Here is another statement from a Yolŋu person from North East Arnhem Land. He speaks against the intervention,l but he is also referring to many other recent sudden changes in NT government policy such as the ceasing of funding to Home Land centres (or out-stations) and the closing of Home Land schools. Again the underlining concern is about the approach that came with the intervention that has lead to such broad brush decisions being made without prior consultation. If you are working with Indigenous people do not let ideologies control your decision making, find a way to understand the local people’s real experience, knowledge, and situation.
Yingiya is a excellent teacher and I think there is plenty to be learnt from his words about the experience and perspectives of the Yolŋu people.
Statement
My name is Yingiya Guyula from Liya-dhalinymirr clan of the Djambarrpuyŋu People.
I am a Yolngu Studies lecturer at University in Darwin
The intervention has only created problems in East Arnhemland communities as well remote homeland centres. The Intervention has made our people more frustrated and confused, the white man’s way of thinking is forced on us, and forcing us to abandon our culture.
Government Ministers have flown into Arnhemland communities just for few hours on the ground to gather a little bit of information, then they fly back into cities thinking they know how to fix the problems in the communities, thinking they know what’s best for us.
Governments only looked at the fringe camps and towns and wet areas where people drink alcohol in places such as Nhulunbuy, Katharine, Tenant creek, Jabiru Alice Spring and Darwin.
White people see Aboriginal people in these places and think that these people that don’t care about life, who don’t care about living. But who are they to judge them. They class all Aborigines the same, but they are wrong.
These white people and those bureaucrats do not go out to the East Arnhemland communities, where my people live, where there has never been alcohol, and these is no child abuse. There are Aboriginal people living on remote communities of Arnhemland, in homeland centres, away from towns, away from the binge drinking areas, poker machine and gambling venues.
These are people that are able to manage their funds and work, or want work, educate, discipline, and practice ceremonies.
Quarantining of centrelink payments should be optional and not compulsory. Quarantining might be ok for people living in town camps and cities, where alcohol and gambling is a problem, but it doesn’t work for my people living on remote Arnhemland homelands where there is no gambling, no alcohol and no child abuse.
We are asking simply for understanding that in life, their needs to be an understanding between two cultures. There needs to be respect between cultures.
Mapuru homeland has a Coop store which won a National award for selling healthy food. Centrelink won’t approve it to accept quarantined money.
This means an aircraft charter fight from the mainland homeland at Mapuru to the closest shop on Elcho Island costs 560 dollars return. This means it’s costing $560 return flight just to buy 150 dollars worth of food, where’s the sense in that?
Arnhemland is like the European Union, made up of many different nations, each clan-nation with their own language, each with it own national estate. Bringing everybody in from the homeland centres into the major settlements is not the right thing to do because people do not feel secure or happy living in another mans land. Children are forced to go to school, but really they do not feel safe and unsecure on other peoples’ land.
There are about 40 children who willingly run to school every day at Mapuru homeland because it’s their home and they feel secure. Yet the N.T. Government wants to close down the homeland schools and bring everyone in to the major communities.
They think it’s not worth spending money on homeland schools who have 40 or more children freely, and with their own will attending school, but is providing internet services, facilities and technology to white schools with attendances as low as 5. The Education department provides computers and internet and distance learning for hundreds of cattle station and small schools, across the Northern Territory, but homeland schools are neglected.
Further more I would like say that these homelands are our homes. There is no violence in the remote homeland communities, no child abuse happens, no alcohol, no pornography, because out there in the bush is where the cultural ceremonial grounds are, and from it is where strong discipline comes through spirits of our fathers talking through the land.
Both the Commonwealth and the Northern Territory Governments hasn’t given equal opportunity to us the First Australians to be able to exercise our rights.
Through the intervention white man police stations have been put in the major communities for dealing mostly with cultural conflict issues (problems that can only be solved through traditional cultural justice), but instead the white policeman force white man law onto us, disrespecting our black fella law. They think they’ve done the right think. But often they’re only making it much worst by locking up senior leaders, the very ones who are wise and keeping our Indigenous Law strong.
This time we are taking the case further where it can be heard loud and clear by people whose ears, brains, feelings have a heart for Indigenous Australians. It is now being taken further where there is an ear that will listen.
We are taking it further, to the United Nations and will talk about the intervention, about how income management in the Northern Territory has had a devastating and debilitating impact on remote communities in Arnhemland.
Finally, we need you to support us. We need you to tell governments that we want the same opportunities as white people, to live and enjoy our own cultural life, but they must stop trying to make us like whiteman, we have our own cultural identity. Let us be who we are, and together we will have hope for the future.
Thank you
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All emphasis and wording is that of the original statement. My source encourages this statement to be passed on to anyone and everyone.
I agree that white man has always tried to make Aboriginal people conform to the ways of their lifestyle and living. We were forced to speak their langage, forced off our lands, forced removals, forced alcohol upon us, forced to make decisons when they knew we had a process that we go through before making any decisions. Forced education, only to suit themselves. Their education was not to teach us too much,that’s why a lot of our people only had 3rd grade education; for communication purposes. Remember white man could not speak our language, therefore teaching us english was compulsory for them. However, the white couldn’t teach us too much otherwise we would know more than them. White man always place themselves above any other race. The British are the only culture in the world that has committed genocide and gotten away with it. Why is it that what Hitler did to the Jews is called genocide and what the British did to the Aboriginal people is called colonization, yet they wipe out a nation of Aboriginal people in Tasmania? There is a contradiction here, and white do not want to admit their faults because if they did this they would be have to recogize history and their history in Australia is based on lies, deceit, murder, rape, and stealing. Steal the land, make money and kill all the Aboriginal people in Australia, so white man did not have to answer to the truth. We are still here so they still haven’t answered the truth and we are waiting. Kevin Rudd is just another one of those polititions that tell lies, he hasn’t done one thing to fix the problems in this country because he is weak. This is typical of a white politician,it is the culture of the white man (lies). But they are quick to judge anyone who is not white especially Aboriginal people. Quick to put us down and place us in prison for stealing, lock us up because of our behaviour, placing us in such institutions is for them to know exactly were we all are. Locking us up for crimes that are petty is again another contradiction of the white man, especially the stealing part considering they were the ones that showed us how to do everything they did. The minute we act up we are punished for it. If a white man does a crime they are less inclined to be punished the way an Aboriginal person would be punished. The whole of Australia is corrupted, from the raggety white man in the streets to the the real estates to the police force, to the Child Safety Department, to the Government of Australia. White man does not fool me for one minute, I am fully aware of what they do to us and more. White man still continue to remove our children, except now they use Child Safety as the reason rather than “we want to strip Aboriginal people of their identity” It seems white do not want to recognise any part of the real history of this country. If they did they would know that the forced removal of Aboriginal children had a major affect on the parenting of many Aboriginal people, but that was the whole purpose of white man to do this; this meant they have more control over us, therefore maybe then they can again force the stripping of our identity . Aboriginal people cannot even get accommodation in this country because of the racism, therefore they have to overcrowd in white mans’ housing structures, “not really for us”. Our people are use to the openess of our country where everyone has space, not locked away like sardines in can. Once again we are forced to do things we do not want to do. Our children drop out of school because of the racist attitude of their educators, again this is a form of oppression, by allowing history to repeat itself. Our children need encouragement and acceptance, just like everybody needs. Unless change occurs in this country by this government then only then we will know that the government of the day “RUDD” is for real, but for now he is gammin and just like all the other Prime Ministers that have come and gone. So, Mr Rudd if you want to make change your the one that will go down in history for wanting to back up what you say. Isn’t it about time for change or are white Australians liking the way things are in their controlling, manipulating and intimidating ways? Or are white just plan scared for change in case we get into power just like President Obama did in the United States of America? Time for change Rudd, it’s time.
Thanks Liz for your comment.
It is good for “Whites” to understand what it feels like on the other side, when another culture control can control your life.
Please, try to forgive us “Whites” for the sins of our peers and our ancestors against the aborignal people. But please do not hate us by labeling all “Whites” as part of the corruption. There are many “White” people who do try to help. There are many “Whites” with a good attitude, who work to help Aborignal people. That includes our readers who are reading these artilces, and your comment, to understand better how Aborignal people everywhere can be empowered. We are fighting hard against the Dominant culture of Australia to improve things. While I do not love the Government and I know much racism still exist there, I think that they continue to hurt aborignal people mainly because they just do not understand the real experience of Aborignal people.
Your comment is quite long, but as there are no other comments at this time I will leave it in full.
Thanks again
I think that Australia needs to stop thinking in terms of “white” solution and start listening to our indigenous people, such as Yingiya Guyula, who have a firm idea around what the aboriginal community actually needs. I have travelled the world and feel devastated when I see the influences that a lot of indigenous cultures have within other countries as it highlights to me that lack of within our own.
Yes, I am white with German/Irish ancestors but was born in Murgon, near to the aboriginal township of Cherbourg Qld. I love our rich aboriginal culture, the art, the dreamtime, the intuitive knowledge of our beautiful country.
I do not blame many of aboriginal people for being confused, angry and lost. It has been only just over 200 yrs since white people came to Australia and only a short while since the stolen generation stopped being stolen. I am sure that many aboriginal families could still tell you stories about their mother, father, aunty etc. even themselves being taken from their family purely because of their race. There is still a lot of hurt and loss of presence being felt that only time hopefully can heal for some.
Why is that we are forcing the aboriginal people to take on our white man’s ways? Why are we not recognising and respecting fully the rich culture around us? I would love for my children to be taught aboriginal culture within our schools and have exposure to the languages, tribal regions, beliefs, practices and most importantly the spirituality – a spirituality being suppressed by white man’s ideas of what they should be thinking.
To Liz, you seem to be a very strong woman and thank you so much for sharing your feelings. Don’t ever stop your passion!! I’d really love to hear what you’re thoughts are on how we could be doing to move forward and come together to empower the first australians.
Kindest regards.