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Do Aussie Black Lives Matter?

Do Aussie Black Lives Matter?

Last updated on: January 24, 2018 at 1:32 pm by Bekah Evie Bel

Do Aussie Black Lives Matter? 2018-01-24T13:32:50+10:00 Bekah Evie Bel

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

men and boys playing a game of gorri

Men and boys playing Gorri. Public domain, via wikimedia commons.

I was reading an article the other day about how people in Australia, namely white people in Australia, find it hard to believe that black people in Australia should be part of the Black Lives Matter movement, because we have little to no video evidence of crimes against our black people.

The truth is, what happens to black people in America is very different to what happens to our own black people. This is not say that it isn’t bad here too, as this recently released video will show you. Police violence against our Aboriginal peoples does happen, and it needs to be fixed and fought. But the sort of things that happen in the US aren’t on the same level here – though percentage wise the numbers could be similar, I am not sure.

A black person here gets pulled over by the police, the cops are likely to assume the Aboriginal is drunk or high, that they have drugs or stolen goods in the car and violence is highly possible, from either party – but generally speaking, neither of them, black person or police officer, are likely to be in fear for their life.

The reality is bad in and of itself, but, the lesser amount of deadly violence that happens, does make it more difficult for us to see the problems. Thus we don’t really see how our own black people are in any way in need of the Black Lives Matter movement. [1]

The article pushes the idea that our black peoples lives matter too. And this is true. But I don’t think we should place too much emphasis on BLM for our black people.

Our black people are different to the American black people. African Americans were, originally, taken from their own lands and peoples, enslaved and placed in America and other countries. Aussie Aboriginals however were here in Aus before white people ever came here. We took their land, their culture, their children, their everything. And we are still taking it. There are similarities between the Aboriginals and African Americans, certainly.

But in many ways Australian Aboriginals are more akin to Native Americans than they are to African Americans.

Thus it is that their battle is not exactly the same one that is fought within the Black Lives Matter movement.

Certainly, our own black people should be considered part of that movement too – they are victims of racially charged violence and such, including by our police. And some of the issues that African Americans are facing and fighting are relevant to our own Aboriginal peoples. But I am afraid that their unique struggles might get lost in the face of a movement that originated for another people, in another country. We need to not get caught up in the colour of their skin. Yes, they are generally dark skinned (there are white Aboriginals too however). But they are not African Americans, and their battle is very different and we should not confuse the two.

Our Aboriginal people are being erased. When I was in school, we would learn small things about the Aboriginals, but it was all past tense. Sure, Aboriginal history is of course past tense because, history is the past [2]. But their culture and religions were also taught in the past tense. I was taught about how they used to believe this and that about the Dreaming and Dreamtime.

the Aussie bunyip

I don’t know if the bunyip is still believed in, But I hope so! Public domain, via wikimedia commons.

I was never made aware of the fact that they still do believe in the Dreaming. Or some do. Many are raised in white culture and thus follow white beliefs and sadly may not even realise the truth of their people until they are adults [3]. Because they, they were in the same school classes as I was. They were being taught that their culture and religions and languages are past tense.

Not only are we being taught that the Aboriginal people are pretty much no more, but they are being taught that. They are being taught that they are past tense and they no longer exist.

This is done by us acting like they are basically just black coloured white people – as though their blackness is some kind of disability or disease that makes them different and pitiable, but they are still basically the same as us. So we should of course make sure they know they are the same as us, and never let them know how they are different – so as to give them a chance to achieve some measure of whiteness. So, our culture is their culture, they have no other culture. Our religions are their religions, they have no other religions. Our world is their world, and no they cannot go back to their world, because their world means not being white. And not being white is about the worst thing ever.

The beliefs, cultures, religions, languages, lifestyles and history of the Aboriginal peoples are considered to be lesser, barbaric, pathetic and something to be avoided at all costs. While this perception exists, we will always see our First Nations people as inferior – especially if they seek to reclaim their heritage. And so long as we see their heritage and thus them as inferior, they will always be treated as they are now. They will always be erased by our schools, our government, our judicial system, by all of us.

I had finished writing this entire post when I came across a Facebook post about Aboriginals welcoming the Black Lives Movement in Australia. In the comments I saw, white people of course, saying things like, “They never had it as bad as Negroes and Indians, and we are trying to make their lives better now. We are trying to help them catch up with us.” < paraphrased.

I just have to add about this. First, we slaughtered them almost into nonexistence [4]. In my area, there are no Aboriginals left from the local tribe. None. The last died in the 1800s. They had it pretty damn bad.

And secondly, “Help them catch up with us” – exactly what I was saying. Help them become more white. Because that’s what matters right? That they become more white.

Slaughterhouse Creek

Nah they didn’t have any problems at all. Slaughterhouse Creek. Public domain.

The Aboriginal people can and indeed have chosen to be part of Black Lives Matter, and we should support them in this completely. But I think, what they really need is a movement of their own, tied into and related to the Black Lives Matter movement, but created for them specifically, their needs and their issues. If we get caught in an American movement for our own people, we run the risk of erasing our people even more.

Do Aussie black lives matter? Yes, they most assuredly do.

Black lives matter. But the Aboriginal People Matter too.

Notes

1 – The fact that every story I read about what it is like to grow up black in a white society is from African Americans, doesn’t help in this either. We need more stories from our Aboriginals and their unique experiences living in our white Aussie society. Modern stories, not just ones from the past. What is happening to them right now?

2 – Most of Aboriginal history we are taught is in their relations to white ‘colonisation’, we don’t learn much about pre-English invasion Aboriginal history. And what we learn about them since our invasion happened is full of lies and holes anyway.

3 – If an Aboriginal chooses to not live and believe according to their heritage, that is their choice. But they should be able to know, from a young age, that the choice actually does exist!

4 – Check out some, slightly old, stats. 3% of our population are Aboriginal (in 2011). And of those, only 1% follow traditional Aboriginal religions, 24% are non-religious and 73% are Christian.

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