Exhibition Building

One hundred years celebration of Federation. The mud people. Creation story of the Wurundjeri. The people arose from beneath the mud near the Yarra Yarra River. Peaceful. Children playing, noises of birds splashing water.

Absence of the Kulin Nation, especially concerning the opening and founding of Australia’s first Commonwealth Parliament, 1901 – 1928 Exhibition Buildings.

White men with long grey and white beards, full of self importance. Smoking cigars and talking, laughing, putting people who feel outside that image down.

The spirit of the land has never left, but it has been suppressed.
Who are these men?.
What were their values?

Connections, protests, awareness.

Warriors from uniting clans/tribes/language groups surround the original Parliament site. Sounds rush through. Burning of gum leaves.

Strange people stand about. Some yell abuse, others snigger. What do we have to do in order for the Bereewolgal’s* to listen? Shaking spears are raised, painted up, stomping on cement, but beneath is earth. One hundred years of Federation cannot crush this land’s spirit.

Crying winds. Distress. Grief. Feel that sense of fragmentation. Lies built on someone else’s land. Lies fail to acknowledge, recognise; there is a force far greater than monolithic whitebeard man’s symbols.

Respect. Listening. Co-existence. A meeting of elders/olders. The founding fathers. Young warriors. The time is now.

© Lisa Bellear 2000
* People from far away (from the Eora Nation - Sydney area.)

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Recommendation 339

Recommendation three hundred and thirty nine
of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths
in Custody was for the establishment of the
Council of Aboriginal Reconciliation. The committee
comprised of twenty five "prominent" Australians. To
counteract any potential criticism of bias in favour of
Indigenous Australians, it was legislated that the majority of the members be non-Indigenous. The process was to occur over a ten year period. During that time discussion was to occur throughout Australia. Every Australian and every Indigenous person was supposed to have a say: yes/no/indifferent however everyone, including any skeptics out there, could potentially have a say on this Reconciliation business. Time passed and I know for a fact that many Koori people here in Victoria, haven’t been asked for their view. And I know for a fact that there are many angry, hurt and disillusioned Blackfellas throughout Australia who are just as equally fed up. So here we are as a nation which is unsure how to do, cope, acknowledge Indigenous folks. Come December 31, midnight 2000, the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, will cease to exist. I wonder will anyone out there give a damn?

© Lisa Bellear 2000

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Reconciliation spins my head

Forgive forget move on don’t
Cry

Deny the past forget our
Histories

Fragmentation of truths
lies too many for too
long it’s
wrong

Reconciliation spins my head
picked up the gun and now
you’re dead

© Lisa Bellear

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