Wherever there is little respect for individual rights, or different culture and views, hatred is born. That was how the totalitarian systems were established, that was also a source of suffering for the indigenous people colonised by the Europeans in Africa, the Americas and in Australia. When the white man appeared on the Australian continent in the late 18th century, the indigenous population could range from several hundred thousand to about a million people, gathered in probably five hundred tribes. The name Aborigines is derived from the Latin term ab origine, meaning “from the beginning”. It can be used to refer to the indigenous people of different continents, but as a proper name it only applies to the indigenous inhabitants of Australia.

Due to the nomadic lifestyle of the Aborigines, their material culture was not highly developed. Their spiritual culture, however - and above all - their well-developed and carefully nurtured oral traditions, were extremely advanced. An adult man was able to enumerate the names of his ancestors from both his mother’s and his father’s side even up to dozens of generations back. It was a tremendously important skill because, according to the beliefs of the residents of the Red Land, every man is born from the spirits of their ancestors and becomes a part of them. The Aborigines also believed that they were descended not only from their human ancestors, but they were also a part of the great heritage of nature. For that reason, they believed that animals and even plants were also their ancestors. This explains their great attachment to the land to which they belonged since the beginning of the world.

Singer Beata Wald with Ngarigo Elder, Aunty Rae. Photo Puls Polonii

An interesting issue is the Aboriginal concept of Dreamtime. For the Aboriginal people, time is a cyclical whole with no distinction between the past and the future. Although time had no chronological continuity for them, the Aborigines still distinguished regularly recurring celebrations. Those were special periods, as they allowed for direct contact with the spirits. During the ceremonies, the natives painted their bodies yellow (hematite clay), white (lime and kaolin clay), black (soot and charcoal) and brown (ocher combined with fruit juices or baked). By dancing and playing the didgeridoo, they united with the forever-lasting past.

Aboriginal culture and traditions, which could be up to 30 - 40 thousand years old, are still alive. One of the most famous Australian paintings from the Uluru-Tjuta Kjata national park (in the Northern Territory) owes its durability not only to the guardians, who from time to time restore the images of the Rainbow Serpent or the Thunder Man, but also to the remarkably resistant natural dyes. Furthermore, the Aborigines still cherish their beliefs - even those who have abandoned the traditional lifestyle. They believe in the power of magic and rituals. Even today, when some of them find out that they have been read, or sung by the Black Doctor, they die as a result of autosuggestion. The indigenous people of Australia also have a lot of respect for the forces of nature and its laws. This, for instance, is expressed through their abstinence from eating their totem animals, which of course is also related to their respect towards the spiritual world and the belief in the realm of the supernatural.

Monaro Dancers performing at Kozzie Fest 2010 in Jindabyne. Photo Felix Molski

The phenomenon of Aboriginal culture, however, was not immediately noticed by the white colonists. After all, they initially treated it with outright contempt, calling the natives themselves the missing link between an ape and a man. Such a sad and unjust view of the world’s oldest culture would exist for many years to come. Until the mid-twentieth century, the Aborigines were victims of discrimination in the Australian society. During the difficult period of white colonisation, the indigenous inhabitants of Australia miraculously escaped total extermination1. Due to the activities of white settlers, Aboriginal people - living from day to day as nomads and gatherers instead of cultivating the land, could not comply with the divine order of colonising the land and making it theirs. Ousted by the white man’s civilization, unfamiliar with its illnesses, lifestyle and methods of farming land, the Aborigines were often pushed into the continent. There, due to climatic conditions, it was harder for them to obtain food and thus - to survive.

Only in the 1960s were Aboriginal people in Australia removed from the great book of flora and fauna, and in 1967 received full rights as citizens. Since 1976, or in fact since 26 January 1977, when the Aboriginal Land Rights Act came into force, the situation of the Aborigines (at least in the Northern Territory, where the document was introduced) began to change. Natives of the territory were able to obtain ownership of the lands on which they resided as traditional occupants. Currently in the Northern Territory, where indigenous people constitute 31% of the population (around 66 thousand people), almost half of the lands belong to the Aborigines, while in the whole of Australia the figure is incomparably smaller. In 1993, through the establishment of the Tribunal for the Indigenous People, native Australians could fight for the lands of their ancestors more effectively, and thus gained the possibility of returning to their cultural roots. Nowadays, however, only a small number of Aborigines maintain a traditional lifestyle. This is due to a number of factors. First of all, the expansion of the western civilization is so strong that it is now difficult to completely cut off from it. That is why many Aborigines live in cities and, to a degree, participate in the life of the contemporary Australian society. There are also those who, owing to government’s infamous policy practiced until the early 1970s, were separated from their families as children and then forced to function in a system created by the whites. These people constitute the Stolen Generation - a group of around a hundred thousand people, who till this day often investigate their origin.

Sharon with her mum, Aunty Rae. Photo Puls Polonii

I believe that the Aborigines should be recognised by Australia for their cultural potential. This was partially achieved by the Australian government when the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologised for the discrimination and persecution which the former inhabitants of the continent had suffered since the beginning of the white colonisation. However, despite the apology, the government denied them compensation as it could disrupt the economic stability of the state. Unfortunately, in their own country the Aborigines are seen as people dependent on benefits and other forms of state aid. It should be noted, however, that after all Australia’s tourism is to a large extent based on the attractiveness of the Aboriginal culture. It attracts people from all over the world and so the mere presence of the Aborigines provides financial benefits for the state. I believe that the appalling situation of the Aborigines, who often live in poor neighbourhoods and frequently function on the fringe of the law, is the result of the long-term state policy based on discrimination. This is why the Aborigines in Australia are to some extent regarded as a social problem.

Unquestionably, one of the more pressing and common problems in this group is alcoholism. It’s worth remembering, however, that alcohol was brought to Australia by the white man. The Aborigines are not used to it and, like the indigenous peoples of other lands conquered by the Europeans, they have little resistance to it. Consequently, they become addicted faster. Paradoxically, obtaining full civil rights by the Aborigines only deepened the problem, since the ban on selling alcoholic beverages to the indigenous people of Australia was lifted. Another issue is the low level of education among the members of this group (Aboriginal children often receive only basic education) and frequent domestic violence, whose victims are also primarily children.

There are, however, also positive aspects in the relations between Aborigines and the rest of the Australian society. Without doubt, one important event was the Walk for Reconciliation in 2000. Another gesture of significant importance was the opening of the Olympic Games in Sydney by Cathy Freeman - the most famous Aboriginal athlete. I believe that people who emphasise their origin while representing Australia, such as Cathy Freeman or the famous Aboriginal actor David Gulpilil, constitute a bridge between the indigenous people of Australia and the descendants of the settlers and contemporary immigrants. Some Aboriginal people wish to preserve their cultural heritage, but at the same time they want to contribute to the Australian society. It is worth mentioning that Julia Gillard, the Australian PM, wants a specially appointed committee composed of Members of Parliament and experts on constitutional law to formulate a special entry in the Australian Constitution. The entry would emphasise the substantial participation of the Aborigines in the country’s life.

The Aboriginal community, however, demands something more than such symbolic gestures, and it voices its demands through the mouth of, for example, Sam Watson - a native activist. Watson points out that in addition to the apologies in the Parliament and entries in the Constitution, the Aborigines should receive real compensation for the years of genocide and discrimination. Such blunt responses from Aborigines are not uncommon. On 26 January 1988 (on Australia Day), Aboriginal actor and activist, Burnum Burnum, hung the Aboriginal flag over the British White Cliffs of Dover. He intended to illustrate the absurdity of the law which allowed the colonists to take over Australia. Placing the Aboriginal flag on the British coast, Burnum Burnum said that he claimed the land on behalf of his people. It is, however, difficult to assess to what extent Watson’s and Burnum’s actions were simply publicity stunts, and to what extent they were genuine gestures coming from the heart and their sense of justice.

Hatred is just one step away from the fear of the unknown. Therefore, we must always remember that we are human beings and that we have certain moral duties towards each other. We must learn to put ourselves in our fellow men’s position, take responsibility for them, and take a step towards mutual existence while reducing conflicts to a minimum - after all, that is what we were taught by the late professor Jerzy Zubrzycki, the father of Australian multiculturalism. In the 21st century, the world - including Australia, will have to face many challenges. The Australian government and society will make decisions regarding the Aborigines and those actions will not be without significance. Will the wounds heal? Or on the contrary - will the situation deteriorate? I hope that all members of the Australian society will learn to draw from their rich cultures, traditions and achievements.

Kinga Borek
Translated by Katarzyna Cwynar

1) Unfortunately, Aborigines of Tasmania did not escape such fate - the last member of these people, Truganini, died in Hobart in 1876. [the editorial note]

Curtesy of Antypody Quarterly.

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Polish Version of Kinga Borek's essay