For the last day of the holidays, today is pretty darn perfect. Just had a cracking surf (somehow enjoying the Australia Day long weekend crowds) and am now at home pottering with the music cranking. Sometimes life is pretty grand, even if it's these little moments.

I suppose given it's Australia Day long weekend, I should post some Australian songs. It's kinda controversial really - if you don't know much about Australia Day, it's when the first fleet landed in Sydney Cove, so it's also known as Invasion Day or Survival Day for the Aboriginal peoples. I'm inclined to agree, and am at loathe to 'celebrate' such a violent history. Yet it does bring good dialogue up every year about how White Australia can do better for a largely displaced people who are still suffering intergenerational trauma, and a trauma that is in the living memory of the people.

There's a lot of indigenous music I could choose but I think this one is so iconic it's worth sharing, especially as so many of my followers aren't actually Australian! It's a really cool story and I think it's worth telling, and you might like the song too. I don't think there isn't an Australian who doesn't know it.

---

If you can't view it via the embed code above, here's the youtube link.. Kev Carmody and Paul Kelly, songwriters and loved Australian musicians both, are playing it at Gough Whitlam's memorial. Gough Whitlam was one of our prime ministers and was credited with some pretty good stuff. The photo below is really well known and I love it so much.

This photo is taken in 1975 and Whitlam's pouring red soil into Vincent Lingiari's hand, symbolising the handing back of Wave Hill station back to the Gurindji people - this is the FIRST time an Aboriginal community had that happen to them and would be the start of a land rights movement that continues to this day.

Whitlam: “Vincent Lingiari, I solemnly hand to you these deeds as proof, in Australian law, that these lands belong to the Gurindji people and I put into your hands part of the earth itself as a sign that this land will be the possession of you and your children forever,” Gough Whitlam said.

Lingiari: "Let us live happily together as mates, let us not make it hard for each other... We want to live in a better way together, Aboriginals and white men, let us not fight over anything, let us be mates.”

The story of what happened is told fairly well in the song lyrics which I've included below. It's such a beautiful story of hope. I challenge you to hear it without getting a little tear in your eye.

Gather round people let me tell you a story
An eight year long story of power and pride
British Lord Vestey and Vincent Lingiarri
Were opposite men on opposite sides
Vestey was fat with money and muscle
Beef was his business, broad was his door
Vincent was lean and spoke very little
He had no bank balance, hard dirt was his floor
From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow
Gurindji were working for nothing but rations
Where once they had gathered the wealth of the land
Daily the pressure got tighter and tighter
Gurindju decided they must make a stand
They picked up their swags and started off walking
At Wattie Creek they sat themselves down
Now it don't sound like much but it sure got tongues talking
Back at the homestead and then in the town
From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow
Vestey man said I'll double your wages
Seven quid a week you'll have in your hand
Vincent said uh-huh we're not talking about wages
We're sitting right here till we get our land
Vestey man roared and Vestey man thundered
You don't stand the chance of a cinder in snow
Vince said if we fall others are rising
From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow
Then Vincent Lingiarri boarded an aeroplane
Landed in Sydney, big city of lights
And daily he went round softly speaking his story
To all kinds of men from all walks of life
And Vincent sat down with big politicians
This affair they told him is a matter of state
Let us sort it out, your people are hungry
Vincent said no thanks, we know how to wait
From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow
Then Vincent Lingiarri returned in an aeroplane
Back to his country once more to sit down
And he told his people let the stars keep on turning
We have friends in the south, in the cities and towns
Eight years went by, eight long years of waiting
Till one day a tall stranger appeared in the land
And he came with lawyers and he came with great ceremony
And through Vincent's fingers poured a handful of sand
From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow
That was the story of Vincent Lingairri
But this is the story of something much more
How power and privilege can not move a people
Who know where they stand and stand in the law
From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow
From little things big things grow
Songwriters: Kev Carmody / Kevin Daniel Carmody / Paul Maurice Kelly

Songwriters: Kev Carmody / Kevin Daniel Carmody / Paul Maurice Kelly

Happy Australia Day, folks. May we remember our roots and grow together rather than divided. The date doesn't matter - what we do together counts.

---

Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://www.riverflowings.com/?p=231

---