Pic by Bryan Andy
Last week I flew from Sydney
to Darwin and then drove 800km in a convoy via Katherine to Kalkarindji and
Dagaragu, the home of the Gurindji nation (and supported by the associated nations of the Malgnin, Mudpurra,
Bilinara, Nyarinman and Warlpiri peoples). It was there that I felt the
strength and dignity of those who walked off Wave Hill Station (then
‘officially’ owned by British Lord Vestey) some 45 years previously. The
protest was a demand for rights to their traditional country, and to be treated
equally with other Australians employed on the land.
Like most others, I went to
Wave Hill to pay respect and to show gratitude to those who paved the way for
the land rights movement nationally, and to acknowledge the great strength
those involved demonstrated in the face of absolute racism and adversity.
On Friday, August 26 to mark
what is now known as ‘Freedom Day’[1]
I marched also, along with local community members, friends and writerly peers,
and those who had travelled the country over to be part of the celebration.
Pic by Bryan Andy
We were there also to pay
homage to the memory of Gurindji/Malgnin leader Vincent Lingiari and to remember the significant and symbolic gesture of the
then Prime Minister Gough Whitlam pouring red earth through the local leader’s
hands back in 1975. It was a moment that marked the return of the ancestral
lands to the Gurindji mob and yet, it was a moment declared null and void with
the introduction of the 2007 NT intervention which shifted the power of Aboriginal lives and land away from individuals and
communities, back to the Commonwealth Government.
So the celebration was also
tainted with the reality of life for the local Gurindji mob today, and their new fight for old rights and to somehow maintain the freedoms they fought for in the ‘60s.
But we remembered the past with a sense of hope for the future as we sat in the
Territorian heat with red dust on our skin, listening with passion to the
stories of elders who were part of the Walk Off back in 1966.
Photo by Jared Thomas
With the event coordinated by
Gurindji/Malgnin/Mudpurra woman Brenda L Croft (also an artist, curator and academic) and MC’d by Vincent Lingiari’s grandson
Maurie Japarta Ryan (who I actually went to uni with back in the early 1990s and both pictured above),
we heard from staunch non-Indigenous unionists who played a key role in
activating union members nationally to fund raise to support the Wave Hill mob.
Aboriginal rights campaigner and one of the first to step-up to assist the
Gurindji cause, Brian Manning spoke with passion about his role supporting Vincent
Lingiari, and stated in his address that
‘The Walk-off succeeded in 1966 because of the unity of the people to stay
solidly together in the face of all sorts of inducements . To decide on a course of action and
remain united to achieve what you decided. That is the job ahead. You can do
it!’
Photo of Rosalie Kunoth-Monks by Jared Thomas
The highlight for me was not
only hearing the role the unions played in supporting the protest, but also
hearing from local Elders including Speedy McGuinness, Tim Vincent, Rosalie Kunoth-Monks (pictured above) and Michael
George. I have to admit that there was much said in local language that I
didn’t understand, but emotion wasn’t lost in delivery, especially when humour
encouraged laughter from locals in the audience.
A message delivered by the Central
Land Council via Ngarla Kunoth-Monks demanded a formal government apology
for the "shame, hurt and trauma" the intervention caused Indigenous
Territorians, stating:
'Throw the word ‘Intervention’ away. We demand an apology from out governments for
the terrible
recent policies that encourage assimilation and ‘normalisation’ –
this amounts to cultural genocide.'
Following formalities, we
were treated with dancing by the local women before the crowds made their way
down to Wattie Creek for a community BBQ. My head was spinning, my heart a mix
of confusion – celebrating the past, concerned for the present and half-hopeful
for the future – and so I headed back to the campsite to reflect on a most
extraordinarily emotional morning.
There I sat below gum trees
at a picnic table surrounded by three huge campervans; the tent for the urban
camper like me. To my left sat my playwright friend Cathy Craigie yarning with Steve McCann and David Claudie who had travelled from Cairns. To my right in the distance I saw Dan Sultan with his
entourage resting under a canopy. Nearby was Josie Crawshaw working on the
Vincent Lingiari address which she would deliver with passion the next day.
I sat there wanting to write
but it was near impossible, even for someone who can knock up a draft 90,000
word novel in eight weeks. You see, I am a Wiradjuri woman. I come from central
NSW and have lived most of my life on the land of the Dharawal in Sydney. I am
the beneficiary of the sacrifices of the old people I went to Wave Hill to
honour. We in the state of NSW enjoy the land rights that were born out of the
protests made by the Gurindji people, lead by Vincent Lingiari.
With this in mind, I kept
asking myself: how many of my extended family, my friends, my fellow
Australians (black and white) know the true story of the Wave Hill Walk Off?
And more importantly, how many understand these very same people, this very
same community, have also been stripped of their self-determination, their
sovereignty, their human rights, because of the racist NT Intervention.
I couldn’t write then,
because in many ways I couldn’t breathe. My heart was filled with pride and yet
heavy with sadness simultaneously. Does that make sense?
Photo by Jared Thomas
I put my spiral-bound
notebook away and just yarned with those around me. That night I watched Kev
Carmody, Paul Kelly (pictured above with local kids on stage and Dan Sultan sing the theme song of the Lingiari /
Gurindji protest: From Little Things Big Things Grow. It was a moment that still makes me weak when thinking about it. It is a song
that I believe should be our national anthem. It is a song that I have used to
teach my nephews about land rights, about how the mob in the NT have lead the
way for all of us. I’m not sure if they understand just yet (they are 11 and 13
years old). But for the 50th anniversary I hope to take them back
there with me.
The next day, Saturday, 27
August, I visited the Wave Hill monument and as I strolled up to the space I
met a woman named Marie Djaban who said she was there the day it was unveiled.
She came back with us to the hall where staunch advocate for Aboriginal rights Jeff McMullen set the scene for us to hear Sue Stanton and Josie Crawshaw,
both with familial connections to Gurindji country, give their heartfelt
addresses as the inaugural Gurindji Walk Off from Wave Hill Memorial Lecture.
Sue reminded the audience that the Gurindji walked away from harsh and cruel
conditions and to protect the women in their tribe.
Pic by Ivelle Lay
Photo supplied by Florivelle Lay
In a heart-wrenching speech,
Josie not only honoured Vincent Lingiari and her mother, but also her beautiful
uncle who died an undignified death in 2006. His story served to demonstrate
the ongoing mistreatment of Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory.
Josie also talked about what
she called the ‘Least and Most Peoples’, highlighting that Aboriginal people
have the Least (housing, education, health) and the Most (deaths in custody,
unemployment) and that communities in the NT had been reduced to working for
rations again with the introduction of the Basic Card.
I was inspired by an oration
by Monica Morgan, Yorta Yorta woman working for Amnesty International, who like
all of us, stood in solidarity with the Gurindji and reminded the audience that
‘Their fight is my fight. Their
fight is our fight.’
On a lighter, more
celebratory note we all gathered at the new art centre in Kalkarindji for its
opening, inaugural exhibition and an art award presentation (see pic below). It was a stark
reminder to me at least, that while government policy can remove the rights to
land and economies, they can NEVER stop our people documenting our histories
and our stories through art. I was thrilled to see so many paintings being
snapped up and am sure that the cultural economy (while no other) is allowed to
grow there.
Pic by Karyn Cameron
That night, under a blanket
of stars, we visitors to Gurindji country – sat with locals and enjoyed the
MCing-style of Mary G who flirted shamelessly with performers and audience
members. To see out the day we listened to the sounds of Joey Geia, the Black
Arm Band, Shane Howard, Warren H Williams and Dale Huddleston and the Riverbank
Band.
On our third and final day
there, guests were witness to the passion of the next wave of activists as a
group of young Aboriginal people took to the stage to discuss their concerns
about constitutional reform and future inclusion of us in the foundation
documents of the nation.
Before we hit the highway back to Darwin, my writerly friends took to the stage to discuss why we write and how we use our words for social change. Chaired by Cathy Craigie, we were challenged and informed by poetry penned by Ali Cobber Eckermann (pictured with me above), Lionel Fogarty and Sue Stanton, a letter by Bruce Pascoe to his two-year old grandson, and readings from our new kids novels by Jared Thomas and myself.
Then with new inspiration, an
inflamed fire in our bellies and a greater sense of our fight for social
justice in our minds we left Dagaragu and Kalkarindji behind with the aim of
doing what we could back in our own countries, and those where we call home.
The Girly Gang at the Glamping-site! Pic supplied by Florivelle Lay
For my experience in
Gurindji country I am grateful for the following:
* The strength and integrity of
the Gurindji and for the inspiration they have given me to continue the fight
for rights for our people.
* The passion of Brenda L
Croft who worked tirelessly to organise the event that came complete with
lessons in history but also included local and national arts and culture.
* The coordination and
enthusiasm of Jared Thomas in bringing writers together for public and private
conversations about our work.
* The welcome we all received
into the community and the hospitality of the locals.
* To have been able to see
the extraordinary landscape during the drive to and from Kalkarindji.
* Importantly, I am grateful
for the invitation to attend and the Freedom Day celebrations and thank the
Fred Hollows Foundation for making my attendance possible.
[1] The actual anniversary is 23 August,
but the 2011 Walk Off was held on the nearest Friday, being 26 August.
