Aboriginal Children V
In amongst the many words written in many places about the “Little Children are Sacred” report into the sexual abuse of Aboriginal children in the Northern Territory, there is one small point but fairly important point which I haven’t seen much mention of. In a way it links to one of the issues I raised in a past post on Aboriginal languages.
Part of recommendation 93 of the report was “that the Overview section be translated into the nine main Aboriginal languages in the Northern Territory, published in an appropriate format and distributed to communities throughout the Territory.”
I understand this task is underway, but has yet to be completed. While the rest of the nation goes on at length about the subject of the report and how to respond to it, many of the people who the report is most directly about and who are most directly affected by it have yet to be able to read it in their own languages.
Despite the federal government originally vilifying people who called for consultation and engagement with Aboriginal in implementing their response to the report, Minister Mal Brough is now making comments indicating that decisions about implemention on some key issues, like alcohol restrictions on communities, may now be made by the people at local level.
“we’ve said all along (sic?!) they’re the sort of things we want to work with communities.”
This new view of Minister Brough’s supporting local involement in decision making is a very good thing – if it turns out to be what actually occurs. However, to have the best chance at getting fully effective engagement and cooperation, it would help if everyone was reading from the same report, which includes people being able to read it and hear about it in their own languages.
7 Comments, Comment or Ping
doctor victor kacala
a smile_$$$ around any tree in he-he*sHE,
would bee FAiR!?’s!.
i tink in ink that this all i WILL eveR need.
Jul 8th, 2007
CORAL
Yes, get rid of the grog and bring on the food instead.
Jul 8th, 2007
Marilyn
Trouble is the Living Black on SBS tonight has made it clear that the government are shutting down self determination for towns that are sustaining themselves and making vast improvements to homes and communities.
The question is why and the answer is not too hard. Some of the towns are on beautiful tourist sites and others are on mining sites.
Jul 8th, 2007
Neville Scarlett
Yes it’s pretty inportant that the communities get a translation of the report or at least a Plain English version. Formal academic style language can be pretty hard to understand even for English speakers.
Because so many Aboriginal people are multilingual using English and a few Aboriginal languages, Pitjantjatjara, Arrernte, Gunwinggu and Gupapuyngu would cover a lot of NT people..maybe Murinbata for the Top End western side.
Jul 10th, 2007
Rita
All- Aboriginal problems seem to be narrowed to alcohol solely. What wonderful terms of reference!! Typical.
Alcohol is a symptom rather than a cause.
There is no point to produce numerous reports and recommendations never to be implemented; most of them are too patronising, shallow and intellectually miserable.
The only solution I can see is for our politicians to go and see the genuine assistance to indigenous citizens in countries like Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, or Canada.
In contrast, all we demand from our indigenous population is to stop drinking and start working. And all we offer to them is punitive measures, hostility and false pretences that we care, particularly prior to elections. One can get a nasty feeling that some government officals behave towards indigeneous population like an animal welfare group rather than democratic representatives of co-citizens.
And yet, there are pockets of white population in Australia where social problems are identical, and in some suburbs four generations of white masters of Australia have been unemployed, heavily drinking, using drugs and involved in all sorts of offences.
It is a shame that such a rich country like ours have not been able to build any infrustructure for native inhabitants. Some settlements in the outback presented on TV look worse than slums in some poor African/Latin American countries. Welcome to the Third World!!
P.S. By the way, which education institution in Australia would offer studies of Aboriginal languages?
Jul 11th, 2007
doctor victor kacala
e.g., “so, i ask that andrew to see if i can go to palm island primary school.
i would teach abc kids a system of governance of MIND=reason, then the kids can teach the adults. kids learn quick [and they are gorgeous] & so adults will be PUT TO THE SWORD BY THEIR KIDS [privately].
so, i would be there to agitate as a child and have lots of fun at the same time.
of course, i would be there as a volunteer AND i know how & when to keep my mouth shut [i.e., i can anothers pain above my own [e.g., as in the above ’story’].
so, andrew with my basic method abc kids would be the FIRST to know my complete system, that i would distribute among ALL people at palm island. this would make ALL people on palm island, being FIRST, very valuable to other abc people as teachers/managers.
there would only be need for a FIRST class telecom system for inter & intra state trade in ideas, views & things.
andrew knows enough to put a reasonable case – i would be a volunteer MANAGER or advisor, who acts like a smart 7+ year old.
who would get the credit?
abc people, due to the fact that i ask questions and give ideas AS AN ADVISOR – thus, if people do good [or evil] they get the credit [or debit]. with modern coms, a COMPLETE student edited portfolio would be obtained by each student/family/etC.
there would be NO tests – the results [the kids] can speak for them-selves?!u.
i could help those in power fix their own problems [TOTAL privacy] – there are manadatory requirements for child abuse [i would NOT want to know - i would report].
i have a blue card – my focus would be 12+ boys.
naturally, i am open to any changes on as required basis.
i can assure u that the people of palm island would have the BEST management control system ANY where in the world, and they will do it on the trot of little trotters.”
so wat da ya tink, tinker tiler man, abC?
Jul 13th, 2007
doctor victor kacala
the reality is that we [u&i] are all in a prison of our past to the extent that we let bad ideas persist. i have a defensive strategy [u may not think so] – i only attack [verbally or writing] after an attempt at a private negotiation to resolve a dispute.
people often dismiss me due to my ‘looks/dress’ & lack of power [eco, gov, admin etc].
u have more power than u give u-self credit for. of course, with power comes duty & errors in action [in-action] & guilt with errors.
being ‘depressed’ is a waste of my time. so, i do not bother.
all people suffer from this social legacy.
there is no such thing as ‘history’ – merely a fabricated history of one or more persons that is meant to convey the ‘events’ that shape a story.
thus, a history of the child is HER/HIS history – history is then fabricated as a series of memories that a person may choose to remember or not.
there are many such people as josephine above of all ages, across the world. it is for this reason that i gave andrew the book “a terrible beauty” – and so it is.
i hope she gives u a lift if u are feeling down andrew – i always find that a smile from a child can wash away the tragedy, in a flash of a smile.
most adults carry the burden of guilt, that is carried in their own [selective] memories. the beauty of any child is that joy comes easily with ’small’ changes.
it is for this reason i like kids more than adults – it is not hard to see why i rage against a social eco history that is humanity. much of the pain could be cut with proper systems [fair] of governance of MIND and social exchange.
i think that loss of fun & useless pain is OUR [all] great tragedy, as a species.
what i find SO frustrating are [e.g.,] fat-cats who fail to act to help me do a job that i know i can do.
sadly, we get a mind kill at schools and unis & various other tasks that our social systems impose on us.
we seem to have so many iSMs in our social systems e.g., racism. oz is not immune.
Jul 13th, 2007