Nick G.
(Above: Murray George and John Hartley)In the March edition of this paper there was a statement from Aboriginal Elders from the Northern Territory. It was an appeal to the people of Australia to “walk with us in true equality”.
Two Aboriginal men in South Australia have enacted that equality, bringing Aboriginal law and culture back to the communities of Pt Augusta and Coober Pedy without seeking the permission of, or relying on handouts from, the colonial authorities.
Karranjal John Hartley was born in N.S.W and is of Ku Ku Yalanji/Irish descent. Murray George is a senior man from the Kaltjiti community at Fregon on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands.
Remarkably, they have not only revived interest in traditional law and culture within their own people, but they have had a warm and positive response from non-Aboriginal people, and even the authorities, in the two towns.
Both towns are significant as meeting places and residences for people from various language groups around the north and west of South Australia. These groups are not always on good terms with each other, particularly in Coober Pedy with its proximity to Olympic Dam and other mining areas. The mining companies exacerbate conflict and play favourites over Land Titles disputes. It is colonial divide and rule at its worst, with big money involved.
Recognising that their traditional law and culture is vulnerable, John and Murray established the Aboriginal Law and Culture Movement to regenerate and maintain Aboriginal values, beliefs and practices.
They insisted that they do this on their own terms, that they needed, as John says, to “break out of organising within colonial constructs”.
“On their own terms” meant, among other things, that when it came to enacting traditional law in Pt Augusta and Coober Pedy at the beginning of this year they had no petrol, no money and no food.
A friendly donation gave them a kick-start, but it was eventually the support from within the Aboriginal communities of the two towns that enabled them to continue.
Arriving in Pt Augusta just before the New Year, John and Murray accessed some land through a local Elder, got hold of a grader and prepared a site for ceremonies and set about contacting locals and explaining their purpose.
After a week they were ready to begin. And it was not only the older members of the community who came to their camp, but some of the younger people in the town, young Aboriginal people with jobs to go to but with a real desire to embrace their culture and the learning of their old people.
One young fellow, with his family’s support, was assisted to go to the APY Lands and travel country. It has been quite unusual for young people in the towns, with all the attractions and temptations of the fast life, to willingly undertake the customary rites of passage, so for many people, this was an inspiring commitment.
Enacting traditional law was something that had not been done in Pt Augusta for 50 years, so there were a few misconceptions that had to be overcome, both within and outside of the Aboriginal community.
Meetings were held with the police, not for permission or approval, but simply to clear the air. A phone call was had with the Mayor.
In the event, the enactment of traditional law on the ceremony ground was attended by many in the Aboriginal community, including young people. The police described it as the quietest New Year for years and one provided the fuel money to get Murray and John to Coober Pedy.
There they made a more permanent camp. Positive meetings were held with the police and the local magistrate. These people, who were embedded in the colonial structures, could at least see the sense and the need for community Elders to be involved with the young people. Young Aborigines are grossly over-represented in the jails – everything the colonial authorities have tried to do has failed.
“We have ways to address problems with our young people, but we’re not recognised and supported by the colonial authorities, we’re not given or due or our worth,” John told Vanguard.
Working through a local Elder, more than one hundred of the Coober Pedy Aboriginal community gathered around the ceremony site where various activities were held to enact traditional law and to regenerate and rekindle customary law and culture.
Actually, over the time that the camp was functioning, something like 1000 Aborigines from all over, from the APY Lands, from Kokatha and Dieri country and from as far away as Western Australia came to celebrate law being enacted again in this community.
As Murray says, “We call ourselves brothers and sisters for a very good reason – because we are. There are many languages in our communities, but the law that runs through them is the same.”
The non-Indigenous community was also affected. The town was quiet and pleasant to walk around at night, lots of the tourists were inquisitive about what was happening, the income of shop-keepers increased and, in return, non-Aboriginal people helped out with boxes of food and drink for the camp.
“We didn’t wait for permission or proper funding to do this,” said John.
“We did what is our inherent right to do as Aboriginal people in our own land, bypassing the colonial authority.”
There is hope that what happened in these two towns will become an annual event.
There are some things involved with traditional law and culture that are not for sharing, but John was very positive about the willingness of traditional custodians to share what was for open knowledge and practice.
“We hold the stories, but we can share them too,” he said.
“But we need recognition and respect and support, for if that thin line of old fellers around the country who hold the stories and the Language dies out, then our young will be lost to us for all time and the oldest, continuous living culture on the face of the planet will cease to be.”
“Aboriginal culture is for all Australians. Our view is that if you’re born in this country, then you’re born of this country.”
(John and Murray are working on a documentary on songlines linking country. See their website at http://twobrotherswalking.com/ ).
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