M. Piaget is not one of my favourite authors!
I read and discussed a lot of his theories when my then wife was doing her Dip. Ed.

I spent time in the NT and northern WA back in 1952 as an 18 year old and saw station Aboriginals at first hand and on the stations that I visited they seemed to be healthy and the stockmen were hard working blokes proud of who they were and what they did.
I also met genuine tribals and spent over a month with one mob in semi arid country, where incidentally I wouldn't have lasted more than a week on my own. I provided plenty of amusement with my trying to throw a spear and my attempts at the accurate throwing of a hunting boomerang were the stuff of legend.
I was the first European that some of them had been up close to, and they were wary at first but we soon became friends even though all communication was by signs and the few words that I picked up; a couple of the men spoke fairly good English so I wasn't cut off from having things explained to me and a bit of conversation, these blokes worked part time on a station but were having their annual walkabout.

Is Mise, beaut story of your younger days in NT/WA by the way. I was lucky to have had the opportunity of growing up in PNG - (Manus Island).

In recent years the ADF has wisely decided to go back to earlier philosophies and teach Survival Skills on the various lands of traditional peoples, with the local folk as our instructors. For about 2 months in early 2010, I learnt, and then taught survival skills to fellow soldiers in both the Reserve and Full Time Army.

I fully appreciate the issues the older indigenous folk have in competing with the computer age, & the younger ones gradually being pulled away from traditional lifestyles and into towns & cities with the loss of knowledge that goes with this. It is a humbling process using a digging stick to extract small yams when your daily nutritional intake is minimal.

Yes, some of our attempts at throwing spears resulted in great mirth when the video was played back.

The Constitution does not have within it the "Right to Life", so without that most basic premise, it is in my 'opinion' an anachronistic document, out of touch with the Australia of 2014.

Like the various state and territory legislation, which all harks back to pre-Federation, and the squabble over excises, levies, rail gauges and such. I also believe we should adopt uniform state laws, but still keep the state identities ( we couldn't forgo the State of Origin footy matches).

But already I hear the hue & cry from my learned friends, who would stand to lose $ in the process of making things easier from an administrative perspective.

Some interesting stories and experiences amongst you all I see.

I would say that what needs to be remembered is that the Oz Con is a racist document due to the race power that it still maintains. That is to say, it is well within the power of same to make specific laws for specific races.

So, for example, if it was wanted, a new law under this power could be made to say deport any unwanted Arab individuals to Naru or Manus Island.

The other thing that has to be remembered is that it was only in relatively recent times that the Original Australians were considered something other than an animal classified under state flora and fauna acts.

(and I note in the link that *Foxy* posted that it is merely said that "the Aboriginals were not included." The reality of course is that when you peel back the niceties of polite speech what you find is far more nefarious.

For example, and for those familiar with the military history, loyal and proud BlakFellas who fought in the Australian army against the Japs in Malaya discovered upon their return that their children had been stolen and given unto some filthy little pedophile church institution.

That along with the earlier out and out genocidal campaigns, the substance poison, the spreading of disease, the transference of children from one group to another, the knowing and wilful infliction of mental harm, and what we have now is a group of people who are dispirited.

So, instead of a dead wood, pencil fiddling, wig parasite picnic, why not do something real in terms of recognition?

So, what do I have in mind when I say something real?

Well, here again, when we look to the history there were some great BlakFella businesses in the past. The example of the stockmen, the hops growers and many others, but unfortunately, these were all taken away from them too.

Way back when land was being given away for "free" the only requirement was to improve the land, and there were plenty of BlakFellas who were keen, but the banks wouldn't back them in the same manner as they did for the whites so they did not get a start.

The atrocities committed against these people is so great that as much as we can do is make best efforts to provide the circumstances within which they will come to want to rehabilitate themselves.

Perhaps in that we can learn from the lessons of China (who well know how to deal with greedy land owners)in what truly makes a person want to get out of bed in the morning and "strike a blow."

..

Many years ago I was in one of the libraries and was reading some very old parliamentary debates. It was actually quite amusing as they were having a whinge because the BlakFellas (wanting no doubt to maintain the quality of their herds of cattle) were only sending the "less good" ones down to town for export.

..

So, being cogniscant of how well received the idea of giving the Indos a go here at cattle farming has been, why not recognise the BlakFellas in deed, and get them involved in their own stations as well?

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Based upon my experience with the Islamic Indonesians of East Java

(strong backs who work damn hard and have only ever been most kind to me)

if we truly value and seek to preserve this ancient and unique culture, we must let them have something back of their own, and permit them to do things their own way, for their own benefit, by way say of a gradual roll out towards a form of limited autonomy.

Dream on, DreamOn.

Dream on,

What a pile of complete rubbish. Almost nothing you have written can be backed up by evidence, but keep dreaming.

Check out this web-site, if you dare: www.firstsources.info

Joe