Garma festival opens with call for 'strong agreement' on Indigenous lands
|
Version 0 of 2. A senior Indigenous leader has called for Australia to find a “strong agreement” to ensure Indigenous lands are protected “forever and a day”, at the official opening of the Garma festival in the Northern Territory. The festival officially opened on Friday afternoon at its “knowledge centre”, with Yolngu men and women wearing traditional body paint performing cultural ceremonies to welcome the guests and dignitaries. Djunga Djunga Yunupingu, a senior Gumatj man, said the ceremony was a tribute to the Gumatj leader Galarrwuy Yunupingu. The performers also honoured other past and future leaders who had fought for Yolngu, including the late Dr Yunupingu. “This is a ceremony where we show who we are. It gives us the courage to stand up and be who we are,” he said. He also sent a strong message about finding a strong agreement – perhaps a treaty – to protect Indigenous land. “Our message is unity, and what we seek is unity within the nation. Proud Yolngu, proud Australians, but to find unity we need a settlement within the nation, that lets us stand solid on our land forever and a day, never again to fear that our land or culture will be threatened or taken.” Related: NT government taking legal action against boys allegedly abused in juvenile detention The theme of the 2016 Garma recognises 40 years of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act. Denise Bowden, chief executive of the Yothu Yindi Foundation which runs the festival, said the act was “the high watermark in terms of social justice legislation in Australia”. From the knowledge centre, the opening festivities moved to the traditional bunggul ground across the site, where Yunupingu and others were honoured with more ceremonial dancing. The crowd were invited to join. The festival was then officially declared open. The NT opposition leader, Michael Gunner, gave a short speech expressing regret and delivering an apology for past government failings that led to the Don Dale juvenile detention centre abuses highlighted this week. Related: NT opposition leader 'sorry' for Labor's role in alleged youth detention abuses The festival, which takes place at the Gulkula site in north-east Arnhem Land, is host to dozens of the nation’s top Indigenous leaders, politicians and academics. The key forum was scheduled to begin on Saturday morning with a welcome from Galarrwuy Yunupingu and other Yolngu elders, before heading into back to back discussions on land rights, constitutional recognition, and economic development in Arnhem Land and Indigenous areas. Indigenous affairs minister Nigel Scullion was scheduled to deliver a speech on Saturday afternoon. He is expected to offer his apologies for being unaware of the abuses occurring at the Don Dale in Darwin. The founder of Cape York Partnerships, Noel Pearson, will deliver the Garma lecture. On Friday, the education began with a panel featuring NT and federal Labor politicians, including the newly elected senator Pat Dodson. Related: Indigenous affairs: Kenbi land claim settled after 37-year battle Several speakers pointed to the Don Dale abuses and the circumstances that led to the high rate of Indigenous juvenile detention. The federal Labor MP Warren Snowdon said more money had to be invested into children in the early years, to prevent their contact with the justice system. He told the Garma audience there was no excuse for what Australians had seen on TV on Monday night. “And to understand the history of the children involved, to understand their family situation, understand their own health needs, and what’s happened to them over the course of their life – the system has failed them,” Snowdon said. “These young people are victims and what we need to make sure is that we stop that cycle of victimisation. If it’s OK to spend $80,000 or $100,000 a year on incarcerating someone, why can’t we spend that ... on that person at the front end, and prevent it happening in the first place?” |