Aboriginal Tent Embassy: 50 Years of Cultural Show | Issues of Human Rights

It stood for 50 years, one of the longest running demonstrations of Indian independence in the world.

However the Aboriginal Tent, as he is known today, was originally designed to be a watchman.

“It should be noted that it was not originally intended to be an ambassador. We went there to stay awake forever, “Ghillar founder Michael Anderson, now 70, told Al Jazeera.

“When we got to Canberra we just said, ‘Well, it’ s going to be permanent and people will ask us what it ‘s, it’s a civil rights movement and now we’re living in this place and we’ve just restored that place. Like whitefella.’

It was January 26, 1972, the day of an official reminder of the establishment of the Australian state.

In the grass in front of Parliament, four young Aboriginal freedom fighters planted a beach umbrella and put up a handmade sign: ‘Aboriginal Embassy’.

The four young men – Anderson, Billy Craigie, Bertie Williams and Tony Coorey – felt it was appropriate to talk about the plight of ordinary people across the country.

“As soon as the name of the embassy was written and hung there and they saw it the next day, it affected a lot of people around the world,” Anderson said.

“The embassy itself was all representatives [Indigenous] countries. We set it up as a small town where we lived as a neutral place for Aboriginal people to express their views on the work we were doing from Britain. ”

Anderson, a man from Euahlayi and Gumilaroi, grew up in Walgett, a small town some 400 miles[650 km]northwest of Sydney, in a time of great social upheaval.

Although his parents lived in a “tin hut” along the Namoi River, Anderson did well in high school and moved to Sydney in 1969 to study at a university.

It was not long before he joined the young Aboriginal proponents of the same idea and “it was not long before we all started the same group.”

“We missed a trip to Vietnam,” he told Al Jazeera. While the Aboriginal advocates acknowledged the injustices of the Vietnam War, they stated that they would “still kill us in our own country.

“So we turned the minds of many University students into thinking about Australian National Liberation Front and stop killing Aboriginal people.”

I was shocked and reacted

The establishment of the Aboriginal Tent office in a prominent place – the Australian Parliament – was instrumental in attracting attention to a number of issues that protesters, such as land rights, independence and self-determination, say.

“All foreign dignitaries would come to Parliament and pass by and see the ambassador’s office sitting there asking questions. As a result, we became a disgrace to the Australian government in the eyes of the world, ”Anderson recalled.

“What they did was surprise Australia to deal with the crisis that was left unresolved.”

The group was invited to the embassies of various countries, where foreign officials wanted to discuss the problems facing the indigenous people.

“It simply came to our notice then. It truly touched the heart of Australia’s peaceful life. Then, suddenly, the ambassador’s office and presence opened the door to the public. And then the media all over the world put his mind to it and said, ‘Well, wait a minute, what the hell is it?’ ”

As the embassy’s office attracted young freedom fighters who became prominent in Australian politics – including Gary Foley and Isabel Coe – they met with opposition from the government and the police, in an attempt to break the law. protesters.

Ghillar Michael Anderson has been active in the Aboriginal Tent Embassy since its inception as a security guard in 1972. [Valerie Bishard, Enlightning Productions]

However, the Aboriginal Tent ambassador, as he is known, remained, and continues to play a key role in the political and social history of the Indians from around the country.

Hope for the future

Dhani Gilbert is from Kalari (Lachland River) with the people of Wiradjuri and grew up with his family as an important part of the Tent Embassy.

A 20-year-old man has decided to continue fighting for justice.

“One of the things that always happens to me when I grow up at the Embassy was the hope of progress and hope for the future,” Gilbert told Al Jazeera.

“We can only do things if we stay together as a strong team.”

He said the ambassador’s continued presence was a testimony to lack of progress to solve the ongoing problems affecting the Indians.

It is important that “there is a growing global and international understanding of what the Aboriginal Tent office stands for and why having a site that is the oldest exhibition space in the world is so important and that tells you Australia’s action,” he said. he said.

“Although the ambassador’s office has done a lot, it has not come as far as the four men and their clients expect,” he said.

In particular, Gilbert acknowledges that the freedom of his country is closely linked to environmental justice, and that Indians continue to face serious threats of arrest and detention. death in prison.

Anderson at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy. He said the protests would continue. ‘My job is not finished’ [Belinda Pratten/Enlightning Productions]

At present, although only 3.3 percent of the population lives in the country, 100 percent of Australian inmates are Indians.

While acknowledging the importance of the past 50 years, Gilbert is determined to ensure that the Aboriginal Tent Embassy remains a major focus on development events.

“As we celebrate the 100th anniversary I believe we have seen a dramatic change in our attitude towards the justice of the First Nations’ People and First Nations.”

Founding member Anderson agrees.

He says: “We have not come close to solving this problem. “There are a lot of pictures that have been erected, but when you go through that process you begin to realize that Aborigines are in more trouble now than they were before.

“My job is never finished. We still have a long way to go. ”