Indigenous All-Stars & “white pride”
The following article by John T. Patten is the second in a series examining some of the most commonly stated and ridiculously racist beliefs held by many Australians. “The NRL Aboriginal All-Stars is a...
Category: Culture
Bushfires and hearing First Peoples’
Every once in a while It’s a good idea to pause and take stock. Now would be a very good time for doing this. We’re living in an amazing and alarming time, during an...
“Aboriginal people never even invented the wheel.”
The following article by John T. Patten is the first in a series examining some of the most commonly stated and ridiculously racist beliefs held by many Australians. Let’s start the series by examining something seemingly quite simple...
Spears: Form & Function
Prior to invasion, the spear was the principle weapon used in Australia by Aboriginal people for hunting and combat purposes. In its simplest form a traditionally produced spear is a weapon consisting of a...
Native Title is NOT Land Rights
The way in which a Koori person identifies with our culture, Country and history is complex. Each of us are the sum of over 65,000 years of unbroken history, family bonds and cultural practices,...
The Dingo: A native dog?
The Dingo (Canis dingo) is an animal which is shrouded in legend and many falsehoods. As a companion and hunting partner of Australia’s First Peoples, who are mythologised and misunderstood on an even greater...
Cleverman – The First Aboriginal Superhero?
“I wanted to create a superhero for my son,” says Ryan Griffen, the creator of ABC TV (Australia) / Sundance (USA) co-production of Cleverman. Set in a dystopian future, Cleverman is a new television series...
Were Aboriginal Australians Nomadic: Fact or Fiction?
One of the first ‘facts’ commonly taught when it comes to Aboriginal culture, history and people is the notion that prior to invasion all Aboriginal people were nomadic. This is an idea that exists and flourishes, despite...
Cultural Diversity in Aboriginal Art: It’s Not Just Dots
When you turn on the TV, open a book, flick through a newspaper or browse the internet, it’s likely that if you encounter a story about Aboriginal people written by a non-Indigenous person, you’ll...
If Everyone Cared: Margaret Tucker
Book Review Margaret Tucker’s If Everyone Cared is a book that is both significant as a matter of national record, and of personal relevance to me, as it deals with my own family’s history...
