Then …. & Now

The following was written by Sam Watson in May, 2006, and sheds insights on the current situation across the nation.

The Aboriginal community of inner Brisbane, have set up a Men¹s Group that will dedicate itself to working with our and our youth. We will also make it a high priority to support our women, our Elders and consolidate our community generally. We have to remember that our men can play a very large part in the struggle towards our liberation as a people: we are the solution not the problem that the white system is trying to paint us as.

We have been meeting regularly as men and talking up our Men¹s Business  and we have been very concerned about the political witch hunt that has been orchestrated by politicians  both black and white, to attack Aboriginal men and marginilise us even further.

 We accept that the violence and dysfunction that are features of many Aboriginal communities, are not part of our custom or lore and must be stopped immediately. Men¹s groups across the national network need to start doing serious work to bring all that bad business to a stop, now!
 
We accept that much of the violence has been carried out by men against women and children. We also accept that alcohol is a contributing factor in many of these situations.

But we also must recognise that the greater violence is coming from the white system and it is designed to complete the Final Solution that began with the first fleet and wiped us from the face of our land. We say that the root causes of this violence and dysfunction that is in our community, cannot be found within the makeup of Aboriginal men. That business was just not there in that scale, before 1788.

The root causes of much of this current business are part of a calculated pattern of attacks against us, by white agencies and the white economic and political systems that are committed to our destruction as a people and as a culture. It is the white system that is crushing us and placing enormous pressure on our men.

Our men need jobs  where are the jobs?!

Our men need proper homes for their families  where are the homes?!
 Our men need decent education for their children, where are the schools?
      Where are the teachers? Where are the books and resources?
 Our men need proper health care for their children  where are the hospitals? Where are the doctors? Where are the nurses? Where are the medicines?

We do not have any power anymore, no role or place or rights to be men.

Our men are attacked and condemned in every newspaper and two bob media commentator in the land. Our men are fair game for every talk back – shock jock on the commercial networks. And we are even ripped apart by those self-appointed, 'Jacky  Jacky' leaders who are acting as attack dogs for their white masters.

Our men are hunted on the streets of this racist country and our men are hunted and murdered by racist Police, who then walk free. Too many of our men are behind bars and away from their families, where is the justice?!

…the newly formed Aboriginal Men¹s Business group, 'Numbarlie Marlu' which means 'Us Men Together.'The Brisbane central Aboriginal community has established this men¹s group to combat domestic violence, define and reinforce our role as men and to support our women and our community. True Aboriginal men do not bash women or terrorize children, to express ourselves as men. We intend to work with our families and with our young people, in order to make our homes and our streets, safe and secure environments for our people. We must offer ourselves as proper role models for our children.

As Aboriginal men we have the power to do this and we challenge all other Aboriginal men to stand with us. We have to be strong for our brothers, for our women, for our families, for our communities. We are the husbands, the fathers, the uncles. We are the brothers, the nephews and the grandfathers. The future of our people is very much in our hands.

White man wants our land  white man will not get our land. Aboriginal men were once great warrior kings, let us be warrior kings again!!