Black GST
I didn't end up staying inside all day after all.
This afternoon I went with Gin to visit Black GST's camp, at King's Domain. When we got there we were asked to put some gum leaves in the sacred fire (from the Tent Embassy), and then stand in the smoke, to get rid of any bad spirits from outside the camp.
It turned out that Mary, who worked on one of the murals in our laneway, was there painting a map of the camp. There was a lot of painting going on, as well as music, cooking, football and preparation for subversive action.
2 comments:
How did you find the vibe of the camp Chris? I went yesterday with a friend. I wanted to go because I'm glad some indigenous people are there saying stuff, because I wonder why we weren't told about our real history at school. I liked some of the art stuff, but I have to say on the whole it felt like an angry, slightly oppressed place. Hardly anyone was there to start with. No white people were allowed in the camping area. No one talked to us. And as we were leaving some campers standing outside the site made obscene gestures at me. The thing is...my friend had been there just before the games started and said the vibe was great. I wonder what's going on...I feel paralysed when it comes to how I respond to Australia's appalling history.
Well, not many people that we didn't know already talked to us. But we were offered food and no-one was rude to us. I felt quite welcome.
We listened to a woman who was talking (I suppose you'd call it a sermon) about a lot of stuff (much of which I didn't understand because of my ignorance) and criticising the European invaders, particularly the church (quite fairly). But she had as much to say about the indigenous people as well, and she said stuff about everyone needing to look after the land together.
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