Stolen generation' refers to the indigenous children who were removed from the care of their parents by the government and placed with non-indigenous families.
A long time ago a member of my family was born in Australia. She was the daughter of an Aboriginal woman.As a child she travelled the land on walkabout with her mother and families.They lived in the tradition way which is over 40,000 years old.
At that time,as part of "Aboriginal Assimilation Program", all part Aboriginal children were taken from their families and placed in white environments.Because of this her mother would hide her in the bushes whenever they visited a white homestead.
At a young age she was discovered by the authorities and takenaway, where she spent the next eighteen years. She returned to her home town and was reunited with her family for the first time.She learnt the secret songs and dance of the tribe.
Reconciliation Week
In Australia,Reconciliation Week is held each year from 27th May to the 3rd June.The theme,Reconciliation,"Its Up To Us" focuses on the importance of participation in,and encouraging ownership of the process,by the entire Australian community.
This is an opportunity for all Australians to support and promote the vision of the council for Aboriginal Reconciliation in their communities,workplaces,and organizations.
A united Australia which respects this land of ours,valuesthe Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage;and provides justice and equity for all.
Bicentennial Protest
Marching with 30,000 people Bicentennial Protest March 26th January 1988 in Sydney,Australia.The March coincided with a "celebration"of 200 years since the "colonization"of Australia.But for Australia Aboriginal Nations of this country it was an invasion and it signifies 200 years of oppression,theft,taking away our lands and denying our sovereign rights to our lands.Despite attempts of genocide and assimilation,which still happens today.WE HAVE SURVIVED AND WILL CONTINUE OUR FIGHT FOR OUR RIGHTS!!!
DREAMTIME SONG
The Sun and the Earth are the life within me
You took Earth away and you've seen me bleed
You left me to die in this land
Where I once was free
You hunted me down and you tried to oppress me
The blood of my Brothers witnessed your savagery
You did your best to wipe out
THE ABORIGINE!
My eternal dreamtime seemed to crumble your stead
And you weren't satisfied until the land flowed blood-red
But you didn't notice the sun kept shinning on my head
As years went by and you were satisfied
Convincing yourself that my dreamtime had died
It was then I appeared to show
The Sun and the Earth are still within me
You know I'll fight till my dreamtime is free
Ain't nothing you can do but make way
FOR THE ABORIGINE!!!
ABORIGINAL ART
Aboriginal paintings are the oldest living art tradition in the world and yet represents one of the most fascinating and popular art investment to date.
Art goes to the very core of what it means to be human.
And art,wether largely decorative or rich in religious or historic import,is a window into cultures and individuals who create it.It reveals much of how they see themselves,
their world,and their place in it.
Australian Aboriginals
Prior to colonization which began in January 1788,the Australian Aboriginals lived a lifestyle based on Dreamtime.They had survived as a race for thousands of years and their lifestyles and cultural practices had remained virtually unchanged during that time.We refer to this as the traditional period.
Ayers Rock-Ulura
Ayers Rock also known by its Aboriginal name 'Ulura'
It is the worlds largest monolith rising 318m above
desert floor with circumference of 8km.It is considered once of the great wonders of the world.It is located in Kata Tjuta National Park which is owned and run by local Aboriginals .The Australian government handed ownership of the land back to the Aboriginals some years ago.
The Boomerang
There are returning boomerangs and non-returning boomerangs.Non-returning boomerangs were used for hunting.Returning boomerangs were used as toys and for sports.
The Didgeridoo
The most interesting Aboriginal music instrument is the didgeridoo.The instrument is an unstopped hollow piece of bamboo or termite-hollowed wood,usually the latter,about four or five feet long,and two or more inches in internal diameter,with a mouth-piece made of beeswax or hardened gum.The player blows into the instrument in trumpet fashion.Didgeridoo playing is learned when young.
Aboriginal Dreamtime
The 'Aboriginal Dreamtime' is that part of Aboriginal culture which explains the origins and culture of the land and its people.Aborigines have the longest continuous culture history of any group of people on Earth-dating back-by some estimates-65,000 years.Dreamtime is Aboriginal Religion and Culture.
As with all other cultures-it speaks of Earth's Creation
by Gods and Goddesses-some of whom were kind hearted-while others were cruel.
Dance
The Aborigines did not dance.They held corrobores in which there were elements of music,song and movement that imitated or replicated animals movements,hunting prowess,battles or ceremonies of initiation that had been conducted for thousands of years.Corrobores are part of Aboriginal culture.They were not simple dances,but were highly significant events and belong to the Australian Aborigines.
Legend of the Three Sister Mountain
According to an Aboriginal dreamtime story,the three huge rocks formation were once three beautiful sisters named 'Meehni','Wimlah',and Gunnedoo' from the Katoomba tribe.The three sisters fell in love with three brothers from the nepean tribe but their tribal laws forbid their marriage.The three brothers did not except this law and tried to capture the three sisters by force.This caused a major tribal battle and the lives of the three sisters were thus threatened.A witch doctor decided to turn the sisters into rocks in order to protect them and thought to reverse the spell only after the battle.Unfortunately,he was killed in the battle and the three sisters remained as the enormous and beautiful rock formations until today.The magnificent formation stands at 922m,918m,and 906m respectively.
