After 25 years of psychological education and practice and a life time as an identifiable First Nations Australian woman, I look back and know how much trauma could have been averted, if I had only known the truth.
As I see the pain and passion in the faces of our Elders, our leaders, and our community members on the frontline pushing for change, I feel a responsibility to make my contribution. My experience has been in the fields of psychological education and practice in the mental health / social and emotional wellbeing sector. Too often did I find myself supporting patients who had been distressed to the point, they no longer wanted to live. Almost all of my clients / consumers / patients were of First Nations Australian heritage.
Some patients were the most educated and enlightened individuals I had ever met and others, particularly youth, were lacking education and insight, not only about their own person, but the broader society within which we all live. When it came to knowing about our history, many of our youth had not received a truthful, valid or useful education. Most recently I was met with two people who did not know of Ned Kelly, nor Truganini.
I thought to myself, if you do not know who these influential figures are, how can you have an informed and reliable understanding of Australian society and how it functions today?
Knowing the truth about the journey of First Nations Australian individuals, families, tribes, communities and nations is essential for anyone wanting to support First Nations Australian peoples towards triumph over adversity. We do not have to revisit statistics or possible negative outcomes to know that our people must be forewarned, if they are to be forearmed.
The truth may hurt for a little while but a lie hurts forever
It is only now in my forties, that I realise how many of my family members and tribes people have been the victims of police brutality and sadly no longer with us. If I would have known this as a young person, then maybe I would not have fallen to police and systemic racism in my own life. I was a strong believer in “reconciliation”, which one Uncle termed as “reckon silly nation”. I baulked, not understanding that racism, can at times, utilise a friendly face to lure in its victims.
Some may say Turtle Yarns approach is too traumatising for people who have already suffered so much trauma. I would say, do you leave the blindfold on, for those in the firing line? No! They have no chance of escape. It is a great challenge to turn the thoughts of a racist person, such that they will stop enacting their hatred upon innocent victims. It is less of a challenge to educate the would be victims, of their true history, and identify thinking and behaviours they should beware of in possible perpetrators.
My time working in youth detention centres was one of my most challenging. Many of our First Nations youth have no idea of their family, tribal or community history. Some were related to our greatest warriors, yet due to various factors, were so far removed from the ones who truly cared about them. They did not know which way was up, let alone their own selves and their need for protection. These children are easy targets for perpetrators of racial hatred. They deserve an education that is pre occupied with their safety. The truth maybe be traumatising, however ignorance can lead to further trauma and in some cases irreparable damage.
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