WHAT does treaty and self-determination mean to the Dja Dja Wurrung people?
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The Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation aims to have a definitive answer to that question by mid-2019, chief executive Rodney Carter said.
The organisation was recently announced as a recipient of funding from the state government’s Treaty Community Engagement Program.
Mr Carter said the $100,000 grant would provide the corporation with the resources to conduct detailed research, which it wouldn’t otherwise have the capacity to do.
The project includes engaging with each of the local governments in the corporation’s area.
Mr Carter said an analysis of what other jurisdictions have done and how their work might apply in Victoria would be one of the first steps.
“Once we’ve captured all that information it’s about coming back to an Aboriginal community and a wider community conversation, and to take that then back to the Dja Dja Wurrung as a focus-type group to try and capture everyone's focus and positions,” he said.
“Whatever we do going forward, we believe this is a really unique opportunity for defining identity as a collective.”
Mr Carter said treaty needed the involvement and understanding of everyone in the community.
“We’re doing this for central Victoria,” he said.
“Something like this, if we get it right, will be great for all our future generations.”
He said treaty meant different things to different people, and the corporation was all for individual ideas.
“To me, individually, treaty’s got some core principles,” Mr Carter said.
“It’s about trying to identify there was different or conflict historically, and those that differ in their views to try to come together by agreement to have a shared position going forward.
The state government passed legislation in June which cemented its commitment to enter into formal treaty negotiations with Aboriginal Victorians.
The government has provided more than $37.5 million to support the treaty process and promote self-determination among Victorian Aboriginal communities.
“Treaty will have benefits for all Victorians – promoting reconciliation, fostering shared pride in Aboriginal culture and helping to heal the wounds of the past,” Aboriginal Affairs Minister Natalie Hutchins said.
Learning more about Treaty
A WEBSITE intended to promote greater understanding and appreciation of the cultures, histories and experiences of Aboriginal people is seeking to answer questions about treaty.
‘What will a Treaty mean for all Victorians’ and ‘Why is self-determination important to Aboriginal people?’ are among the queries the state government’s Deadly Questions website addresses.
The responses are provided by Aboriginal people in video and written formats.
The website also provides opportunities for people to ask questions.
More than 2600 questions have been submitted since the website launched in June.
Deadly Questions champion Associate Professor Richard Frankland said the website’s users had asked questions about ‘just about everything’, from cultural questions about Aboriginal food, the Aboriginal flag, music and dances, and traditional practices to questions about the challenges Aboriginal communities face, including racism and negative stereotypes.
“We’ve also had great questions that really will help people feel more comfortable as they learn about Aboriginal cultures, such as ‘is it rude to ask someone if they’re Aboriginal?’ and ‘what’s the most helpful thing non-Aboriginal Australians could do to support Aboriginal Australians?’” he said.
“I have been asked many times what Treaty means, and to me it means hope. My hope would be that everyone can say hello in my language on my country, hope that we change the identity of this nation to a place that all of us can call home - hope for our people and our nation.”
Ms Hutchins said the Deadly Questions campaign had demonstrated an ‘incredible interest’ in the rich cultures and histories of Aboriginal people in Victoria.
“I encourage Victorians to jump online, ask their own deadly questions and boost their understanding of Aboriginal culture in Victoria,” she said.
For more information, visit deadlyquestions.vic.gov.au
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