Our Dispatch today was first published on 23 July 2011. Still the racist Intervention continues with white Australia’s complicity, the deliberate destruction of language is ongoing. Blame the victim – again, and again.
Bonjour mes amies,
Recently in the Australian, Helen Hughes, Sara Hudson and Mark Hughes from the Centre for Independent (?!) Studies blamed Aboriginal land rights and communal ownership for “remote indigenous poverty and dysfunction.” Economic prosperity for Aboriginal people, they argued, could be achieved only by establishing private property rights… The same sentiment I recall reading in a paper by Noel Pearson… something like “it’s the communal nature of Aboriginal society that is holding it back…”
Whose dysfunction? Back from what?
North of Yuendumu there is a place called Ngalikirlangu which means “belongs to you and me”
http://youtu.be/XaI5IRuS2aE
Apologies to the traditional owners of Ngalikirlangu for any errors and liberties in my rendering of this jukurrpa.
Around Ngalikirlangu there are scattered dark red granite boulders.
The yankirri (Emu) collected lots of yakajirri (Solanum Centrale) berries and made them into pirdijirri (round flat cakes).
He was accumulating a large quantity of cakes. He was the Kerry Packer of Central Australia.
Or if he was a she, the Gina Rinehart of Central Australia.
The emu was absent discussing a large contract to supply pirdijirri to a Chinese Consortium. The entrepreneurial Emu was also discussing the signing of a long term lease over Ngalikirlangu to the Commonwealth (incidentally Commonwealth in Warlpiri is Ngalipakurlangu – belonging to us all). The Commonwealth was offering to install some caves that some of the marlu (kangaroos) and others could then rent from Darwin run NT Yujuku . The Commonwealth would pay lease rent to the yankirri . The emu had arranged for the proceeds from the cakes to be deposited in the Gringotts Bank. The Commonwealth proposed to pay for the lease rental by raiding the emu’s bank account. The Commonwealth representative, Macklinavelia, had had herself appointed the manager of the Gringotts Bank.
During yankirri’s absense a wardilyka (Bush Turkey) flew into his camp and broke and scattered all the cakes, and flew away. They look like scattered granite boulders but we know that they were, are and always will be, smashed pirdijirri. They are timeless.
…If you look with your eyes, do you know what you will find? Open your mind!…
Reaction:
That bloody turkey! Quick, call Yuendumu Police 89-564004! Have that turkey arrested for destroying private property! Take him to court, put him in gaol with all the other Warlpiri men that are already there. We can’t tolerate that kind of behaviour!
Far-off reaction:
Those turkeys (every single one of them) continue to misbehave. We need to Intervene. Why don’t we put up blue signs wherever turkeys live “NO CAKE SMASHING NO PORNOGRAPHY” . We are going to need extra police and Ginger Bread Men and an army of cake inspectors, it is all for their own good! They have a Gap that we need to close (should we ask them about this? Nah!)
Warlpiri reaction:
That bloody emu! What a ngayarrka. He has so many pirdijirri , why doesn’t he share them? Serves him right! Good job!
Many a time I have mentioned that beautiful German word Weltanschauung.
A world view is not better or worse than any other, it is different, that’s all. It is the epitome of arrogance to think that we have a right to force our value judgements and Weltanschauung on others.
Who do you think you are, running ‘round leaving scars: http://youtu.be/OFOax0yPpiM
The ever expanding Global Economy and military battles and conflicts over yakajirri are not humanity’s crowning achievements, the ever evolving cultural and linguistic diversity is
…Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery,
None but ourselves can free our mind…
A bientot,
François
Bonus PS-
Suggest you Google Pangur Bán:
“…I and Pangur Bán my cat
‘Tis a like task we are at
Hunting mice is his delight
Hunting words I sit all night…”
So a new word heard on the telly: Schadenfreudegasm
This in relation to the Murdoch circus.
Check this out! (a tumour named Rupert):