GilG
All Australian
- Joined
- May 20, 2013
- Posts
- 909
- Reaction score
- 2,923
- Location
- Los Angeles, California, USA
- AFL Club
- Fremantle
- Other Teams
- New York Mets
As an international Freo fan who has had the great fortune to have visited such sacred sites as Uluru and Kata Tjuta in NT and gotten a great schooling at Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Center in QLD, I've never witnessed or taken part in an Indigenous Australian smoking ceremony. That's one reason I was VERY moved by watching our coach proudly wearing the hibiscus survival flower and speaking about Sorry Day in his press conference, our captain carrying the eucalyptus leaves in the ceremony and an Aboriginal elder lead it.
If you haven't seen the ceremony, here's a link:
Here in the States, where race relations have an equally tortured history as your country, far too many of our professional and university teams continue to mock native culture by "mascotisizing" it with racist nicknames (see Cleveland Indians, Washington Redskins). Granted, some Native American tribes, such as the Seminoles have granted their blessings to teams to use their tribal names, but if there are meaningful, sincere and authentic gestures of solidarity, appreciation, partnership and respect, such as what Freo is doing with its Reconciliation Action Plan, or what the AFL has done, with the Indigenous Round, either I haven't seen it, or it's terribly under-publicized.
It's so clear your country's Sorry Day isn't meant to shame anyone or cause them to feel guilt about what their long-deceased ancestors may have thought, said, or perpetrated. It's about embracing enlightenment and committing to a fairer, more equitable society -- far bigger than the outcome of any footy game, or season. It's about reconciling the past and not repeating history. It's a social unifier, not a divider. It's not about re-opening a wound, it's about healing.
And it's a mystery why we, as Americans, fail to do that here, whether in sports or greater society. There's a lot you as Australians can teach us, as far as healing, eliminating racism and closing the socioeconomic gap between the most and least privileged people in our society. Racism may never be completely eradicated, but Aussies clearly are putting in "the hard yards."
I'm African-American, but like most people of my ethnicity, I also have some Indigenous American ancestry. (And an eighth of me is Irish!) What I see Freo doing only inspires me to research and learn more of my -- however small -- Cherokee and Choctaw Native American heritage.
So good on Freo for being so culturally inclusive and actively and bravely reflecting the societal philosophy and values so many of us so dearly hold and espouse on this board and in our public and private lives.
Even if some in the Purple Army, in WA, or in the rest of Australia are slow to get it, good on the Dockers for setting a worthy example to emulate.
If you haven't seen the ceremony, here's a link:
Here in the States, where race relations have an equally tortured history as your country, far too many of our professional and university teams continue to mock native culture by "mascotisizing" it with racist nicknames (see Cleveland Indians, Washington Redskins). Granted, some Native American tribes, such as the Seminoles have granted their blessings to teams to use their tribal names, but if there are meaningful, sincere and authentic gestures of solidarity, appreciation, partnership and respect, such as what Freo is doing with its Reconciliation Action Plan, or what the AFL has done, with the Indigenous Round, either I haven't seen it, or it's terribly under-publicized.
It's so clear your country's Sorry Day isn't meant to shame anyone or cause them to feel guilt about what their long-deceased ancestors may have thought, said, or perpetrated. It's about embracing enlightenment and committing to a fairer, more equitable society -- far bigger than the outcome of any footy game, or season. It's about reconciling the past and not repeating history. It's a social unifier, not a divider. It's not about re-opening a wound, it's about healing.
And it's a mystery why we, as Americans, fail to do that here, whether in sports or greater society. There's a lot you as Australians can teach us, as far as healing, eliminating racism and closing the socioeconomic gap between the most and least privileged people in our society. Racism may never be completely eradicated, but Aussies clearly are putting in "the hard yards."
I'm African-American, but like most people of my ethnicity, I also have some Indigenous American ancestry. (And an eighth of me is Irish!) What I see Freo doing only inspires me to research and learn more of my -- however small -- Cherokee and Choctaw Native American heritage.
So good on Freo for being so culturally inclusive and actively and bravely reflecting the societal philosophy and values so many of us so dearly hold and espouse on this board and in our public and private lives.
Even if some in the Purple Army, in WA, or in the rest of Australia are slow to get it, good on the Dockers for setting a worthy example to emulate.
