Tent Embassy land grab?

Sorry Thumper I got my rivers mixed up. The story I was told was near Murrumbateman, along the Murrumbidgee river. I had the place in my mind just the wrong name.

Duke…”It’s not a free country. Go start your own commune in Commonwealth Park and see how long the authorities let you stay.”

The South African Embassy had a camp outside as did the French Embassy. Both where tolerated by the authorities.

It may be part of our culture. Setting up a camp as protest.

Thumper… Finding a real source sounds like a challenge. I’m sure I’ve read a description by early gold prospectors.

I did find this.

At the opening of the Tharwa Bridge in 1895, the guest of honour, Ngunnawal woman Nellie Hamilton, said:

I no tink much of your law. You come here and take my land, kill my possum, my kangaroo; leave me starve. Only gib me rotten blanket. Me take calf or sheep, you been shoot me, or put me in jail. You bring your bad sickness ‘mong us.
Source: Canberra, the Guide, edited by Ken Taylor and David Headon, page 9

“My point is that rehashing or rewriting history has not and will not achieve anything.”

Denial of Black History. As you have indulged in yourself. Can you really know what happened in your own town. Did you own the shop. Are you an aboriginal living on the outside of town. Why doubt her story.

History is important when we still fail to get the facts right. When people still talk about a “war”. When central aboriginal communities are referred to as violent rapists. This is not history if it is happening today. Put down, after put down.

The tent embassy gives a focus to the unofficial struggle. The one that is not funded by the Government. A place for the people.

Well I don’t agree with you Sepi, but I see that your heart is in the right place. No, I truly don’t have the answer, and I’ve had some experience with ‘remote’ communities.

I think it works the other way around.

Once we have fixed the current problems, noone will need to rehash history, or feel guilty, or try to blame others etc etc.

But just agreeing that the problems are terrible, but you don’t know what to do about it is pretty unhelpful.

I think we should do a sister-city thing with every remote Indig. township and a bigger city. There could be training exchanges, and micro finance sponsorship and visits etc.

dexi said :

(dexi)I get that neither of us have personally murdered or stolen. We are probably only guilty of receiving stolen property.

Well, if you truly believe that then there is only one honorable course open to you.

(dexi)”I know that along the Molonglo river Aboriginals were poisoned and run off the land by the ancestors of families who still own land in the area…It was a local farmer that told me.”

Third or fourth-hand anecdotes are not history. My wife was recently told by a middle aged aboriginal co-worker that when she was young her family were forced to live outside of town and were not allowed in the local shops. The town she mentioned happened to my own home-town, and I can tell you that her story was not true.

My point is that rehashing or rewriting history has not and will not achieve anything. We, and they, should focus on the current problems as they are, not waste our energies trying to attach blame or assuage our guilt.

Indigenous Australians should protest like everyone else.

Provide a new venue for those who’ve chosen to live at the tent embassy long term – a place where protests can be arranged etc.

It should not be in front of Old Parliament House.

Reconciliation Place is nearby as a reminder.

imhotep.. My ancestors actually did invade Poland.

The more I think about “we” the more examples of recent history pop to mind. I know that along the Molonglo river Aboriginals were poisoned and run off the land by the ancestors of families who still own land in the area. You can call me a liar if you like. It was a local farmer that told me.

Just a thought but why do “we” celebrate Australia day on the date of English occupation if it does not represent “us” as Australians?

It represents the landing of the English, yet “we” embrace it as “our” national day. It’s not the day “we” became Australia. “We” as Australians want to distance ourselves from what came after the landing, yet still claim the landing as a national day of celebration.

I get that neither of us have personally murdered or stolen. We are probably only guilty of receiving stolen property.

I like the embassy as it keeps indigenous issues on the front lawn for all to see.

imhotep your right the “we” should read the English colonial power. I was more interested in the notion that some war has been fought and won.

The we can still apply to us. We are still claiming land. We are still culturally insensitive and repressive. We are still denying black history. We as represented by our Governments.

Such a predictable course this thread did run.

dexi said :

(dexi) “I always thought we murdered and stole this land from the original inhabitants. Yet twice now this week I’ve been informed we one it in a war.”

‘We’ didn’t murder and steal their land, any more than ‘we’ didn’t fight in the Battle of Hastings nor invade Poland. I didn’t at least, and as far as I know neither did my ancestors.

We throw around words like war, invasion and holocaust. In my view we are misrepresenting what really happened and applying today’s values to people who were acting in entirely different circumstances.

The arrival of the white man was a disaster for the aboriginal people. Many (most) continue to live in misery, particularly the women and children in remote settlements. How do we address this? Not, I suggest, by endlessly rewriting history in more emotive terms or applying an endless burden of blame to people who had no involvement in past events.

I don’t know what the answer is. But I’m pretty sure it won’t be found in politics or dishonesty.

.

@Passy, two paragraphs of text was obviously too much for you to take in. That you’re making any accusations about my intent says a lot more about yourself, than it does me. Especially given I made no passive aggressive comments along the lines you gave in your counter scenario.

For your benefit, here is the second paragraph of my original post, which you have clearly not read:

“Personally, I don’t have an issue with the apparent expansion or existence of the Tent Embassy – although I know it is a political hot potato, regardless of which side of the fence one chooses to sit – I am just wondering if there is an explanation for this recent growth in numbers?”

An appropriate answer was given in post #7 by deye, which I have subsequently acknowledged. You may then notice, until now, I have made no further comments in this thread.

What crap from Holden “Catcher” with his unwritten accusations. I mean I could write something like:

“I noticed a lot of extra MPs in the hole in the ground parliament. What are these no-hopers doing? Drunkenness. Licentiousness. Drug taking perhaps. (A nong and his bong are seldom separated.) And what work do they really do? Propped up on support payments no doubt from taxpayers. Should we investigate them? They might do some real damage soon. better to stop them before they do. Police them closely.”

People at the Embassy are here for discussions and the protest at the opening of Parliament House (which was on today.)

Enough of this ‘keep an eye on these types’ stuff.

chrispy said :

Personally I like the existance of the tent embasy. makes me feel like we live in a free country where people give-a-shit. If you can’t handle slightly less green grass then maybe you should move to a country where the authorities breakup these non-violent protests and jail activists.

Geez that was a bit of a rant, I’ll make sure I tone down the next one.

It’s not a free country. Go start your own commune in Commonwealth Park and see how long the authorities let you stay.

As a teenager I used to be all for knocking it down blah blah but my opinion has softened considerably since then. I don’t necessarily agree with everything the people at the tent embassy stand for however as long as it doesn’t get out of control I think it’s kind of groovy.

It was a murdering and stealing war.

Anyway, we didn’t steal it all – only the good bits.

Mutley….”Nope, lost it in a war.”

Shame on you. This is where the English language and culture can say whatever it likes and mean something else. This may be why we have the court system. Terra nullius was the first attempt to deprive Aboriginals of their land. It was rejected by the high court in 1992. I seem to remember a lot of protest.

I am not sure what war you are talking about, if you are talking about a war at all.

When was it declared and on who?
When did it end and where is the treaty?
Dose this war exist in law or is it just a myth?
Don’t we first have to acknowledge Aboriginal sovereignty of this land before a war can be declared?
Isn’t the protest at the tent embassy also about sovereignty.

I always thought we murdered and stole this land from the original inhabitants. Yet twice now this week I’ve been informed we one it in a war.

Personally I like the existance of the tent embasy. makes me feel like we live in a free country where people give-a-shit. If you can’t handle slightly less green grass then maybe you should move to a country where the authorities breakup these non-violent protests and jail activists.

Geez that was a bit of a rant, I’ll make sure I tone down the next one.

The NT intervention still is breaking UN laws of human rights

The UN has just sent a delegation to Zimbabwe to find out why they are dying from starvation and cholera.

That’s the UN for you.

Thumper, we all know the real reason people are dying from cholera in Zimbabwae – the disease has been planted by the British Govt so they can enslave the people of Zimbabwae again!

”Always was, always will be, Aboriginal land”

Nope, lost it in a war. Very one-sided war, but them’s the breaks. Still does not excuse the living conditions of Aborigines though, but that’s a different issue.

Tyler. I can read pictures.

”Always was, always will be, Aboriginal land”

“…….The NT intervention still is breaking UN laws of human rights.”

Yeah, we better watch out, or the UN might send Rudd a very polite (but strongly worded!) letter telling him they are not happy!

Delish said :

People in the Northern states move so slow for Southern people you think that they are in reverse. quote]

It must be the lack of Daylight savings make us QLDers move slowly?

I thought they had houses in Tuggeranong?

Why did you think that and how did you recieve this information? This is how mis-information is spread…

It is the anniversary of the apology, The NT intervention still is breaking UN laws of human rights and still has no clear end dates to it.

People from the Roma are being removed from there land, An Indigenous person being nominated for Australian of the year.

Basically there are a few reasons for the ‘extra’s taking up stay at the Embassy. In leaving or going home I noticed the reference to Northern people, we work on Southern Time – quick, face paced and needs to be today!

People in the Northern states move so slow for Southern people you think that they are in reverse. Also they do not have disposable income and might have needed for a couple of ‘pensions’ days to buy there return ticket…

“I thought they had houses in Tuggeranong?”

haha good one

Speaking of houses I’m in Myanmar at the moment every where we go we have members of the Junta following our every move. When I asked one of them how things are after the cyclone he said “every thing is fine no damage at all only the wooden huts”. Which just happened to be most of the population. Really backward here we had to dust off the old fax machine to send reports to the oil company because they don’t have email. But that’s just totally off the topic lol.

tylersmayhem said :

…I mean I even pay $15 a night when I go camping down south.

I thought they had houses in Tuggeranong?

What do rates have to do with anything?

Rates have to do with the taxes we pay on land to live there. Do I need to draw a little picture? I know it’s quite narrow-minded of me, but it’s still a bit of a valid question. I mean I even pay $15 a night when I go camping down south.

this is easy, there is a large number of indigineous people down from the Northern territory for the prostest about the intervention at parliament house today. my guess is they’d be staying at the tent embassy because its quite hard to pay for a motel with food vouchers.

deye said :

Probably for the number of protests that are supposed to happen on the first sitting day.

Ahh, that’s probably it.

You might find they actually acknowledge the whole situation differently.

I don’t see any shortage of un-PC people who want to bag the embassy on RA.

What do rates have to do with anything?

Probably for the number of protests that are supposed to happen on the first sitting day.

Yeah, there seemed to be a lot of ‘professional’ protestors at the High Court yesterday – the ones who will turn up for a good protest anywhere: save the trees, stop the bomb, save the whales, save Ivan Milat’s little finger……

Protest at the High Court – the decision didn’t go their way….

Interstate visitors perhaps?

When are they going to clear that space any way. It seems that everyone is too P.C. to say anything about it, or actually acknowledge the whole situation.

Do these people pay rates?

how long has the embassy been there for? does adverse possession apply?
http://www.slatergordon.com.au/pages/adversepossession.aspx

Protest against the “intervention” today.