The Aboriginal Situation

Still in Katherine. Have been to Cutta cutta caves, with its sparkling rocks.

Mariek and I are chilling out in the city, in shops.

In Katherine are more aboriginal people than anywhere else we've been.

Yesterday night we went to a barbecue organised by a cool aussie man. We ate Camel (my favourite), Barramundi(australian fish) and Kangaroo(too strong for me). With typical australian tea and stuff. Wallabies were around us, it was a great atmosphere. At the end of the dinner, when everybody left, we stayed for another hour, some australian guys and us, and they talked about the aboriginal situation. They said this:

"We have aboriginal friends and really want to help this community, but the cultural difference is so deep that it is very hard. There are different clans within the aboriginal community and they are fighting against each other; even killing each others sometimes. They have quite a "primitive" way to live, actually. I'm not saying they should be different, but the fact is the difference between their way to live and the white peole there is so big that it is very hard for both sides to understand each others. The government gives them money, and they apparently even prevented them from drinking; but the aboriginals just ask white people to buy alcohol for them, and even pay them big amounts of money for that. They don't accept white people help and just don't want to be helped."

 It sounds like a hard situations, like the awful crimes done by white australian ancestors has left those two SO different civilisations (aboriginal and new generations of white australian) face to face, with a lot of shame, incomprehension, shyness and taboos between them.

Comments

[marion]

Well that's funny because I met this girl who met this fella whose sister said to me: "Sometimes a Horseman on a mission is probably just waiting for the mess in town to quiet a bit before making his way. His mission is his mission, and it will be done, eventually."

[Harry Potter]

Hey I met a guy who knows a guy who talked to a dude, who said to me: "Don't worry about horsemen on a mission, its the least of the worries. So chill and have a good trip." Hah funny ain't it? Just thought I should tell ya.