Published: 25 May 2021
Last updated: 4 March 2024
THOMAS MAYOR: When people learn about the Uluru Statement from the Heart, they are likely to vote yes in a referendum – but Australians must first convince politicians to hold one
THE THEME FOR RECONCILIATION WEEK this year is More than a word. A theme that reflects the frustration many First Nations people feel with the continuing problems we face on our stolen lands, despite more than 20 years of reconciliation weeks. It is a theme that asks all Australians to take action.
And isn’t our frustration understandable?
For all the reconciliation breakfasts, lunches and teas; the concerts and special film screenings; the forums, T-shirts and marches over two decades, First Nations people remains disproportionately incarcerated and dying in custody; we are still expected to die around eight years younger; and many of our communities continue to live in poverty – poverty comparable only to third world countries.
If reconciliation is more than a word, then what must we do?
Let us start with understanding the definition of the word: reconcile. The word reconcile, means to reunite, to bring (back) together (again), to bring back friendly relations. If we were to translate this in to a First Nations word, the best would be Makarrata.
Makarrata may be familiar to you, because it is a process of “coming together after a struggle”, as called for in the Uluru Statement from the Heart. It is a Yolgnu word. As in the theme of Reconciliation Week this year, Makarrata is more than a word.
Makarrata expresses the desire for peace. Peace amongst ourselves, as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and peace with those who have come more recently, whose ancestors haven’t been here for more than 60,000 years, like ours.
To achieve peace, a settlement must be achieved, deciding how the wrongs of the past will be recompensed, and how we can live together. And a settlement requires two important ingredients.
