29 April, 2011 08:53 by Dave
Hi all,
It’s been a while since I posted. Things are moving along rapidly here. The team continues to expand and the designers’ drawings are coming through thick and fast! Steve—our artist-in-residence and photographer extraordinaire—will be posting some photos of us all hard work soon.
In the meantime, I just wanted to see if you’ve all been following the Andrew Bolt trial that’s been going on the last couple of weeks. The Herald-Sun columnist and blogger is in hot water over a number of blog posts in which he questioned the Aboriginal identities of a number of Indigenous leaders and artists. His posts accuse a number of leading Indigenous activists and artists of “choosing” to identify as Aboriginal for personal and professional gain. Among those that Bolt targets are artist Bindi Cole, law professor Larissa Behrendt, academic and Yorta Yorta activist Wayne Atkinson, and his brother Native Title Services Victoria chair Graham Atkinson.
Bolt’s posts imply that Aboriginal identity is solely related to biological or racial categorisation. For communities and Aboriginal people themselves, Aboriginality is a much deeper and much more complex question, related to cultural backgrounds, familial and community ties, and self-identification. Bolt has been taken to court by nine Aboriginal leaders and artists who have taken exception to his approach to Aboriginal identity, and he has conceded that he made some major factual errors. He does, however, stand by his claim. The nine claimants are not seeking financial compensation, but rather are asking Bolt and his newspaper for a formal apology, and for the blog posts to be removed.
Here are some articles around the trial. Many commentators, both from the left and right, argue that the outcome will have major implications on journalism and free speech in the press. Others claim that if Bolt is found guilty, it will help promote the complexity of Aboriginal identity and all the cultural, historic, and political factors that influence its formation today.
Dylan Bird in the Sydney Morning Herald:
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/aboriginal-identity-goes-beyond-skin-colour-20110406-1d40r.html
Aboriginal responses on crikey.com.au:
http://www.crikey.com.au/2011/04/08/aboriginal-identity-i-never-had-a-choice/
Michael Brull on ABC’s The Drum website:
http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/45746.html
Chris Berg in The Age:
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/silenced-in-court-20101002-161x9.html
Open letter from Kungarakan & Gurindji woman Dr. Sue Stanton:
http://blogs.crikey.com.au/northern/2011/04/12/an-open-letter-to-andrew-bolt-from-a-%E2%80%9Chalf-caste%E2%80%9D-%E2%80%9Cyella-fella%E2%80%9D-%E2%80%9Chalf-breed%E2%80%9D-kungarakan-gurindji-woman/
Also check out this interview with Wathaurung artist and photographer Bindi Cole on how she understands her identity. The interview appears in the upcoming exhibition at the Immigration Museum, 'Identity: Yours, Mine, Ours'. Don't forget to click onto their website to see what they're up to.
Let us know what you think. Do you think this is a matter of free speech? Is cultural identity more than skin colour and how you look? Do you have stories to share about your own experiences?
Dave