Dear Craig This is a late reply but your message was so thought provoking that I just had to email and thank you for it. I have just become a grandmother as of 14 May and it has made me so proud not only proud of the most beautiful baby on the face of this earth but of who I am and where I came from. We must never forget who we are and where we come from as to do this is to deny our ancestors who have lived though a holocaust of white destruction and who have fought for every breath that has been taken by each generation since. I am so proud to be aboriginal and to have the family that I have (good and bad) . To those of you who are tracing your aboriginal heritage keep trying as it is a privilege to belong a ancient culture such as ours and worth the time and effort. Hazel ----- Original Message ----- From: "Craig Sams and Jo Kamira" <kamira@optusnet.com.au> To: <AUS-KOORI-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, May 13, 2001 11:04 PM Subject: [AUS-Koori] Identification and Aboriginality > > > I have read with interest the debate on Aboriginality over the past few > posts. > > Many of us come from families that were either stolen or silenced. There is > not an Indigenous family today (either identifying or not) who have not been > touched by past policy. If you did not have a family member who was > physically removed then ask yourself why so many of you are actively seeking > your Indigenous side.....the answer is because your family was affected by > policy of the day and it was easier and safer for your ancestors to say they > were Greek, Italian, Maori, Indian, anything but Aboriginal. To be > Aboriginal meant to live under incredibly oppressive laws and risk having > your children taken away. As the generations went on, it was easier to > 'forget' your Aboriginal grandmother or grandfather or Aunt or Uncle, rather > than face racist taunts or stigma which has lead to not only a stolen > generation but a silenced one as well. > > This is why it is so important that as we enter the 21st century, the more > of us who find our Indigenous forebears should be proud to claim these > elders as ours and, if you feel so, to identify as Indigenous. It doesn't > matter about the colour of your skin, or 'claiming' benefits etc - it's > about acknowledging what your ancestors went through to allow YOU to be who > you are today. > > My great grandmother was taken from Nowra to La Perouse at the turn of the > 20th century. Her name was Jane Cronin and she married a Puckeridge. We have > been looking for our mob ever since. > > The past was about wiping out who we were. It was about removing our culture > and colour from us. For those of us who are fortunate enough to be given an > opening to the past - then we have an obligation to acknowledge what our > forebears have been through. > > If my family did not identify - then everything my ancestors have been > through would have been in vain - and the past policies would have been > successful - wouldn't they? > > Craig Sams > > > > ==== AUS-KOORI Mailing List ==== > >