Am I Racist Against Me Fellow Australians?

Three Australian Distinct Peoples Flags

‘Am I Racist Against Me Fellow Australians?
©2009 Walha Udi Marvyn McKenzie Snr

A recent tit for tat dialogue with a facebook user,
has made me question my values, beliefs, mind and heart
‘Am I a Racist against me Fellow White Australians?’
So thinking about this question: Where do I start?

Well lets start by defining racism – the belief that one’s own race is superior to another,
That physical attributes determine a groups social behavior and intelligence,
Ultimately, the racist believes that the inferiority of others is a basis for inferior social treatment,
Therefore, I cannot be a Racist if by this definition Racism is meant.

Do I think Aboriginal people are superior to White Australians?
No – I do not think the Aboriginal Race is Superior – one way or the other,
I do think the Aboriginal Race are often still seen as Inferior,
But then I ask meself: ‘Why do people want to oppress us & even smother?

What is it about our Aboriginal Race and Identity that makes others tremble so,
For the Australian Governments & People to ignore, oppress and fear?
Is it because we are asserting and pleading our UN Indigenous Rights?,
Is it because we are saying our Race has not died out, these are our Ancient Lands, we are still here?

Why is it that whenever we Aboriginal people assert and plead these historical factual Indigenous Rights,
that our Fellow Australians choose to ignore them through ignorance and bigotry,
They try to say we are all equal now and all are Australians,
Yet they all seem to forget that were always once classed as a separate Race, Constitutionally.

Within the Australian Constitution it was once clearly enshrined and plainly racially stated:
The Parliament shall, have power to make laws for the peace, order, and good government respect to:
The people of any race, other than the aboriginal race in any State…
Just because this was changed in the 1967 Referendum does not mean the aboriginal race is through.

For are we members of the aboriginal race still not living here in Australia since these changing words?,
Do we now no longer see ourselves as a separate aboriginal race, but part of the Australian Race?
Oops! Sorry to burst your bubble but there is no such thing as an Australian Race,
but there is still a separate aboriginal race in Australia for I see such a race in my grand-child’s face.

My Grand-child, my children, my people and I are descendants of the ‘aboriginal race’,
But we do not call ourselves aboriginal or indigenous – label names from government policy,
We rather use our old Ancient Names to both describe other Australians and ourselves,
Utnyu (corpse, Europeans) what we call white-fellas, whilst our name is Yura – ‘of the Earth’ are we.

‘Am I a Racist against me Fellow White Australians?’
No, for I believe fully in Reconciliation of Australians, Torres Strait Islanders and we the Aborigine,
With such Reconciliation should come mutual recognition, repsect, pride and admiration,
For unless such Reconciliation occurs then there will always be some Australians living here unequally.

But before Reconciliation can occur between Australians, Torres Strait Islander and we Aborigine,
There are many past and present social and poliitical injustices that need to be brought into the light,
Such social and political injustices have created deep wounds and a wide chasm between our Peoples,
Today, it are these injustices that Torres Strait Islanders and we the Aborigine continue to fight.

For we all know fully within all our hearts and minds, including some of our Fellow Australians
That unless these past injuctices are identified, recognised and fully restored in Australia,
Then our Nation will forever remain the poorer for itself, without a true identity and culture,
And the rest of the World will look upon our Nation and will continue to rebuke it has an utter failure.

Re: Queen Victoria’s 1842 South Australia Act & King William IV 1836 Letters Patent

King William IV Letters Patent Question:

Did the 1842 South Australia Act signed and executed by Queen Victoria extinguish in any shape or form the legal and moral standing of the earlier 1836 King William IV Letters Patent?

Link to Queen Victoria 1842 South Australia Act: http://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/resources/transcripts/sa6_doc_1842.pdf

Link to King William IV Letters Patent: http://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/resources/transcripts/sa2_doc_1836.pdf

In 1836, South Australia is founded as a British Colony Business Enterprise by the South Australian Association. Executive action to establish the Province under the 1834 (South Australia) Foundation Act was taken in February 1836, when King William IV signed the Letters Patent.

This Act and the Letters Patent achieved the founding of the Colony…but the failure of the Wakefield plan meant that a second South Australia Act was required and this was enacted in 1842.

The area of what is now South Australia and the Northern Territory was defined as ‘unoccupied’ or ‘waste lands’ which were ‘supposed to be fit for the purposes of colonisation’ thus overriding any rights of the’ Aboriginal inhabitants.

However…

Within King William IV Letters Patent which basically was his executive Royal decision to establish a South Australian British Colony is the following Clause:

“Provided Always that nothing in those our Letters Patent contained shall affect or be construed to affect the rights of any Aboriginal Natives of the said Province to the actual occupation or enjoyment in their own Persons or in the Persons of their Descendants of any Lands therein now actually occupied or enjoyed by such Natives.”

This Clause within King William IV Letters Patent has never been honoured by any South Australian Government since 1836 to 2009, both legally or morally.

In 1842, because the Business Enterprise proved to be an utter failure a new Act of Parliament, the South Australia Act, was passed and excuted by Queen Victoria.

So Again I must Ask the Question:

Did the 1842 South Australia Act signed and executed by Queen Victoria extinguish in any shape or form the legal and moral standing of the earlier 1836 King William IV Letters Patent?