Treaty Business
Sacred Treaty Circles and CHOGM
An invitation to form treaty circles
The sacred Treaty Circles of Oodgeroo of the Tribe Noonuccal, custodians of
the land Minjerribah, peace, prosperity and healing are encouraging
individuals to form Treaty leading up to and during CHOGM.
Once we are in treaty we can get down to the business of healing the land
and ourselves. This means we can address all the other issues activists
want to raise at CHOGM. We can get down to the process of forming real
non-hierarchical, lateral government and declare the formal CHOGM illegal.
By signing a treaty we make peace with the indigenous custodians of the
land and acknowledge the last 200 years of genocide. Treaty allows us to
take responsibility for the fact that as citizens of this country, we
continue to perpetuate and benefit from the injustices indigenous people
continue to experience on a daily basis such as mass incarceration, deaths
in custody, poverty and disease.
By signing a Treaty we pay respect to and acknowledge the true custodians
of the land, we are placed through the lore of the land, and from this
point we are able to step out of the system which continues to enact
genocide on indigenous peoples.
During CHOGM the treaty circles plan to get down to the business of
creating peace, prosperity and healing on this land. This is an invitation
to Treaty in and become part of this process. You can Treaty in before
CHOGM by first sending an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] And help
us organise treaty events at Musgrave Park during CHOGM. Or Treaty in at
the tent embassy at CHOGM on Oct 6th.
A Background � why is signing a Treaty so meaningful?
The institutionalisation of the concept of terra nullius is deep within our
society. It has overtly led to systematic attempts through Australian
policy making to remove indigenous peoples from the political
spectrum. That is genocide. However indigenous people survive. In a
less overt way, Australian society is deeply effected by the myths that
have long been constructed about indigenous peoples which has caused
considerable fear of Aboriginal cultures. By signing a treaty we
recognise indigenous peoples sovereignty, we acknowledge indigenous peoples
survival and we try to make peace. By doing this we can begin to heal the
fear and racism which is a part of this society.
An illegal act of invasion.
Even in eighteenth century Britain there was a legal requirement to
negotiate with indigenous peoples when attempting to establish a
colony. Cook's instructions for the were�."You are also with the consent
of the Natives to take possession of convenient situations in such
Countries as you may discover� or, if you find the Country uninhabited take
possession of it." (A.G Price, The Explorations of Captain James Cook,
Angus and Robertson, Sydney, 1958, p. 19.)
Cook failed to act in accordance with International law at the time, which
did afford some recognition of indigenous people's sovereignty. This is
clear by the treaties that were entered into by the British in Canada, the
United States and New Zealand.
The lie of Terra Nullius
This acquisition was justified later by using the legal doctrine of terra
nullius, or 'empty land'. Systematic acts of genocide on Aboriginal peoples
in this country, from poisoning water supplies, introducing small pox, and
mass slaughter to policies of assimilation and child removal, and the mass
incarceration that continues today, are a result of institutionalised
attempts to justify this lie in Australian law (Reynolds 1996, Dodson, Coe
v The Commonwealth).
The doctrine of Terra Nullius was rejected in Australian law in 1992 in the
Mabo decision. This has provided a legal framework for indigenous peoples
to claim some limited rights to land through NativeTitle. However,
Australia has still not addressed the fact that Indigenous sovereignty was
not recognised at the time of invasion and is still not recognised in any
form by the Australian government.
Treaty Now!!!
The Queen, The Prime Minister and the "Who's Who" of the invader hierarchy
will be in Brisbane during CHOGM. So will the descendants of those who
survived the genocidal onslaught. In the focus of the whole world, all the
relevant people will be together in one place at one time. CHOGM provides
an opportunity to end the war against Aboriginal people. Don't wait for
the Queen though!
Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Or Amelia on 0414 976 332
--
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