Article by Aunty Bronwyn Coleman-Sleep (1)

We Kokatha Mula have been working extremely hard to protect our country, culture and people. As the traditional law holders and custodians of Kokatha Mula country, culture and people, it is our responsibility under traditional laws and customs to ensure the safety and continuation of these. To date, achieving this has been to no avail, despite the extensive paper-trail, which has been textually labourious and has met with brick-walls.

The Native Title processes continue to support a range of information that lack integrity with decisions being made based on this, in spite of our efforts to bring the truth to those responsible. It is grossly disappointing that the truth continues to be a victim in the Native Title process along with our county, culture and people.

The rights we have under the “Letters Patent” (19 February, 1836, by King William the 4th of England) of which the Proclamation of South Australia (1836, 28th December) is a natural legal consequence, has not been upheld. It is with disillusionment, lack of confidence, and tremendous disappointment that the powers that be have been remiss in their responsibilities to our Kokatha Mula Nation as well as all Aboriginal South Australians.

It is, however, refreshing (and not before time) to note that the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, the Hon. Jay Weatherill MP, publicly acknowledged in conjunction with “Proclamation Day” 2006 the neglect of the 1836 South Australian Foundation Aboriginal rights that are traceable back to the 1836 “Letters Patent,” which makes clear in writing the responsibilities of government toward Aboriginal South Australians and has done so since 1836.

We are now in the year 2006, hence 170 years on and still our rights are neglected. The government needs to stop: bullying; being party to forcing us to give up our land for peanuts; using strategies and tactics that undermine our culture and pits Aboriginal against Aboriginal. It must start demonstrating: respect for our people and culture; protection of Aboriginal people, culture and country; commitment to integrity; and it must get real about its processes, which are currently destroying all the above mentioned.

Recently an ILUA (Indigenous Land Use Agreement) has been registered (that we have been objecting to) that will destroy a burial site, a sacred dreaming story, watering places, the environment, flora and fauna. Despite our efforts to bring the truth to the fore, the Government has chosen to ignore our objections and move with the flavour of the times — economic development — i.e., money !!!!!!!!!

Its actions will add to the significantly poor health status of our people while supporting the destruction of our traditional culture by: destroying country; dreaming stories; songs and dances relevant to the area, which in turn impacts negatively upon all of the Western Desert Aboriginal groups.

It begs two questions: would a traditional law holder with all the roles and responsibilities that come with being such, support/allow the destruction of country, culture and people? If the answer is no, then who is making all the decisions and what are these based on?

As a First Nation/Aboriginal/Indigenous traditional owner I say NO!!!

I choose not to be party to the destruction of my culture, country and people. As far as who is making decisions that impact negatively upon my culture, country and people — well it sure as heck isn’t me or the Kokatha Mula people I know.

Bronwyn Coleman-Sleep