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Perth Indymedia Radio Crew - brother_X
Interview with Gumilaroi Aboriginal Elder MICHAEL ANDERSON with Perth Indymedia Radical Radio - 27 April 2005 - Discussing Aboriginal Nations, Self Management, Indigenous Sovereignty and a positive and powerful way forward for his people. "We intend to carry on our confrontation with the govermnent through peaceful dialogue... to be dealt with as a nation of people" [Interview - 14 Minutes - MP3 - 5MB - Creative Commons Usage]
Michael Anderson was one of the founders of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra in 1972. We discuss 200 years of failed Governmment intervention; Aboriginal Genocide; a deliberate war on Australia's Indeginous peoples - and a way forward for the Aboriginal Nations of this country... He wants an end to "racist paternalism"
He spoke with Perth Indy Radio:
Heres a media release about the recent Unions of Nations meeting:
EUAHLAY-I NATION :: Goodooga, northern NSW, Australia - A call is going out to Aborigines with family connections to the Gumilaroi Nation to make themselves known to Elders organising a union of nations.
This is one outcome of a gathering of 91 Elders from seven Nations at Moree on 22 April. Michael Anderson, of the Euahlay-i nation, who convened the meeting, was elected spokesperson for the interim Heads of Government.
Elders have formed an Alliance and a Governing Council and hope to include other Aboriginal Elders around the country. The group had agreed to establish a leadership based on "our customary laws and traditional ways".
Mr. Anderson said the meeting was a success. “The founding of the modern-day Gumilaroi Nation was a significant step towards asserting the right of self-determination by the Gumilaroi people.”
“We are no longer seeking charity nor will we accept feel-good programs for the sake and political convenience of the government and their bureaucrats.”
GUMILAROI NATION
PRESS STATEMENT BY MICHAEL ANDERSON,
spokesperson for the interim Heads of Government
Goodooga, in April: The meeting held in Moree on the 22nd of April was a success. The founding of the modern-day Gumilaroi Nation was a significant step towards asserting the right of self-determination by the Gumilaroi people. We are no longer seeking charity nor will we accept feel-good programs for the sake and political convenience of the government and their bureaucrats.
Over the coming months we will complete the definitions of our nations’ boundaries and we will be asking all persons who have a family connection to the Gumilaroi Nation to make themselves known in order for us to determine our population and the distribution of our families within Australia. All families are being asked to identify themselves so that they can be incorporated into our nations’ planning.
The identification of the Gumilaroi families is one of the most important outcomes from the Moree meeting. The delegates agreed that our identity as a Nation and Peoples is vital for our future. Over the coming three months we will consolidate what we are building. This is our initiative and we will always own it.
We will rebuild our pride as a people and show how great this Nation can and will be. The Gumilaroi have a long and proud history of fighting for our rights. The early settlers found that out and the modern historians fail to tell the truth of this Nation’s resistance to the invaders. The land of the Gumilaroi was not peacefully settled. It will be this fact that will dictate our future discussions with the governments, both state and federal. The interim leaders of the Gumilaroi Nation declared that it is time to reach a peaceful settlement where the Gumilaroi people can live on their lands without prejudice. The next three months will witness the development of a peace package that will see a proposal from the Gumilaroi Nation for presentation to the state and federal governments
This is an exciting time in our history. What we seek to achieve as a Nation and People is long over due. We will not be entering into any form of paternalistic and/or condescending arrangements such as having to wash our children’s faces before we can gain a benefit. It is time to end this racist paternalism. We want a meaningful and substantive way to achieve proper bi-educational programs and to develop a way for uplifting our low socio-economic position.
The next meeting of the Gumilaroi Nation will be in Moree on Friday 20th of May.
For further information please contact Michael Anderson on 07-46250808 or Ms. Gwen Stanley on 04-24330264.
http://perth.indymedia.org/?action=newswire&parentview=10029
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