CONGRATULATIONS to members of the Malyangapa Native Title Claim Group who made the call to stop providing welcome to countries to non-Indigenous people.
If people were not taking the events seriously, or even worse, disprecting the meanings behind the services, no longer offering them is the smart thing to do.
It’s equivalent to laughing at the priest during a church service or talking through a national anthem.
Hopefully this causes people to stop and reflect, not just on why non-Indigenous people take part in welcome to countries and smoking ceremonies, but also acknowledgments of country.
You have to ask, is participation in welcomes to, and acknowledgments of, country about making urban white people feel better about themselves and avoiding doing anything meaningful or making a meaningful sacrifice to help improve the lives and outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people?
Talk is cheap. Action is hard.
While an apology to members of the Stolen Generation was cathartic for some, what did it really achieve?
Instead of focusing of performative ceremonies and easy words, perhaps focus on treaties and reparations. Things that might an actual make a difference.
Robert Morrison
Broken Hill
