Cultural death by apathy

Native American film maker and academic Associate Professor Patty Loew from the University of Wisconsin who made Way of the Warrior was so impressed with our doco - she is fighting a similar battle to remove offensive mascot labels such as Redskins etc - that she informed us that she would give a private viewing of our doco to Oprah Winfrey when she met her at the convention for African American, Native American and Hispanic journalists in Chicago in July.

The Maori International Indigenous Film Festival was a memorable event that left lasting impressions on Rhonda and me. The cultural exchanges were a highlight and I believe there may well be a strong argument for Indigenous Australians to model the Marae concept in each identified community in Australia.

Further, I think the concept of adopting a single Indigenous language - out of the 300 that were spoken pre colonisation - as the accepted language for inclusion in the national curriculum is worth considering.

This should not be viewed as an insult to other active Indigenous language speakers around the nation but seen more as an opportunity for others to learn a second or third language in much the same vogue as those who learn Japanese, French or German at school.

There are about 100 Aboriginal languages in everyday use in Australia with about 50,000 people speaking an Indigenous language as their first language. Languages that I felt had potential as a language for inclusion in the national curriculum include: Yolngu (north eastern Arnhem Land) with about 6,000 speakers; Arrernte (southern and central Northern Territory) with about 3,000 speakers; and Warlpiri (central Australia) with 3,000 speakers.

I am not a fluent speaker of my language, and don’t know an elder from my large tribe (Kullilli) who is, so like the other 450,000 Indigenous Australians who fall into the same category I’d encourage our leaders to consider it as a viable option to our cultural restoration.

And then when a similar Marae concept is erected progressively around the nation we could use this new language as a means of cultural expression and transmission.

The book Te Marae: A guide to customs & protocol highlights the significance of the Marae. Only in the Marae can the high levels of wairua (spirituality), mana (prestige), and tikanga (customs) be practised in a safe environment. Here they are able to stand upon the Earth Mother and speak; express themselves, weep, laugh, hug or kiss each other. Every emotion can be expressed with others - shared not only with the living but also with those generations who have gon ki tua o te aria (beyond the veil).

Indigenous Australians in the main have failed each other, especially their children, in passing down the knowledge and respect of their ancestors - the statistics pointing to high levels of dysfunction are hard to argue with - and as such the leaders need to consider Indigenous models of cultural restoration from abroad.

Sure, Maori is a single language but like in Australia their race - up to the era of the baby boomers - were persecuted by government officials for speaking it. But today their strong advocacy of restoring pride through language reinstatement has paved the way to improved relations with the Pakea in their country.

If these radical innovations are implemented nationally in Australia we may, like the NZ Maori television station does, see a day in the next generation when the National Indigenous Television (NITV) will broadcast in the new adopted national Indigenous language and be comprehended fully by Indigenous and non-Indigenous viewers alike.

Although there will be a lot of dissention to the very mention of a single Indigenous language by our leaders I instead will seek to remedy our current crisis of cultural death by apathy and continue to follow the famous line adopted by Franklin D Roosevelt who once said: “If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.”