Tent Embassy arrival in Victoria Park, and APEC Nukes protest

Talk 11

Michael Luke McElroy, Native Black, Mothers mother Eora, Fathers mother Wiradjuri. with Anne.

1. Sovereignty is the natural law.

2. The government and the judiciary would be the natural justice to the natural laws. It would be free.

Also, I'd like to see a research project across the nation in Aboriginal law, so there can be an Aboriginal judiciary, and I'd like to be able to start out a reconciliation with native blacks.

I'd like to steer away from assimilating references, e.g. the word Aboriginal, because legislation applying to Aboriginals does not represent earlier rights of native blacks. I want to go back to the threshold of the issues relating to sovereignty.

Talk 10

Aunty Isabell Coe, Aboriginal Tent Embassy Elder, Wiradjuri Nation, with Anne.

1. Sovereignty means we own from one end of our country to the other end. We never ceded sovereignty in any form.

it represents over 700 Aboriginal nations.

2. We own one end of our country to the other end, when every blackfella owns his own country.

Talk 9

Darren Bloomfield, keeper of the Sacred fire, Aboriginal tent Embassy, with Anne.

1. Sovereignty is personal.

It belongs to us, not you.

Talk 8

Robert i Corowa, from the Bundjalung Nation, with Anne.

1. Sovereignty means somebody has got ownership of the land- somebody powerful who can make your life a misery or happy. That person is the owner of the land.

There is only one true owner of the land, and that is our father in Heaven. The persons who come from the land, their blood is deep in the land. These people are known by God. It makes that sovereignty. So many generations died on the land and became the dust. What's belonging to the soil is belonging to the people.

2. Basically, it would look like a 3 tier structure:

      1. The custodian/ elders of the land. That's the first structure.

      2. The parliament of Australia.

      3. The state parliaments of Australia.

talk 7

Terry Nullius, (from Australia, the land of milk and honey). with Anne.

1. Sovereignty means to inherit the land by your perpetual blood right.
It also means Hands off! Private Property!

2. It would look like Eden, the garden of Eden.

talk 6

Keith Kaulfuss, Melbourne. with Anne.

1. To me, it means Aboriginal control of their own destinies. Whatever they want. No more deaths in custody. True justice. It's more than equality, I reckon.

2. Smiling blackfellas. Happiness throughout the country, white and black.

Fifth talk.

David Dryden (Yorta Yorta Nation)

with Anne

1. A: What is sovereignty? What does it mean to you?

    DD:It means Language, land rights.

    It means my kids.

    It means black, yellow, red.

    It means history.

    It means Aunty Charles, Uncle Ian

    It means opportunity for jobs.

    It means rivers, trees, water, treaty. Everything.

2. A: What would sovereignty physically look like?

    DD:It would be open. It would be free.

    Acknowledgement would be finally acknowledged.

    People would be healed.

    People would start having better lives.

    If that ever happens- it might be 10 years time, we're gonna still be 85 years behind,

    so we'd have to catch up.

    Resources would have to be injected over a long time.

Fourth Conversation

Ollie, Sydney, with Anne, Sydney.

1. A: What is sovereignty? What does it mean to you?

    O:It's like a recognition of equal rights to ownership of what we construct as a nation.

    

2. A: What would sovereignty physically look like?

    O:"White" Australia and Aboriginal Australia equal autonomous parts.

    If they work together, good. If they don't, that's ok. Each exercises its sovereignty.

O:What about you?

    A:For the first question, the power to control your destiny.

    For the second question, elders overseeing decisionmaking in their territories.

O: But what if 200 years of occupation has decimated their capacity to self-regulate?

    A:There needs to be institutional support.

O: Couldn't that be colonialist? Who oversees that support?

    A:Elders. A council of elders.

O: I suppose that could work.

Third Conversation

Monique (Melbourne), Monika (Sydney), Catherine (Melbourne).

with Anne

1. A: What is sovereignty? What does it mean to you?

    Catherine:Wealth, recognition, and respect.

    Monique:Right to land, right to wealth and space- just in general.

    Monika:Recognition and acceptance.

2. A: What would sovereignty physically look like?

    Catherine:unconditional love and acceptance from leadership.

    Monika:It might have signs of recognition in local areas.

    Catherine:Education of the public- people just knowing. Shopping bags that say "If you can read this,

    you're standing on Indigenous land".

    Monique:When people ask "where are you from?", saying "I'm from Wiradjuri land" instead of

    Canberra, Bunnerong land instead of Melbourne.

Second Conversation

Dany Boulos, Newcastle, NSW.

with Anne

1. A: What is sovereignty? What does it mean to you?

    DB:Interesting question. Rights to land, rights to the recognition of the genocide that happened,

     the right to not have to live under a society that you did not construct.

2. A: What would sovereignty physically look like?

    DB:I don't know.

Jan 26, Tent Embassy. First Conversation:

Michael Jack (Northern Rivers NSW, Rainbow Chai Tent) with Paul Ferguson (Wiradjuri, Aboriginal Tent Embassy, Canberra)

with Anne

1. A: What is sovereignty? What does it mean to you?

    PF:To me, probably what I've learnt, and what I've been taught is that sovereignty is the dignity of

    my inner self. This gets back to the elders' circle. Listen and obey the things they say.

    If everyone were to work with their sovereignty, life would be better. It means acknowledging

    difference, where you come from.

    MJ:We are the sovereign citizens of this land and of this planet.

2. A: What would sovereignty physically look like?

    MJ:It would look like an Aboriginal parliament.

    PF:Yeah, indigenous departments.

    MJ:An elders' circle that has the same power as parliament.