Cossomby,

The forms of human political organisation are almost infinite - I was writing about one form, and really one form of Aboriginal organisation, only: amongst the fairly free and easy Ngarrindjeri people of the Murray and lower lakes, where life was comparatively affluent, birds and fish galore, never any shortage of food or water. I get the idea that in the more rigidly patriarchal centre, the power of elders and head-men was far more pervasive, particularly with regards to women necessarily brought in from outside, and to young men.

Again, we can't stretch the meanings of words used in one context to refer to another. There have been fairly loose and decentralised empires (Austria perhaps) and there have been very tightly controlled and brutal empires (Mongols, Aztecs, German). The one word doesn't tightly define each one as if they are all copies of each other. Some organisations are run very democratically, some quite the opposite - but we wouldn't imply that if one 'organisation' is democratic, therefore they all are. Don't be fooled by words: it's what actually is the case, not some tightly-defined word used to describe it. Otherwise, we would need an infinite range of words, each of which describes a particular case.

And I'm not saying that any Aboriginal group had no political structure, any more than no family has a political structure. Of course, all Aboriginal groups, all human groups in the world, had/have political structures, but some may have much more defined, pervasive, explicit and/or controlling features than others. No two groups are identical, even though the same word may be used in reference to them.

Jo

To get back to the topic:

You know, if we stood back and looked at what Mr/Ms Williams is advocating, in the context of majority urban Aborigional population, active embeddedness in the Australian economy and society, and two hundred years down the track from the first invasion or settlement or colonisation, this is an appalling proposition: hasn't Mr/Ms Williams heard of Apartheid ? Does he/she have the slightest understanding of the nature of racism, that exclusion, separation and encirclement/encampment are features of racist societies which some of us thought were long gone ? What on earth does he/she think colonialism was all about ? Those laws banning Aboriginal people from simply being in towns after dark, still prevalent in Australia into the fifties ? Those laws prohibiting inter-marriage, or at least fraternising ?

And I'll bet that Mr/Ms Williams thinks that he/she is radical ! Progressive even ! God give us strength !

Joe

As a CONSTITUTIONALIST I am getting sick and tired of all those good doers about aboriginal suffering while not having a clue what the real problems are. First of all the States have no legislative powers to deal with Aboriginal issues as by the 1967 referendum this power belongs to the Commonwealth. As for the Northern Territory Intervention Act it would be obvious that it is not a legislation within s.122 of the constitution because the Territory has no such legislative power due to the 1967 referendum and it neither is within s.51(xxvi) of the constitution because the Commonwealth cannot legislate as to a race unless it is regarding all persons of that race throughout the Commonwealth. As such the NTIA is and remains to be unconstitutional. Now is that not simple? Why then go about that Aboriginals are suffering where the Federal government despite its “SORRY” really couldn’t give a hood about it? All that is needed to be done is to challenge it on constitutional grounds and that can resolve it. For sure since I wrote to Kevin Rudd about this he obviously decided to make it a general law throughout Australia as to avoid it being declare unconstitutional and as such no longer being a race legislation as such but that too can be disputed on constitutional grounds. The question is who of those complaining will pursue the legal way? Or is it just people trying to make themselves prominent by claiming they care about Aboriginals and their suffering but couldn’t care less to take the appropriate course of action?

Aiyyyyyyoh.... (singaporian expression of exasperation :) back to Pericles management yet a-gain. *sigh*

Listne up P.... (frowny look) you luurrrrv to try to make things 'old and of no relevance' by claiming articles are 'old'....nope sorry.

//ACRAWSA is an undergraduate hobby farm.//

Nice touch!

But given:

Author Note
Michele Lobo completed her PhD in
Human Geography from Monash
University in 2008. Her research interests
include cultural experiences of
marginalised groups and the
implications for social inclusion in
Australian cities. Michele is a Research
Fellow at The Institute for Citizenship and
Globalisation, Deakin University, and an
Assistant Lecturer at the School of
Geography and Environmental Science,
Monash University, Melbourne.

The 'references' for that Essay are ranging in dates around 2002 etc...

I'm curious about your '20 yrs old' bit?

She is now a lecturer at Deakin and Monash which means she is infecting bunches of students with her bile.

Sorry Pericles "potty training" just doesn't fit.

I suppose that people within those campus walls never go out into the real world and...teach others in turn :) ummmmm *rolls eyes*.