Reflection on What Reconciliation and Repatriation Can Look Like
“When was the last time you changed your mind about something?”
I had a great week visiting Oz again. Just like many of you, I’ve got to learn a couple more things as we spend time on the internet and talking to people who come from the background or are kind enough to share their knowledge with us. This time around, I knew I was flying in there, not to a land of a Commonwealth; a developed nation but instead a stolen land that belongs to a hidden nation, a product of colonialization. The city (Melbourne, or Naarm in Woi Wurrung) that I was about to see isn’t all about the White Australian and their slang; the result of efficient resource allocation and good governance; or the beautiful well-maintained nature when all that still leaves the First Peoples at an extreme disadvantage, put aside in the land of their ancestors.
Where am I getting with this?
February is the Black History Month in the United States. We are surely familiar with the Black Lives Matter movement (if not, please educate yourself), the toll that racial discrimination and violence have taken on society, and how it resonated with many dark-skinned people who are horribly treated and used as scapegoats across the world. With more knowledge about the reality that many people experience on and off the internet, we have developed empathy and are slowly (though it needs to be a lot faster) progressing toward positive change, like with what can we make fun of, what’s the racial bias that we need to remove, what perspectives we need to detach ourselves from to make it not dangerous to others to exist, etc. However, being a triple minority in Indonesia and living very far away from the U.S., I think that there are issues that we don’t necessarily talk about with the goal of making progress and restoring justice when, unfortunately, similar stuff is happening in our own backyard.
I find it very inspiring to have seen from the surface how our neighbor has been very apparent with their commitment toward inclusivity and addressing their past and their efforts in making the land livable for everyone: the Indigenous, the minorities, even including the great-grandchildren of people who took part or complicit during the colonialization — I know that people would say that “X did not take part in colonial conquest and enabling them so why drag them into this issue?”. This is also not to paint the country as already doing the best but rather as a look at what are the steps they’ve taken to call it positive progress. That’s exactly why I wish to lay down my thoughts, gather my perspectives, and share my experiences in visiting the different learning opportunities there.
1 Going through some museum exhibitions, there is an acknowledgment of the roles of the Indigenous people in the preservation of nature and that they have an extremely developed way of life and form of art unique to the geography and their history of migration.
Talking about museums: are museums really the most ethical institution to learn from? The British Museum may not steal many important sacred, cultural artifacts but they take part in keeping the looted items from those who need them back. I quickly learned about the Acknowledgment of Country from the airport announcement and several boards in stores but I was very surprised to see a very big apology on the front
which to me is just as necessary as the disclaimer of whether it is a replica artwork or an imitation of an actual organism. In case it’s too lengthy, just focus on the following keywords: pay respect, reconciliation, and Traditional Owners/Custodians.
It shows they are not pushing back against those who demand changes in the collection (repatriation; giving back items) and they are actively consulting with the people who are part of the First Peoples' histories and cultures in the excavation and explanation. It is an obvious red flag to rely on someone outside of your group to speak on behalf of your history.
The museum was quite small and I found everything to be more digestible because who needs a sophisticated number of displayed items or labels but makes it difficult for people to understand, let’s say, how seafaring cultures in the Torres Strait, the coast of New Guinea, and other parts of Queensland impact the tools that they have. It didn’t occur to me that they used coconut shells as drinking water bottles and that pandan (well, their family) leaves were used as sails. People may start to wonder, “how is any of these Australian?” Well, the Torres Strait Islanders have occupied a big part of Australian land. They are part of the Melanesian history with civilizations strongly tied to New Guinea. It is we who were only taught about the Kangaroos, Koalas, Maccas, Tim-Tams, or the surfing culture.
The artwork by the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islander is also just as strikingly beautiful as their patterns and colors show their deep-rooted connection with their soil, passed-down myths that have helped them get through life, and invoking the idea about whose land this really belong. It is amazing to see that many dedicated collections for Indigenous arts when we know well that they could probably just put more European-centric styles.
On the natural side, I got to explore a bit about the Great Barrier Reef protection. There is known to be a “coming-of-age” ritual where young boys were brought to the Lizard Island or “Jiigurru”. It is also an island where Elders from various clans meet and it was a place where they can share resources. Jiigurru is located in the Great Barrier Reef and the Torres Strait Islanders are its Traditional Owners. This is a reminder to protect our coral from invasive mining and trash-dumping activities, and that the First Peoples, just like many indigenous communities around the world, are on the forefront of protecting the nature from climate change.
Read more about how the Torres Strait Islanders are given the role in the GBR conservation: [1]
Contemporary science and environmental sustainability have long been part of the Indigenous Science derived from “many millennia of inquiry, experimentation, and teaching” that should be respected; the unique perspectives on how wildlife works in Australia, probably result in the way they display most organisms according to their ecosystem. Given how isolated Australia’s continental geography is, I am keen to explore the wildlife on my future visit beyond the zoo.
2 They’ve made themselves aware that in their nation’s long journey: exploitation, discrimination, and cultural washing are painful chapters that they shouldn’t try to cover up, though many treaties and other acts are yet to be done.
I mentioned the Acknowledgement of Country earlier. This is what shows up when you visit the ACMI website (and similar forewords exist on other web, signage boards, and even over-the-speaker):
“ACMI acknowledges the Traditional Owners, the Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation, on whose land we meet, share and work. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and extend our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from all nations of this land. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website may contain images, voices or names of deceased persons in photographs, film, audio recordings or text.”
The Australia Center of Moving Image (ACMI) has an exhibition of several Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander aspiring creatives, curated by fellow First Peoples, which you can tell by the indicator of their specific group that comes after their name in parentheses, e.g. Amrita Hepi (Bundjulung and Ngāpuhi). A couple of works that intrigued me were the video where a narrator tells a story about a NASA experiment where a carer fell in love with a dolphin, with clips of a dancer (Amrita herself). It poses the question of how a human and a dolphin could communicate, what is the matrix of intelligence? If we view them as intelligent, why are they bound in a cage? I am reminded of offshore detention facilities like Manus Island that I read about a long time ago for a debate topic.
A couple of exhibition that drew my attention, is pretty connected to each other. One is where they show how in the process of creating a moving image to preserve history — nature exploitation is inevitable due to the materials, like minerals, needed for the film. The other is about the realization that archives in Australia have mostly been about colonial power, including colonial violence (that still occurs today); how is it that a record of a country’s past could contain suffering yet somehow it doesn’t feel like it’s being acknowledged like ANZAC (not to go into the whataboutism but it is still questionable that the day the colonial invaded the land should be considered a joyful celebration, forgetting the demise that many people and cultures experienced afterward)?
I also enjoy the humorous juxtaposition imageries, contrasting what the pristine Australian and First Peoples are like, with the ski resort, the colonial terrace houses, the tram, or the disco ball illuminating during the wildfire (throwback to the end of 2019, scary times) as well as the visualization of what would the Indigenous representation in popular media be like (funnily enough, they put the idea that probably being mainstream does not mean not susceptible to appropriating other cultures lol). It is disheartening to see the erasure of many nations’ cultures just because a group of settlers decided to occupy a “newfound land”. This isn’t The Lion King where everything the sun touches is your kingdom.
[You can explore the concept of Terra Nullius here].
3 Social change and inclusivity isn’t just a social dynamic but an economic and political agenda.
The immigration policy in Australia is very surprising to me; the fact they have been opening up to people seeking new life there since 1946, and it’s not only reflected in the settlers who decided to colonize the land after an 80-day voyage — but also the many hard-working youths, families, single parents, from all around the world among the nine million people who migrated since 1788 until now(a new continent indeed). They allow us to see the list of incoming ships from different ports. I got choked up seeing the display of tools like shaving, carpentry, or sewing, that many immigrants brought with them as their capital in the new place they arrived.
How could they end up in Australia? Interestingly, one of the interactive elements of the museum is the Interview Room where you get to see a family of three (in my case) getting interviewed, being questioned if they are good religious people or not, and you get to give the score to determine if they’ll pass and be allowed in or not. There’s also, well, what feels eerily similar to today’s English requirement, a Dictation test. Keep in mind that humans have migrated, and exchanged knowledge and goods with each other, without drawing borders or implementing such tight control.
From the days of Victoria Parliament’s Aboriginal Protection Act being established in the late 1800s while the British were still keen on building the “New England”, to the ever-increasing thousands of international students and foreign workers in the country in the late 20th and the dawn of the digital age, Australia has progressed in painting a clear vision that it does not want to become a “noble, snow-white” White country/nation (evident by the influx and changes in the policy after the White Australia policy ended in 1973).
[Australia multicultural policy here].
Another exhibition in the Immigration Museum discusses our identity: our physical exterior, the values we manifest, and the environment we are born and grow up in; how we develop ourselves, take in different moments to learn and appreciate, and what our identity drives us toward. Will our identity be used to empower or divide us? Will identity be a tool for retrospect? The conversation on self or group identity is especially tricky for minorities because what good would come out of embracing it in reality? Being ostracized? Being made fun of? Being villainized? It is a very well-put and perceptive exhibition in my opinion because many immigrants or descendants of immigrants struggle with their inner journey and their traumatic experiences often inhibit them from having positive experiences with their identities due to being afraid of becoming the “other”. What’s important to be highlighted is that all these are presented through the stories of immigrants in or out of Australia — you could hear them through a speaker, read their stories in a booklet, and allow you to ask the questions yourself.
The continent may be filled with vast outback but it will not run out of space for people who can and should belong there.
“Immigrants, we get the job done.”
Putting museum exhibition talk aside for a second, I got to sit down through a Hamilton performance (a big item on my bucket list has just been crossed!). It was also another inspiring testament to diversity and inclusion that empower people and enrich the way we view people’s narratives — that we all work hard to survive and deserve a shot at life. The cast comprises incredibly talented POC, people with First Peoples or Maori heritage, and even more Asian-descent!
The multicultural display has also been inspiring especially in the Brunswick/Collingwood neighborhood where you don’t only see the people walking but also the thriving local businesses there that add more flavor to the liveliness of the street and how each ensures everywhere is a safe space that welcomes you once you enter. It is not just a place of boomerangs, didjeridoo, bush life, or scary insects.
This brings me back to my point earlier about how we can be blindsided by the injustice that’s happening within our vicinity. Not to dismiss the pain experienced by our brothers and sisters on the other side of the globe — if anything, this should light more fire under our butt because if we let injustice slide here, how hypocritical are we to demand justice elsewhere? No one is free until everyone is free.
It starts with us understanding a little bit better. The fight starts at home. The closest people we can help are those who have been discriminated against or denied opportunities or looked down on around us. Black Lives (Still) Matter and the fight for socioeconomic justice still continues even when the conversation seems to have been not as loud and “in-your-face” every day in your social media feed but people, our brothers and sisters who come from a lower income groups; from Maluku and Papua who just happen to have darker skin than average; people who go against social construct; and people who are tad bit slower or too fast in perceiving the world around them still experience injustice while we, let’s face it, pretty much have fewer things to care about especially those that do not directly threaten our lives. In the era where internet or tourism trends are capitalized: we owe it to the Black culture, the unique local's ways of life, and their local wisdom otherwise we are taking part in removing them from the podium. What have they been given credit for? In what way are we echoing their voice of concern?
Wasn’t there anyone who allied themselves with the First Peoples or other minority groups? White settlers have already spoken up about the mistreatment of the Aboriginal People in the late 1800s — let’s give credit when it’s due. There were many more who were against or forced into becoming bystanders but what that should tell us is that allyship is the bare minimum in many social causes. It’s going to take a lot more but our participation in any way is a way to drive the change forward.
We have too many victims of human’s shameless egoistic conquest. Where do we draw the line if not coral reef bleaching, air and drinking water pollution, or just having a sense of control to decide when to stop taking more than what we need?
The economic greed, the boundless need for material possession, and the obsession with arbitrary status have irrevocably damaged
slave descendants,
genocide survivors,
political riot victims,
who have to continue living with deep wounds and current against them in society. So what does an apology look like? How does one make it sincere and why bother reminding people at every chance about the wrongdoings? There is no one right way; a perfect state, society, or action but at least: try to acknowledge and made effort toward marginalized people by not putting a facade that everything is in perfect harmony and has been working just fine for a long time. Seeing how our neighbor painstakingly amends their past mistakes, despite no one who created the rift still alive today; means they recognize the system they inherit that has put others “below” them, and that they can move forward inherently oppressing them by continuing the system whether they intend to harm or not. What does our history book tell us? That’s a place to start. Our neighbor has not been washing their dirty hands off the atrocities committed against their people but it does not make us see them as less of a country.
What will proceed with our President expressing an official apology, and regret the atrocious human rights violations done by the state (it took him almost a decade?)? Not surprisingly, the very ideology that got weaponized in the 60s is still being considered unlawful in the new criminal code; the state still doesn’t seem to have authority to handle the banning of religious buildings or activities; economic exploitation and murders of Papuans by the hand of the military still go unnoticed.
What do all the beautiful symbolism in the name, logo, or spirit suppose to mean beyond just the aesthetic and make-believe propaganda that everyone is united? It has to be reflected in the implementation of policies: how to deal with immigrants/urban sprawl; how they address those that should be protected from inappropriation and exploitation; how to effectively and efficiently put resources for the long run’s sake. How to conserve the environment? We shouldn’t look in the other direction when we know that some people are treated as second or third-class citizens, being homeless or facing human-made danger in their own land.
[to be inserted with a few paragraphs still in review for fact-checking]
When you are asked to participate; when your privilege of having life unscathed with discrimination or injustices, is being called on, it is not an attack on your character but a pulse check if you have empathized enough or understood how the world actually works for your sake. Ignorance or inaction is just as dangerous. What would you do given the position or resource, even just a bit of it, to those who had to walk a different path than you? If it can happen to them, it can happen to anyone.
When people share why they should care about something: it is not that they consider us consciously ignoring what’s happening. They know that we are limited but our capacity to understand and dismantle the system, repair the world, and become better as we progress, isn’t limited. It’s also that we are given the privilege of time to be aware of what’s happened and what would happen before it’s too late. Listen to those who relay a message to you, publicly share something that you may not have known about, or suggest how you can improve and not just play a passive role.
And more reminders,
Wearing Papuan traditional costumes without being informed about their many wedding customs is not a representation you think they’re doing.
Picking apart which group of people is worth being protected for according to values is not the compassion you think you’re conveying.
Putting people of a certain group onto specific or high expectations is not the socioeconomic opportunity you think it is.
Labeling an entire school of thought, and dismissing progressive ideas as commotion isn’t the nationalist take or pride toward the nation.
Giving the spotlight just to a prominent figure is not enough for visibility.
Just because you’ve had it easy doesn’t mean things are being done well.
to be continued…
list of places/exhibitions recommended to visit/check to be added soon…
