Please forward this email to all your media contacts MEDIA ALERT From The Keepers Of Lake Eyre, Australia 21st August 'WALKING THE LAND FOR OUR ANCIENT RIGHT' NOW AT THE CANBERRA ABORIGINAL TENT EMBASSY ARRIVING AT THE SYDNEY OLYMPICS ON THE 31ST OF AUGUST On the 10th June this year, Aboriginal people gathered from all over Australia on Arabunna land at the southern shore of Lake Eyre in South Australia, to launch the 3000 Km Peace Walk to the Sydney Olympics: 'Walking the Land for Our Ancient Right'. Kevin Buzzacott Arabunna elder, leader and peace-maker is leading the walk says: "This historic walk is a journey for peace, freedom and healing the land and its peoples. We walk for the sovereign rights of Aboriginal peoples to our lands and our culture. We are walking in honour and respect for our ancient rights and law-ways, for freedom and our obligation as carers for our country." Sacred peace fire ashes from the Canberra Aboriginal Tent Embassy, and from other Aboriginal nations around the country were added to the sacred fire as a part of the ceremony at Lake Eyre Going Home Camp for the beginning of the walk. The Going Home camp was established to bring the Arabunna back to their homeland as they have steadily been forced off their land since colonisation. "�.. Arabunna are Going Home, for our responsibilities and obligations to stop the biggest threat to our country -(WMC) Western Mining Corporation's development of Roxby Downs Uranium Mine at Olympic Dam and the threat of radioactive waste dumping by the Federal Government." Kevin Buzzacott WMC are licensed to extract 42 million litres of water a day from the Great Artesian Basin , one of the worlds largest freshwater aquifers, to be used for the extraction of uranium and copper at Olympic Dam. The mound springs, up-wellings of 2 million year old fresh water are drying up because of the water pressure drop as a result of WMC' s water mining. These springs hold immense cultural, ecological and spiritual significance to the Arabunna. "The message simply is; Leave Old Lake Eyre and the waterways alone; No more destruction. That's the message; Leave it ! The country is too old to be mucked around." Kevin Buzzacott. "Under the ancient law which goes back to the beginning , the creation of life in Australia , I have cultural obligations and responsibilities to protect my ancient land from being destroyed and to protect my people from becoming extinct" Kevin Buzzacott Kevin claims the damage is "causing serious mental harm to members of the Arabunna people; and deliberately inflicting on them conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction, in whole or in part" (Article 2, Genocide Convention Act, 1949, Australian Federal Parliament.) Court proceedings were launched against Hugh Morgan the managing Director of WMC for genocide on Arabunna People. Proceedings have also been taken against Robert Hill (Federal Environment minister) and Alexander Downer (Federal Foreign Affairs Minister), and the Commonwealth Government for failing to finalise plans to nominate the Lake Eyre Basin for World Heritage. "This is another act of genocide against Arabunna, and has allowed WMC's destruction to continue and made possible the proposal to locate the National Radioactive Waste Dump in the area" Kevin Buzzacott. From Lake Eyre the walk has journeyed through the traditional homelands of many Aboriginal nations. Joined and guided by local traditional custodians they are following a route determined by the ancient songlines. At towns and communities on the way the walkers are sharing their stories and songs with indigenous and non-indigenous Australians and are gathering solidarity and awareness to continue to spread the message of peace and healing for the land and its' people. Elder Kevin Buzzacott is carrying the sacred fire every step of the journey to the Olympics, " a ritual endlessly more powerful than the Olympic gas light torch" William Taylor Over 100 people, indigenous and non-indigenous Australians have joined the walk and a strong cross-cultural alliance has been formed. An Adnyamathanha elder said "This is reconciliation in progress, what you guys are doing, you are listening to us and we are listening to you. We are sharing our cultures" "We are walking the land for several reasons" says Ben who was on the walk, "To tell the world about the ecocide and genocide that is happenning not just on Arabunna, Kokataha and Adnyamathanha land but all over Australia; walking in peace to demand an end to this goverments institutionalised racism and genocidal war against the indigenous people of this country which started with Terra-Nullis 212 years ago; walking in peace and conducting ceremony to heal this damaged land and to heal ourselves, each other and all Australians; its a journey to build solidarity between the many Aboriginal Nations, and between Whitefellas and Blackfellas, to realise and spread the word that Aboriginal Sovereignty is a right that has never been ceeded." Says Kevin Buzzacott, "the sacred fire symbolises peace, warm hearts and minds, sharing, and the healing of sorrow. It burns with ashes from the first Aboriginal Tent Embassy fire in Canberra and holds the ashes of our leaders now passed away. People have brought ashes, sticks and water from special places to join with the fire and water from the old Lake on its way to Sydney and the sea. The time is right, the old people are with us. The old land is calling, and the call is to join the walk for peace." The Peace Walk has chosen the Sydney Olympics because the Olympics is the time that Australia will be cast into the international spotlight; it is hoped that this can be a platform for Aboriginal people to highlight their plight for self determination. It is also significant because Sydney is where the first fleet landed and the beginning of English Colonisation. "Sydney is the important place because that is the place where the boats first came. That is where the poison�.. came over 212 years ago so that is where the healing and the blessing has to start from�. This is what has been pulling me to go there." Kevin Buzzacott The walk will arrive at the Canberra Aboriginal Tent Embassy where it has been for 28 years outside the Old Parliament House on the 21st of August. The Embassy is the spearhead of the Sovereignty movement for freedom and peace. It disputes the authority of the Crowns' claim to Sovereignty over the lands and peoples of the Sovereign Aboriginal Nations. As of the 14th July, Issabel Coe, a veteran and elder of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra established an off shoot of the Embassy, in Victoria Park,Sydney. It will be used to inform visitors and the media during the Olympics about the suppression of Indigenous rights by past and present governments. "The Aboriginal Tent Embassy has been set up to assert Aboriginal Sovereignty and in particular highlight how the Aboriginal people are regarded as "aliens" in our own land. We call upon the Australian community to respect our universal right to life." Isabel Coe On the 26th of August the walkers leave Canberra to continue on their way to the Sydney Olympics where they will be arriving on the 31st of August. It is hoped there will be an opportunity for ceremony and peace talks:"It doesn't end there, the other thing is actually starting off the peace talks, getting people around our sacred peace fire, having a yarn and working out how to actually begin the healing process, as soon as we can." Kevin Buzzacott. We urge all journalists and media to make immediate contact and join the walk as it journeys into Sydney. This is real reconciliation in progress. We need your help to spread the voice of real Aboriginal Australia around the world, so that their social justice, freedom and peace can be won. The call is out for everyone to join the walk. 0417 838 906: To contact Kevin Buzzacott [EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED] to email the Peace Walk http://www.come.to/lakeeyre The Arabunna-Keepers Of Lake Eyre website for more information about the Peace Walk, the genocide/ecocide/WMC/uranium issues http://www.sea-us.org.au For detailed information about the mound-springs/uranium-mining/ecological issues http://www.skynet.net.au/~jomal/kole For Peace Walk and Arabunna Going Home Camp photographs For donations: Account Number: 5112 1008 2328 Commonwealth Bank Account name: Keepers of Lake Eyre http://www.aboriginaltentembassy.com For news and information about the Aboriginal tent Embassy. If you are having difficulty accessing this site it can be gained through http://www.samcentre.org http://www.freac.gibsonnet.net Flinders Ranges Environmental Action Collective web site; press releases; photos http://www.indigenous.gibsonnet.net/Indigsite.htm web site index of continuing indigenous struggles accross Australia http://www.isnt.com.au/beverley/pics.htm Pictures of police/STAR Force brutality at Beverley uranium mine For up to date real news and the truth contact these alternative media sites: http://www.sydney.indymedia.org http://www.realgames.org http://www.samcentre.org http://www.active.org.au/sydney http://www.accessnews.skatv.org.au http://www.s11.org http://www.melbourne.indymedia.org For linked articles on the Aboriginal Tent Embassy and the police/military controls click on the following: � Aboriginal Tent Embassy 'Peace Camp" - Coe calls for Public Tribunal. Aboriginal leader Isabel Coe declared the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Sydney's Victoria Park a "Peace Camp" and invited peacekeppers from around Australia and around the World to join the camp in an attempt to stop the Australian governements 'war against Aboriginal people". She also announced the Embassy's intention to hold a public tribunal on the governements treatment of aborigines. http://www.sydney.indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=148 � Council underestimates support of Sydney Aboriginal Tent Embassy By Patrick Dupont 20 Aug http://www.sydney.indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=199 � New Martial Law comes Armed and Dangerous Proposed powers for the military could be mobilised against ordinary civilians with orders to shoot to kill, writes Senator Bob Brown http://www.realgames.org/index_frameset.html � The SOCOG Follies By Ray Jackson. On 6th March I was invited to attend a meeting along with 4 other indigenous people, to meet with representatives of SOCOG security at their security bunker� http://www.realgames.org/newsmedia/articles/st_0006_socog_follies.html � No Mining Picture by Aynta and Sam http://www.sydney.indymedia.org/display.php3?article_id=196 -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
