In The Nest and Australia Day have collided with a big bang so I'm feeling some blending coming on.
I must admit, I've never been all that big on Australia Day. Don't get me wrong, I love this country that we a blessed to be in. I know it has clean air and water and is fairly low in population. We can vote. Women can work. We have a female prime minister. We've got welfare payouts and people can live quite comfortably surfing their way around the country on the dole. I love that the Aussie way is to choose lifestyle over work or energy output. We're that relaxed...pretty cool.
The thing I've always struggled with though is the whole invasion thing. As tongue in cheek as I was about a paragraph ago, I do feel really strongly about the lack of understanding and empathy for aboriginal people in this country. It makes me sad to think that my heritage has caused great suffering for the native people of this land and there's not a heck of a lot I can do about it.
Every Australia Day I have so many mixed feelings. Of course I'm as patriotic as the next white Aussie. But I am equally as ashamed of our heritage and the devastation that it caused our native people. I don't have the answers for continual reconciliation but I really feel that a sorry was the absolute least we could do. It was a start.
So, on this Australia Day/In The Nest I want to give the aboriginal people of this land the limelight that they so deserve. Their artwork is something that so many of us are familiar with and possibly even have hanging somewhere in our own nests. Most regions in Australia have their own aboriginal art identities. Our region is no exception. We have some wonderful local, Aboriginal talent. Cheryl Davidson {Follow the link and click on the Sustain magazine cover. Go to page 44 and read the artist's profile} is one such person. Have a read about her in Sustain. Inspirational! Now for some images of Australian interiors that have been inspired by Aboriginal art.
Here's to the aboriginal people of this great south land ~ from those of us who wished that things could've turned out differently.
Happy Australia Day!
3 comments:
Hi Kim. I also have mixed feelings about today. I wonder how Aboriginal people feel about the day and all those Australian flags flying. I don't know what the answer is. One idea is to celebrate the day but with more emphasis on Aboriginal people and white people living in harmony, learning off each other etc. I suppose this is happening gradually, but it is a bit too gradual for me.
Julie xxoo
Hey Kim, just paid you back on insearchofalifelessordinary.blogspot.com... thanks again. Cheers, Russell
Kim, Nudge Blacklock is another great contemporary Aboriginal artist: http://www.nudgeblacklock.com/
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