Aboriginal Sovereignty Day/Invasion Day: women creatively resisting
January 26, 2008That’s right. Today was the day to break out our starry union jack. Nevermind the blood stains, nevermind the blood.
I thought I’d ‘celebrate Aboriginal Sovereignty Day by posting about some of the many, many incredible First Nations women who continue to resist white invasion and colonisation to this day.
Music:
Ebony Williams a brilliant indigenous rap artist. Unfortunately rap is always ten times better when being performed and Ebony’s myspace tracks do not do justice to her lyrics or her power as a performer. Still brilliant though.
Stiff Gins. These two women have incredible voices and songwriting skills. I love the harmonies and the guitar work.
Betty Little
The lyrics of a song by Betty Little:
I come from a line of strong Koori women
women like my mother, my aunts and my nan
they were my role models and they played them well for me
and I’m so proud to be part of my family
I have a little daughter she’s just turned 17
and one day on this very stage she will stand with me and sing
about her role models like her mother, her aunts and her nan
and she will grow up to be, a strong Koori womanoh yes we come from a line of strong Koori women
women like my mother, my aunts and my nan
they were our role models and they played them well for me
and we’re so proud to be part of our familiesNow back in the year of 1939, a big protest took place
because of the government cruelty that was done to my Koori race
this happened at cummerangje, the mission where I was born
this happened in cummerangje, this is where my mother’s fromYes I come from a line of strong Koori women
women like my mother, my aunts and my nan
they were my role models and they played them well for me
and I’m so proud to be part of my familyNow for all you women, and all the women of the world
So to you out there my sisters
there are role models for you
Now if you were to look among your families
you will find strong women there too
Oh, but let’s live our lives
so others will follow on
‘Cause all this world over
there are women oh so strong
thank you
Betty Little’s story: ‘My Journey – Building Bridges Along a Long Hard Road’
These women are a few of the many First Nations women that I am humbled by.
Radfem Hub
Very awesome post – the lyrics of Betty Little’s song are beautiful.
Thanks, Allecto, for bringing Betty Little’s story to my attention. The personal and political are so intimately entwined in women’s lives, aren’t they.
If it’s impolite, bad netiquette, to pull quotes out of links on someone else’s blog, you will have to tell me so – I couldn’t resist the following:
“For me racism started when I started school, and then for the rest of my life on a daily basis. When someone tells you to just hear what is being said and not try to fix it up, this makes matters worse…
“My past twenty-five years have been about doing Koori cultural presentations to hundreds of people to build bridges of understanding between black and white Australians…
Dissenter: Aren’t they just.
Starfish: I’m all too happy to introduce you to Betty’s story. There are so many indigenous women like her. Strong, political, radical, brilliant women who are never heard of by our mainstream world.
I have no idea if it is bad netiquette. I certainly am not offended. You can quote Betty Little as much as you like as far as I’m concerned.