Yunupingu --- "Yunupingu's View" [1987] AboriginalLawB 46; (1987) 1(28) Aboriginal Law Bulletin 5

• Yunupingu’s View

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Yunupingu’s View

An old man died in Berlin prison a few weeks ago. For ready 40 years, he had been paying the price of his countrys attempted genocide of the Jews during the invasion of Europe. His fellow conspirators are still hunted down and, after show trials, either lacked up for life or executed.

The vigour with which these people are prosecuted brings a biter smile to the lips of other victims of attempted genocide. Ask a black South African what he thinks of it. More appropriately, ask any Aborigine.

We've been asking for years when the attempted genocide of our people will be avenged When will we be compensated as the Jeers have been compensated?

We're not asking for anything as primitive as executions or life sentences. We're a lot more sophisticated than that. We are asking you to investigate the sins of the past and come up with justice.

We know you can do it. After all, you spent $26 million to achieve justice for the death of just one baby. How much are you prepared to spend to get that same justice for the deaths of perhaps millions of Aboriginal people?

We think you're mature enough as a nation, now you're approaching what you see as your 200th birthday, to accept your responsibilities. If you're not, well keep reminding you of what happened, in the some way that you have kept reminding the Germans of what they did.

We think you're mature enough now to listen. By setting up a Royal Comission to investigate Aboriginal deaths in custody, you are starting to show that you can face the unpalatable truth and do something about it according to your law.

Ifs time you faced what has happened since you arrived here. We're not asking you to live In the past or re-write history. Just accept that you have a responsibility to the present and the future to do something about it.

Listen to us. Act on what we have been saying. Give us justice. Give us recognition in your world and our proper place in ours.

Charlie Perkins said last week that it was a time for a Treaty that will recognise Aboriginal sovereignty. We want to help you put your occupation of our country on an internationally accepted legal basis. And we want the same legal recognition of our place in our country.

The exact form this takes has to be worked out but we’ll settle for a Treaty and a Constitutional recognition of our law and our rights.

But we've got to start talking soon. You can't continue to impose your word on us without asking what we want.

If you listen - and if you act - we can all join in the fun in 1988. But you’re running out of time, so we’d better get started.

Reprinted from the Sunday Territorian 23.8.87