KISS - Australian Aboriginal Affairs

Maybe I am being too flash when a conversation can be down to earth and really informative.  Maybe I better stick to one of the key principles by which I operate that is the KISS principle in order that I do not get too carried away.

My first KISS statement is to get back to my firm belief that not too many non-indigenous Aussies have any depth of understanding about the culture(s) of indigenous Aussies. What proportion of non-indigenous Aussies have any serious contact with indigenous Aussies?  Pretty small I think.  Get into me if I am wrong!

I would like this conversation to contribute to correcting that imbalance and that negativities from non-indigenous Aussies towards indigenous Aussies would decrease markedly well before the referendum in 2013.  The vote would then be meaningful.  I am a rebel who also wants to see indigenous Aussies openly discussing whether they can forgive non-indigenous Aussies for mucking up their culture(s).  This does not mean that I want to water down reparation concessions being argued for.  I am unsure whether indigenous Aussies deep down want non-indigenous Aussies to leave and go back to the lands of their forebears.  It's tricky and I guess I have opened the proverbial can of worms.

From my experience working in remote indigenous communities in WA, in medium to large rural townships and with indigenous communities in metro Perth, WA, there are differences between the culture of the remote communities and those in the medium to large rural towns and metro area cities.  It is like two cultures but with a lot of common ground.

Given that I am using "culture" to mean the set of behaviours that define a people, think of all the areas one could chat about.

For example the way a people see the world in a religious or spiritual sense.  I have long been fascinated by the connection that indigenous Aussies have to the land and the plants and  animals they found and now find on that land.  They had some pretty good explanations (stories) of how it all came about.  I think of the Waggyl, the river serpent. of WA that winds its way through what is now metropolitan Perth but still Noongar country (....this will stir up some as there are various spellings for this people's title).  I recoil when I remember the scathing remarks by non-indigenous Aussies against indigenous leaders when they want the spirit of the Waggyl recognised when development occurs in the Swan River valley.

Come on indigenous Australia tell your stories on this blog about the deep spirituality of your peoples and how you carry it proudly into the 21st century.  Educate non-indigenous Australia.  In the coming days I will raise some other cultural areas as part of the conversation but will be thrilled if I am beaten to the punch.

In case you hadn't guessed I am a non-indigenous Aussie bumbling around in the delicate area of indigenous culture.  Please be patient with me!