran Kooma activist Wayne Coco Wharton says another point of
confusion is the comparison made with African Americans and their
struggle for equality and civil rights. He says the question about
sovereignty in this country is not about equal rights. You cant
look at Aboriginal Australia the same way as the rest of the world
looks at a Black man in Mississippi. We didnt come from anywhere
else. Our question here in Australia is not about equality, its
about our rightful place. The predicament Native Americans
currently find themselves in is far more comparable, as they are
the ORIGINAL people of what is now known to the world as the United
States of America.
We could also look at the dissolution of the Soviet Union to see
how we as
First Nations peoples can regain our independence. The USSR
split into 15 independent/autonomous states between 1990 and
1991.
Many people seem to shun the idea of First Nations sovereignty,
deeming it to be a form of Black Supremacy and segregation, fear
mongering about being kicked out of the country or evicted from
their homes by the local tribe. The question of First Nations
sovereignty is far more akin to the concept of coexistence. Below
are some of the lyrics from Yothu Yindis 1991 hit TREATY:
now two rivers run their course
separated for so long
Im dreaming of a brighter day
when the waters will be one!
The Oxford Dictionary defines sovereignty as supreme power or
authority, a self-governing state. However, words like sovereignty
are foreign/Western terms of reference. Below are perspectives from
three First Nations women on the Black meaning they put to the word
sovereignty:
What does First Nations sOvEREIgNTy mean?
MERINDah DONNEllyWiradjuri creative producer
Sovereignty means the ability to not only access certain things,
but also to live a certain way. LAND, KINSHIP, LAW, CEREMONY and
LANGUAGE
if I have access to all of those things, and I can live by them,
that is what it means to be a sovereign First Nations
woman. That is a unique cultural, spiritual and societal
paradigm. So, Im
not actually aligning myself with the values, ideology and law
of mainstream
Australia. Its my human right to practice my unique cultural,
spiritual and societal beliefs. I have the right to my unique way
of life, as well as
participation in the Western world that has been imposed on this
country.
TEIla WaTsONKungulu/Birrigubba poet
Sovereignty means having more say over what is done on our land
(i.e.
self-sustainability and taking care of country). I dont think
mining would go ahead if our sovereign status was
recognized. But instead of thinking of people as being
sovereign, we should
think of our laws and cultures as being sovereign. If we could
get our law to be recognized, this would be
the foundation of our old society that we had before
colonization. If we can build those foundations up again, we
could have the similar kind of outcome of peace, sustainability
and clean air. Those are the most important things for us and our
future generations.
MaRy gRahaMKombumerri philosopher
First Nations sovereignty has nothing to do with the
hierarchical idea of a sovereign; it is much more akin to a lateral
system. The glue that keeps
the notion of our sovereignty together is solidarity (within
each tribal group and interdependently), equality and
non-domination. Furthermore, the underpinning/core aspects of
First
Nations sovereignty are autonomy (of each tribal group), ethics,
place and land. Sovereignty is the voice of a
people in a particular area. It covers our religious/spiritual
ideas about our
land, our metaphysics and foundational stories. Every one of us
has obligations
towards our own particular country.
-
Brisbanes NaIDOc march to MusgraveOn Friday the 5th of July,
First Nations people and their supporters rallied at
Queensland
Parliament and marched on south Brisbane's Musgrave Park. NAIDOC
originated from the 1938 Day of Mourning Protest [pictured
to the right], where around 100 gathered in Sydney to protest
the treatment of First Nations peoples
across the continent.For many decades, NAIDOC
remained not only a platform for celebration of culture, but
also
political discussion and organizing. Unfortunately, the
Australian
government has hijacked and largely commercialized NAIDOC.
Marches are still held in a number of locations, with the
notable
exception of Sydney.
Issue 1 PagE 10 events/history
-
lEaDER Six in the evening, I turn on the news
Here was some Murri lad sharing his viewsTalking about
everything that was done wrong
And what we must do to all get along
I listened intently and nodded my headI agreed with some of the
things that he said
But then there were times I wholeheartedly knewThat I just didnt
share this brotherboys view
He spoke with a passion, sounded well refinedBut the passion he
spoke with did not reflect mine
And then I was shocked with the medias claimAt the title they
put next to brotherboys name
Leader they said, thats what he was calledAboriginal leader and
I was appalled
For there was no election, I had cast no voteIt was not on my
behalf that this man spoke
They deemed him a leader, well who did he lead?The nation, the
State, the community?
What were the prerequisites, what must one do?For it seemed that
this brother just spoke to the news
Believe me, Im grateful for those with a voiceBut if I have a
leader then I want a choice
Not someone the media can just pick and chooseBecause they need
statements for the six oclock news
I still dont know why the media cant understandThat one voice
cannot speak for all of this land
Rich and complex our diversityIts like asking France to speak
for Germany
Theyve had 200yrs to understand thisBut I guess thats what
happens when research is shit
And they dont really care in this information ageAs long as
sensation screams from the page
Leader they said, thats what he was calledaboriginal leader and
I was appalled
For there was no election, I had cast no voteIt was not on my
behalf that this man spoke.
cONscIOUs Black POETRy
sTEvEN OlIvERkuku
yalanji/Waanyi/gangalidda/Woppaburra/Bundjalung
lORNa MUNROWiradjuri/gamilaraay
photo by IaN laWsON
aDvaNcED aUsTRalIa FaIRThe undoing of invasionhow can we undo
long what has been done?how can a mother reconnect to their stolen
son?
A line broken Advanced Australia FairAdvancing Australia Fair
DilutionWhite psychosisInfluencing lack of care?Public outcry the
refugee can plainly see Here this decision was never ever really
fair.
Advancing Australia for who?Advancing Australia to where?To what
state?What exactly is our National Anthem?Urging to createJacks
UnionBusting at the seamsLoose stitchesLoose moralsBlack mans
nightmareWhite mans dreamSubliminal messagesPolite quarrel
EntitlementJolly Rogered fiends Gazing up Raising up the queens
ragNo law and order to be seenValidation Embroidered pictures
Emblems depicting Foreign mythical creatures Empirical
dominionPropagandaEqualityBroken shackles Or reigns tightened?
Are we really free? Or way to frightened?To ever beAdvancing
Australia Fair
-
The Brisbane Aboriginal Sovereign Embassy (BASE) is a core
platform for organizing Black political/protest action and engaging
with Brisbanes First Nations community. BASE holds meetings around
the sacred fire in Musgrave Park every Wednesday @ 6pm and runs a
program which provides food parcels to families in Inala, Acacia
Ridge and Stafford.
For more information on BASE or to assist/donate to the
Community Food Program, call 0424 610 492 or 0408 064 900
Tune in at 9aM every weekday for Lets Talk with Tiga Bayles on
Brisbanes 989fm.
Lets Talk is a one hour First Nations current affairs show and
offers listeners in both the Black and broader community a
conscious
alternative to the sensationalism of mainstream media. The
program is repeated
each day from 6-7pm and live streamed.
Tiga Bayles (Birrigubba) is a pioneer of Black radio, having
co-founded Radio Redfern in the 80s, and a veteran campaigner for
the
rights of First Nations peoples.
The Blackcard course is the path to acquiring a licence that
demonstrates the expertise of the holder in working with Aboriginal
people.The underlying themes of the BlackCard Course are based on
Aboriginal Terms of Reference that provide direction to the age-old
Aboriginal civilizational culture, values and worldview.The
BlackCard Course is based on the tertiary level subjects,
Aboriginal Perspectives and Aboriginal Approaches to Knowledge,
developed by Lilla Watson and Mary Graham.To find out more, call
(07) 3398 9921 or email [email protected]
-
Brisbanes Black hIsTORyalways be home by dark
My mother was born at a fishermens camp on Stradbroke Island and
grew up with her Aboriginal mother on the Moongalba Aboriginal
Mission. I was born in Brisbane, and my mum always said to me be
home by dark, always be home by dark. I didnt know till years later
that the curfew laws existed in Brisbane Central, where Blacks had
to be out beyond the boundaries by dark, hence the Boundary Streets
in Fortitude Valley, West End and Camp Hill. Blacks were a problem
for White people, so we had to be outside beyond the boundaries
where we wouldnt bother anybody. It may seem unconceivable that
those laws existed, but they were realities for Abo-riginal people.
Combined with the residue of the aboriginal Protection act that
governed the lives of Aboriginal people in Queensland for a
century, these laws set the tone of how we lived and where we
lived. They were troublesome and fearful times, when the Protector
could have you removed to places like Palm Island, Yarrabah places
that were in fact detention areas for Aboriginal people who dared
to question the administration.
DR ROBERt ANDERSON, a Nugi man from Moorgumpin (Moreton Island),
is a veteran unionist & campaigner for the rights of First
Nations peoples
Issue 1 PagE 13 history
g20 summit BRIsBaNE - November 2014Leaders of the worlds most
powerful nations, ranging from Barack Obama to Vladimir Putin,
will converge on Brisbane next year for the annual G20 Summit.
Like in 1972 with the Aboriginal Embassy and the 1982 Commonwealth
Games protests, this presents an opportunity for First Nations
people to once again raise our issues on the global stage. The G20
summit will take place in South Bank just a few hundred metres from
Musgrave Park at the Convention and Exhibition Centre. ORGANIZING
political/protest action for this international spectacle has
begun.
31st anniversary of 1982 commonwealth games protests October
2013In late 1982, First Nations people came from all around the
country to Brisbane for mass
demonstrations against the STOLENWEALTH Games. Protesting
against the oppressive Aboriginal Protection Act and demanding
recognition of Land Rights, the demonstrations put our issues onto
the world stage. This historic occasion in the Black political
struggle will be commemorated over three days in October (4th-6th)
and is taking place in Musgrave Park. CALL 0408 064 900 for more
information
Sovereignty Panel BRISBANE October 4th, 2013A panel discussion
articulating the political/philosophical/legal intricacies of First
Nations
sovereignty will take place on October 4th in Brisbane. The
panel, featuring four veterans of the Black political struggle
including Palawa lawyer Michael Mansell [other three panel members
TBA], will be broadcasted via Live Stream and other mediums [TBA].
CALL 0428 152 777 for more information.
-
proBlacktivityFull self-determination, Black control of Black
affairs, Treaty, Land Rights, the end of environmental destruction,
recognition of sovereignty and meaningful coexistence we must
always keep in mind what we are truly entitled to.
But these aspirations will not materialise overnight and the
colonial society sure isnt going to hand all of this to us on a
plate. We as First Nations peoples also need to build up our
communities in proactive and every day ways. Below are just a few
ideas of how we can work towards these goals from the ground
up:
LIVe SUSTAINABLY
Regardless of if we live in the city and work, the less waste
and pollution we produce during our everyday lives, the less damage
we do to our country in
both the short and long term. Living a more environmentally
sustainable life can be as simple as growing our own food
(fruit/vegetables) in our backyards, walking/cycling instead of
taking the car and reusing/recycling everyday items (e.g. plastic
bags). We can also opt to buy goods/services from or trade with
other First Nations people so as to give less money to
government/industry. By investing our money back into the Black
community, this represents a step towards economic
independence.
LANGUAGe ReVIVALA number of our tribal languages are
no longer spoken due to the ongoing assimilation process and are
gathering dust in university/library archives. This is also a
result of longstanding failure on the part of government to assist
with revival programs/initiatives. With the internet, social media
and mobile
technology at our fingertips, we have the opportunity to
rekindle the fire via a plethora of mediums further integrating
language into everyday conversation, digitalizing language
dictionaries and creating innovative ways for the younger
generations to learn this crucial component of our tribal
identities.
BLACK TeRMS oF ReFeReNCe
Australias education institutions try to tell us how we should
think about the world. By insisting on using Black terms of
reference, we can fight this assimilation process. Put Black
meanings to English words (e.g. sovereignty or journalism), develop
your own interpretations and understandings of what we are entitled
to in context of your mobs historical experiences and
measure/critique Western society in the context of Black values and
beliefs.
Issue 1 PagE 14 proBLacKtivity
Brisbane Blacks is an independent non-profit First Nations
publication with the sole purpose of awakening the Black
cONscIENcE, raising Black aWaRENEss and articulating the Black
REsIsTaNcE. The editorial team consists of Boe spearim (Gamilaraay)
and callum clayton-Dixon (Nganyaywana). We thank all interviewees,
contributors, distributors and the National Tertiary Education
Union [printing] for helping to make Brisbane Blacks a reality. If
you have any questions about Brisbane Blacks or would like to
contribute content, call 0428 152 777 or 0424 610 492 and send an
email to [email protected]
-
ThE WaR ON TERRa
Despite their best efforts, from oil spills to nuclear
meltdowns, the Western colonial empire was not successful in
bringing about the apocalypse in 2012. But dont lose faith, as they
may yet be able to make it happen.
Here were aiming to establish where the best progress is being
made in shattering whats left of humanitys relationship with this
planet. What better place to start with than Australia? We can
assess the results of civilization after two hundred years of
colonization.
Weve got the worst polluting power station in the world.
Victorias Hazelwood, established in the 60s, is a brown-coal
fuelled power station which will continue operating until 2031.
Mining operations are expanding across the country, from coal and
gold to uranium and iron. Industry is carving channels through the
Great Barrier
Reef with mass dredging, ravaging the Kimberly, thieving tonnes
of sand from North Stradbroke Island and planning big to exploit
South Australias recently discovered oil stockpile all in the name
of profit and economic development. To top it all off, theyve
unlocked the gates of hell with coal seam gas mining. Alongside the
USA and Canada, Australia is also the worlds biggest polluter per
capita.
its true weve invaded and taken the land away, but the natives
werent even using it. sounds like fair game. they barely scratched
the terrain, and now weve got all this to our name!
Since the advent of colonization, Australias government and
industries have provided ground-breaking progress towards wholesale
environmental catastrophe. So whats their secret? How have they
accomplished this?
Be civilized, like youre above, not part of everything. Whatever
you do, dont learn from history. Wage war on mother earth the War
oN terra!
Politicians, along with handpicked Aboriginal leaders, continue
to discharge rhetoric about how important mining and industry is
for economic development in First Nations communities. Economic
development implies exploitation and the need for so-called
progress. On the other hand, economic independence involves
self-determination on OUR TERMS.
Editor of Black Nation Ross Watson (Kungulu/Birrigubba) talked
about Land Rights being a spiritual and economic base but not in a
profit and loss way. He deemed it to be the opportunity to once
again become a self-determining people and believed it is our right
to refuse mining on any part of our land.
Issue 1 PagE 15 the War oN terra
-
BrisbaneBlacksIssUE 1 - August 22, 2013
awakening the Black cONscIENcE | raising Black aWaRENEss |
articulating the Black REsIsTaNcE