Identity – lost and found

Adversity is part of our lives. We are confronted daily with minor – and some days with major – challenges of different degrees or extent. We react in various ways – and depending on our reaction we influence the outcome and expectation of the next event, the next part, the next step.

Family was a very important part of traditional indigenous life and this has not changed. Family is the source of all knowledge about Indigenous life and history. This knowledge is passed on to each new generation, just as it has been for centuries.

Passing on our knowledge to the next generation, our children, or not, as it is often the case, has stark outcomes. Children who grow up with the knowledge of their heritage, the peace that comes from the stability of their ancestors and the security of a well-known tradition, exude a confidence and seem to be prepared for all kinds of diversity and adversity that comes their way. A generation who is denied those privileges wanders seemingly aimless and without knowing where to turn to in difficult situations, leaving them like seeds floating through air. The bond that is created by generational knowledge is like a security rope that prevents us from falling when we lose our balance while at the same time enabling us to have the confidence to step outside our comfort zone knowing that this ‘rope’ is there to catch us.

The identity, robbed from generations of indigenous children in Australia, is slowly being restored. Dance, art and music are ways indigenous people in towns and cities can stay connected to their unique heritage. It allows people to learn about the dreamtime, ancestors and families, their sacred sites and stories.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags are both symbols that allow Australian Indigenous people to maintain their identity. The flags represent identity, unity and pride amongst indigenous groups. The Aboriginal flag was flown for the first time on the 12th of July back in 1971 in Victoria Square, Adelaide, South Australia. The Torres Strait Islander flag was first flown in May 1992, just before the High Court of Australia recognized continuous indigenous rights to the land in the historic ‘Mabo’ decision.

The outcome for those with an understanding of the historical events that have taken place within their race is a calmness for a generation that otherwise carries anger and resentment for the adversities they have suffered. This understanding, drawn from the Elders, gives them the desire to learn and understand more of the past, and in turn enables them to re-build this knowledge, this security of background and tradition in their children, thus playing a vital role in creating a strong, confident future generation.

‘Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.’ (Maria Robinson, Author)

Multi-Culturalism today – a small world

The 1st July is an important date to Torres Strait Island communities – it is the start of the ‘Coming of the Light Festival’, celebrated both on the islands and on mainland Australia.

In July 1871, the Reverend Samuel MacFarlane, a member of the London Missionary Society, anchored at Erub (Darnley Island) in the Torres Strait. He was accompanied by South Sea Islander evangelists and teachers. Dabad, a Warrior Clan Elder on Erub, defied his Tribal law and openly welcomed the foreigners. Within a few days, Nadai, leader of Dauan (Cornwallis Island), agreed to allow the missionaries to settle there. This acknowledgement of the missionaries was the acceptance of a change that would profoundly affect every aspect of life in the Torres Strait from that time onwards. It meant the end of inter-island conflict.

Without compromising their core cultural values, they have responded to their common experiences of paternalistic control by forging a new pan-islander identity as a united people. The Islanders were remarkably successful in absorbing Pacific Islander, Asian and European immigrants to create a tolerant multi-cultural society long before it became the norm in the rest of Australia, becoming a model of successful multiculturalism.

Torres Strait Islands have created their own syncretic culture that is distinctive, vital and enduring. When Islanders reflect upon their cultural heritage, they are often unaware of the many elements that have flowed into it and do not recognize their own genius as a people for choosing, adapting and elaborating new elements without compromising their generations-old core cultural values.

With a cross section of cultures, Australia is battling with its own core values for the next generation. No longer can we go back to the ways of the Indigenous people nor the colonial culture. But we can embrace them, developing a culture that encompasses both, with right moral and ethical practices.

Metamorphosoz is working to combine the different cultures, distinct traditions, various backgrounds – bringing them together to create something new, exciting and refreshing – to showcase the multi-cultural society Australia has always been with the rich history of the Indigenous people and the multi-facetted traditions of the Colonial, European and Asian settlers.

‘When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.’ (Viktor Frankl)

State of Origin

This month sees the start of the annual Rugby League challenge between Queensland and New South Wales (known as ‘State of Origin’). To play for either team requires that the players have either played in one state for most of their career or that they originate from that state.

It is the latter that is important and resonates with us as individuals. Our country, or state of origin, expresses who we are, where we come from and to whom we belong. Our nature as human beings is the desire to belong. It is only as we break it down, from country, to county, to village, to family, to name, that we truly find our identity.

This is exemplified by the Aboriginal people. Their name gives an indication and was put together to give a full picture of that particular individual:

a tribal name, depending on the blood father (Patronym); a name, depending upon the suitable marriage union and the blood mother (Gamomatronym); a name particularising the blood-mother from her offspring (Paedomatronym); a name, depending on the group to which the individual belongs (Heteronym); a name, depending on the person’s own true family connections (as understood among Europeans) (Geneanym); a personal or individual name, based for the most part upon physical peculiarities or objects of nature (Autonym); and a name, depending upon his social degree, his status on the social ladder (Climanym) (W. E. Roth, The Queensland Aborigines, Vol. I)

Even today their name reflects their origin, easily traced back by knowledgeable Elders. The importance of knowing our origin gives the stability and confidence to live a fulfilled life. It doesn’t matter where we are going. As long as we know where we are coming from, we can live in the knowledge, confidence and security of recognizing where we are going. ‘It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.’ (Charles Darwin)

‘A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.’ (Marcus Garvey, 1867 – 1940)