Bonjour mes amies,
Back in the last century I read Herge’s ‘Kuifje in Amerika’ in Dutch. Half a century later a French friend gave me ‘Tintin en Amerique’ to help me improve my limited French. On page 28 a petroleum geyser erupts. On page 29 in quick succession a bevy of businessmen miraculously appears and offer Tintin large sums of money, “Je regrette infiniment,,.” that the oil belongs to the Indians Tintin tells them. “Why didn’t you say so?” The attention is then swiftly turned to the Indian chief who is offered $25 to leave his country within half an hour “Le Visage-Pale est-il fou?…” retorts the chief, “The Paleface, is he crazy?” or as we say these days “Are you joking?”. A troop of soldiers with fixed bayonets promptly evicts the Indians, and a city springs up. Tintin who is still dressed as a cowboy is told by a traffic policeman that fancy dress is forbidden “Do you think you’re in the wild West?”
I’m more than half way through reading Mark Moran’s ‘Serious Whitefella Stuff’, a seriously interesting book.
Chapter 6- Planning the Return to Mapoon includes: “On 14 November 1963, the Queensland Police forced a small party identified as the leaders of the resistance onto a boat and relocated them to New Mapoon. Most of their houses were burnt down during the removal, and the remainder (bar one) were demolished the following year…. Rachel Peters witnessed the burning firsthand…. ‘Even stoves, new stoves that were expensive, but they were burnt down, we didn’t have a chance to get anything out’ ”
One of the official reasons for the Queensland Government’s actions was an inadequate water supply
In 1958 the bauxite mining company Comalco had been issued a mining lease over the area.
In Yuendumu because of a looming water shortage it has been decided no more yapa (Aboriginal) houses would be built. The alleged water crisis doesn’t seem to have affected construction of kardiya (Palefaces) houses which continues apace.
A 2015 Dispatch contained the following based on Stephen Clarke’s book ‘1000 Years of Annoying the French’:
“…In 1713 King Louis XIV ceded all of French Canada to Britain (Treaty of Utrecht) including Acadie (Nova Scotia). Between 1755 and 1763 an estimated 12,600 Acadiens were deported…At Grand Pré, empty cargo ships arrived and all males over the age of ten were commanded to attend a meeting on pain of forfeiting goods and chattels. Colonel Winslow told over 400 assembled men and boys that “…. your money and household goods and you yourselves will be removed from this Province” As it transpired there was no room on the ships for the chattels, and contrary to promises families were split up and men and women transported separately…
The last (almost three thousand) deportees set sail, packed tightly as slaves in 14 vessels. If the Acadiens had had portholes they would have seen the smoke and flames rising from their settlements, as the soldiers burned houses and barns, to ensure the departure was final.
And then there was the East Kimberley community of Oombulgurri:
The West Australian- 26 June 2014:
“The Department of Housing confirmed this week about 44 houses and associated infrastructure like fencing, demountable school buildings, the power house, donga dwellings, various sheds and septic tanks would be buried ‘on-site’”
ABC News- 23 September 2014:
(Aboriginal Affairs Minister) Peter Collier said demolition was necessary to reduce further vandalism and theft, and to leave the site in a safe condition for future non-residential use by the traditional owners.
[Genius!!! Might this non-residential use include exploration for diamonds by non-traditional owners? Might the real reason be to ensure the departure was final?]
The Guardian- 27 Nov.2014:
“Finally, the 10 residents who resolutely stayed to the end were forcibly evicted, given just two days notice of eviction and allowed to bring only one box of belongings each. They had to leave behind cars, whitegoods, tools and personal possessions.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Propellerheads featuring Shirley Bassey- History Repeating
Ils sont pareil, n’est-ce pas?
Francois