ABORIGINAL ACTIVISM

ABORIGINAL ACTIVISM

                                                               INTRODUCTION

Aboriginal activism involves a group of people coming together to protest for equal rights for the native people of Australia. In the 1960s and early 1970s, there was an emergency of aboriginal nationalism and an associated decline of activist interest in securing the indigenous inclusion in Australia. The referendum that took place in 1967 has the following features the advert of the black power, the right of the land, radicalization of the youths, and the rise of identity politics. It explains that the aboriginal nationalism of this period was a predominately cultural nationalism that sought to transcend the colonial subordination of aborigines through a rejuvenation of the aboriginality.   In the 1960s, the aboriginal people’s needs alerted the government, and this caused the government to raise the alarm. The changes put in place by the government brought a significant difference for the native people. The issue of enhancing racism in Australia caused the need for activism.  Later they launched the lack of activism rights, which brought to consisting the rights of the aboriginal being included in the Australian constitution hence being federal.

Self-determination refers to people who have the same cultural organization and common political factors; therefore, they can be self- governed. The self -determination was used by the United States, who decides that all colonies of the European nation they can form a standard independent body, and later they joined the United Nations and International Commerce. During the expression of self-determination, the indigenous people were not allowed to express their feelings and opinions. The native people consider their right to give their speech. The indigenous people understand themselves better, and they can govern themselves since they have the same cultures, religions, and they understand their political factors amongst themselves so easily. Therefore, it’s easy for them to self- determination in society than people from different areas. These people can maintain a social and a common political ground for all of them, which will keep them together.

The growth of reconciliation of the activists’ can lead to trauma and the healing of the relationships between the community, and individual against individual. The desire for settlement of the aboriginal activists can force them even to look for new ideas and methods that they can use to be reconciled. Therefore, this desire explains why some people are motivated to be also reunited if they are not being supported in the community.

Reconciliation involves impacting a change in the society that will change the behavior of the people and their perspectives towards each other. However, in society, when there are conflicts, only a few people are concerned with enforcing reconciliation for the community. The interpretation of conflict by different individuals motivates them to work for reconciliation. Analysis of the conflict in the given community helps them to work for reconciliation. Different societies have different understandings of the battle, and most people will contribute their efforts according to their knowledge. Therefore, the activists’ will be having a different interpretation between them. It’s because of their differences in understanding. That’s why some are working to achieve reconciliation where others are not.

The engagement level of the activists’ effort to reconciliation connects to the history of their conflict. The level of involvement in settlement and the role of the conflict histories to the agreement will motivate them to be engaged in activism. The difference in this area is that for those who are involved in conflicts are more willing to work towards reconciling but for those who are not involved have no interest in reconciliation since they are at peace at their level.

Therefore, if one is mostly affected and involved in the conflict will be motivated most to ensure there is peace amongst them. Also, through conflict, narratives can be used to enforce reconciliation. By giving a description that shows some effort to reconcile and create order in the community will motivate them to live in peace and harmony with everyone.

Truth-telling about Australia’s historical memory is being used as a tool to create the background of an agreement about the conflicts or injustices. They use the truth and the reconciliation commissions to express the truth. Through reality telling, there is the creation of awareness about the historical information and the effects of past actions, and this motivates people to have the desire to be reconciled and live peacefully with others. Therefore, the importance of truth-telling may include the following; the need for justice and truth-telling have been continuously raised in the meetings of the referendum council. The council concluded that it’s only the truth and justice that can help the indigenous and non-indigenous Australians to accept what happened in the past and be willing to be reconciled. The council did not support the symbolic representation of the indigenous in the constitution. But they gave three reforms that can be used to heal the wounded hearts of the Australians. The changes were the creation of the truth and justice commission and the representation of the voice of the indigenous group in the parliament. Through this, there will be reconciliation and people living in peace and unity.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the aboriginal activism involves ensuring every person enjoys their rights freely. The Australians were suffering physiologically because of what they underwent in the past. It affected their reconciliation. Where some people were willing to reconcile, but others were not. It depends on the way one interprets conflict and the level of engagement in the conflict as well as the desire of the individual to live in a harmonized country. During the referendum, a commission was formed that was to ensure that the truth was told about the history of the aboriginal activism. The committed considered truth-telling as the best tool that can help the affected people to accept what happened and understand the impact of past events. Hence, it will encourage them to live in a peaceful environment. Ensuring the voice of the indigenous is adequately represented in the parliament. Therefore will they are represented they will be loving nature and the peace of the country they are living in.