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naraburns  nihil supernum  2yr ago (text post)   32844 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of October 31, 2022

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The word prayer is fairly apt, for the 'acknowledgement of country' that's made at the start of many Australian meetings, lectures and public events. There are even theological disputes!

Per NSW university:

“I would like to show my respects and acknowledge the Bedegal people who are the Traditional Custodians of the Land on which this meeting takes place, and to Elders past and present”.

“I would like to acknowledge the Bedegal people that are the Traditional Custodians of this land. I would also like to pay my respects to the Elders both past and present and extend that respect to other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who are present here today.”

The more recent practice of acknowledging “emerging leaders” or “Elders past, present, and emerging” is generally not accepted practice in the Indigenous community and should not be used.

Apparently we have moved on from 'emerging elders' since nobody knows who is an emerging elder. 'First Australians' is also out since many don't identify as Australian.

If you want to stress how woke you are, you can also go for 'sovereignty was never ceded'. This is what the NGOs are promulgating: https://acij.org.au/about-us/acknowledgement-of-country/

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands on which we work and pay our respects to Indigenous Elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty has never been ceded. It always was and always will be, Aboriginal land.

We recognise the past atrocities against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of this land and that Australia was founded on the genocide and dispossession of First Nations people. We acknowledge that colonial structures and policies remain in place today and recognise the ongoing struggles of First Nations people in dismantling those structures. The struggle to seek justice, to remember and address this nation’s past is ongoing and is a necessary requirement for individual and collective healing process.

Of course, sovereignty was ceded, as is obvious from observing who controls the country and who is internationally recognized to control the country. These are legal terms, you can't just say that sovereignty resides somewhere it doesn't.

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