Tag: Indigenous

In 2015, Christie and I, along with three other couples, spent a week in the outback meeting some of Australia’s indigenous people. We were all senior pastors of large Melbourne churches, and we were allowed this opportunity thanks to a not-for-profit organisation of First Nations and non-Indigenous people. They work together to build a brighter future for this nation. *

We were significantly impacted by the people we met on this trip. We set our minds on learning more about First Nations’ history and the people who inhabited this land long before white settlement. One practical response was the introduction of an acknowledgement of country at the start of every church service and on our email signatures.

Feedback

A lovely indigenous woman who was part of Bayside Church for a few months before relocating back to WA wrote to me: “Your church was the first church that I’ve attended that openly acknowledges the traditional people of that area and other Aboriginal groups, at every service. Thank You, Pastor.”

While the feedback is mainly positive, we have also received criticisms. I understand that some people see this as tokenism, political correctness, or just another example of woke culture. So, why do we do an acknowledgement of country?

Welcome to Country

Australia’s first inhabitants of the Kulin Nation would conduct a “Welcome to Country” as a respectful ceremony where elders from one group would welcome another group onto their country.

They would grant permission and treat the visiting group with all the rights and protections they offer their own. It’s an important cultural activity that shows great respect and honour. But a Welcome to Country can only be conducted by an Indigenous elder.

Acknowledgement of Country

An “Acknowledgement of Country” statement shows awareness of and respect for the Traditional Custodians of the land you are on and their long and continuing relationship with the land. Unlike a Welcome to Country, it can be delivered by anyone – Indigenous or non-Indigenous.

As Christians, we acknowledge the incredible design of our creator God who, in the beginning, decided that it was right and good for the First Australians, Indigenous peoples of this land, to be resident here to care for it and enjoy its fruit.

And so, we continue the deep Indigenous cultural traditions of respect, servanthood and honour by acknowledging that we are meeting (or working) on traditional Indigenous lands. We recognise the peoples’ name (Boon Wurrung in Bayside Church’s case) and the name of the Aboriginal nation (Kulin Nation). We conclude by paying our respect to Elders, both past, present and emerging. In so doing, we join with the restoring, reconciling and healing work of the Holy Spirit amongst all peoples of Australia.

We hope that our acknowledgement of country may encourage others into a journey marked by respect and understanding so that we may together live in peace and harmony.

These practices aren’t new – they’ve been part of Indigenous cultures in Australia for many thousands of years and are of great significance to many Indigenous people.

An Awful Nightmare

During this National Reconciliation Week, I invite you to imagine what it must have been like for the original inhabitants of this land in 1788.

Imagine, if you will, that a family arrived at your house and moved right in because someone told them your house was casa nullius – “nobody’s house.” In any case, they considered themselves better than you. They moved into the best rooms and took the best seats in the lounge and the loveliest spots in the garden. They ate your food, drank your wine, and wore your clothes. You protested, but it was all in vain, and, after some time, you find yourself working for this new family for little or no money. You are, literally, a slave in your own home.

Have you imagined that?

How did it make you feel?

Outraged, I hope!

It’s the sort of stuff of which nightmares are made. You’d wake up from such a dream with your heart thumping and gradually realise this awful scenario was a bad dream ~ except it isn’t.

Nobody’s Land

In 1835, Governor Bourke declared Australia “Terra nullius” – “nobody’s land” (or wasteland). Although many people also recognised that the Aboriginal occupants had rights in the lands, the law followed and almost always applied the principles expressed in Bourke’s proclamation ~ something that didn’t change until the Australian High Court’s decision in the Eddie Mabo Case in 1992.

In 1788 Australia was not “nobody’s land,” it was inhabited by about 700,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who were made up of between 500 and 700 tribes. The Aboriginals tried to protest the colonisation, but the Europeans drove them from their lands or killed them. Because of massacres, plus the introduction of disease and alcohol, the Indigenous population decreased by almost 90% by 1900.

Indeed, an acknowledgement of country is the least we should do. We must do a whole lot more.

The Future

In 1835, John Batman made a treaty with the Aboriginal people. There was an exchange of goods and blankets for 250,000 Ha of land. However, this Treaty was never recognised by the authorities, so Australia remains the only Commonwealth national government that has not signed a treaty with its Indigenous people.

Tasmanian Aboriginal writer and activist Michael Mansell said, “A treaty would break the 200-year-old cycle of governments not negotiating with the Aboriginal people…It would say, ‘we’re no longer just going to do things to them, but that they’re included and empowered.”

A Treaty would provide a framework for negotiations on indigenous welfare, employment, education, health and land ownership. I hope that the new Federal Government will take the issue of the Treaty seriously. So far, the signs are promising.

 

 

Australians Together has some excellent resources that can help you understand the importance of a treaty.

 

 

 

 

 

Imagine, if you will, that a family arrived at your house and moved right in because someone told them your house was Casa nullias – “nobody’s house.” In any case, they considered themselves as better than you. They moved into the best rooms, took the best seats in the lounge, and the loveliest spots in the garden. They ate your food, drank your wine, wore your clothes. You protested, but it was all in vain, and, after some time, you find yourself working for this new family for little or no money. You are, literally, a slave in your own home.

Have you imagined what that would be like?

How did it make you feel?

Outraged, I hope!

Nobody’s Land

It’s the sort of stuff of which nightmares are made. You’d wake up from such a dream with your heart thumping, and gradually realise this awful scenario was just a bad dream ~ except it isn’t. This is what happened when the British declared Australia “Terra nullias” – “nobody’s land” (or wasteland).

In 1788 Australia was not “nobody’s land,” it was inhabited by about 700,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who were made up of between 500 and 700 tribes. The Aboriginals tried to protest the colonisation, but the Europeans drove them from their lands or killed them. Because of massacres, plus the introduction of disease and alcohol, the Indigenous population decreased by almost 87% by 1900.

White Superiority

Cook and Banks had seen few natives as they sailed close to Australia’s coast. They deduced, wrongly, that there’d be fewer if any natives inland. In any case, “European culture was superior to all others, and…Europeans could define the world in their terms. A colony could be established by persuading the indigenous inhabitants to submit themselves to its overlordship; by purchasing from those inhabitants the right to settle part or parts of it; by unilateral possession, on the basis of first discovery and effective occupation.” 

The Earl of Morton, president of the Royal Society, reminded Cook’s crew that Indigenous peoples were the “legal possessors of the several regions they inhabit” and “No European Nation has the right to occupy any part of their country … without their voluntary consent.”

He also advised Cook and his naturalists to “Exercise the utmost patience and forbearance with respect to the Natives of the several lands where the ship may touch. To check the petulance of the Sailors and restrain the wanton use of Fire Arms. To have it still in view that shedding the blood of these people is a crime of the highest nature.”

But Cook didn’t listen. Instead, he became increasingly frustrated that the savages refused to embrace the gift of civilisation.

Australia Day 

The first historical records of celebrations on January 26 happened in 1808, twenty years after the first fleet arrived from Great Britain.

The first official national day named ‘Australia Day’ was on July 30 in 1915 ~ a day to raise funds for the World War I effort. In the decades following, different states held celebrations on various dates. From 1935, all states and territories celebrated on the same date, although various names were still used. Australia Day officially became a public holiday for all states and territories in 1994.

First Nation peoples have been protesting the date for almost the same amount of time, with the first official ‘Day of Mourning’ held by the Australian Natives Association in 1938.

From Little Things …

Wave Hill Station was established on the Gurindji lands by British pastoralists in the 1880s. Mounted police assisted in settling the lands by killing any Indigenous people who dared to resist the invasion of their homes. Indigenous people were unpaid, had deplorable working conditions, were beaten or killed for defying the landowners, and the women were often used as sex slaves. The isolation of the Station allowed this treatment to continue for 80 years.

Then, on August 23 1966, Wave Hill workers and their families, led by Gurindji spokesman, Vincent Lingiari, walked off the Station and began their protest. The protest lasted for nine years, during which time Vincent toured Australia to lobby politicians and galvanise support. The victory was achieved in 1975!

The protest is immortalised by the song, “From little things big things grow,” written and sung by Australian Paul Kelly.

The Future

In 1835, a treaty was made between John Batman and the Aboriginal people. There was an exchange of goods and blankets for 250,000 Ha of land. However, this Treaty was never recognised by the authorities, and so Australia remains the only Commonwealth national government that has not signed a treaty with its Indigenous people.

Tasmanian Aboriginal writer and activist Michael Mansell said, “A treaty would break the 200-year-old cycle of governments not negotiating with the Aboriginal people…It would say, ‘we’re no longer just going to do things to them, but that they’re included and empowered.”

A Treaty would provide a framework for negotiations on indigenous issues such as welfare, employment, education, health and land ownership.

Uluru Statement from the Heart

In 2017, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders gathered at the National Constitutional Convention, coming from all points of the southern sky to make a statement from the heart. It’s a stunning and gracious declaration that I encourage you to read. It calls for establishing a First Nations Voice enshrined in the Constitution. You and I will have the opportunity to express our views on this in a referendum later this year.

I understand why many indigenous people, and others, call January 26 “Invasion Day.” At the very least, it is an annual event that rubs salt in the wounds of our Indigenous peoples. What harm would it do to celebrate Australia Day on another date so that everyone could celebrate this wonderful country together? This would be a tremendous act of “Love your neighbour as yourself.”

I am glad to see the Federal Government taking Indigenous issues seriously. In the future, Australia Day could be held when a Treaty is signed.

Australians Together has some excellent resources that can help you understand the importance of a treaty.