Greetings - Australia was invaded by the United Kingdom, which these people now represent. The theft of Australia has never been properly acknowledged or repaired - as in money exchanged, Treaty made (there has been an Apology after 220 years!) - the sort of thing nice people do, when theyve done something wrong and want to make up for it...... It is NOT RACIST to mention the role their family played in the theft - nor is it racist to acknowledge they still profit from the theft - rather, it is an honest summation of the current status quo.... It is impossible to discriminate against the dominant paradigm - thats why the Discrimination Acts dont include for example, white men as possible victims of discrimination, unless theyre disabled in some way.... It is indeed No wonder we got this Racist bloody attitude when we refuse to acknowledge the real truths of the matter.... I am not holding on to anger & resentment. I profit from the theft of this land, as does everyone here EXCEPT those from whom it was taken. That is the connection - whether we were there at settlement means nothing, as long as we continue to benefit from this beautiful land and its resources, we become complicit in the theft. It is how the law works in everything else - artworks stolen from the Jews 3 generations ago, are being returned to survivors now, for example. Its what good people should do when they realise the mistake that has been made. I am not angry, I am not resentful, rather, I have a love of justice and of history and of this country & its people - all its people. And I see that we need justice - We NEED language taught in our school, exposure to the oldest living cultural practices in the world - we NEED that ... to really benefit from all we have learnt, we MUST make Treaty & we MUST make reparation - and I would dearly love to speak to that, to these modern young people... who represent the initial invaders of this land... by their birth & their marriage... The languages I propose taught in schools are the local languages in their local areas. I think that would make a great start to making REAL connections with what we have, what we are in danger of losing and of who it is that we are looking to learn from. My children for example, are Bunwurrung kids. Their traditional lands stretch from Wilsons Prom, up to around Beaconsfield and everything south of the Yarra across to the Werribee river. There is enough of their language that is known to teach it in those schools as well as Mandarin, Indonesian, French etc... The more languages our children learn, in general, the better for them, frankly. And one that is based in their own country will then lead to learning about the stories, the plants and environment through old eyes, so to speak - learning how plants are used, can only be useful... that would lead to so much that is considered good under the patriotic mantle....As for ‘What culture?’ The artwork on the rock sites around Australia are Internationally known for their age, their beauty and their stories. It is a great pity those at home dont take more time to appreciate what we actually have here. It is recognised internationally, that here in Australia, we have the oldest living continuous cultural practises in the world. This is considered as incredibly significant and wonderful to those who seek to advance the knowledge of the world - which is indeed, one of the finest impulses in humanity as a collective, is it not? That desire to see the beauty, the sacred, in both our collective history and our present? (My comments from thread on GTs page.)
Posted on: Wed, 16 Apr 2014 12:18:20 +0000
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