Cultural safety

First week  of the  last year of Primary School ..  not  sure I should be  worried  .. or really worried.
so thought  I should put pen to paper  before it gets to hard to start from the  start .  ( hey that makes sense to me ! )

Ok   first would like to acknowledge  that Yes   I do not  live  on  my ancestors land  I live on  Wurundjeri Land  so  my respects go to them  who walked  before and whos mobs walk strong today . 

In saying this  let my words speak  for  me  and  my perceptions  and in no way  imply that I speak for anyone else other than myself and  my two feet and hands .

Not sure  how I should say this but here goes.

I  have speaking mandarin  low  on  priorities  of my child's  education . yes 690 odd million people speaking this language  surely speaks cultural identity to me  .   but  yes I have concerns  of  this country  forcing yet another language  on the  children of this country .  last time they did that  the  government  forced children  and adults to speak english only  as a result   -  well your ability to speak any of the  over 400 dialects Australia  had once  should be testimony to the point I am making . and  yes not even  going to mention much of the dance and songs  and  lore that was also lost when a  new language was forced into an education module and society.

If  what they  say is true .  And  who  you are and  where you come from  is part of  a person's  safety and ability to  partake in the greater wider  society that adulthood  forces on  our youth .  My  child  should be enabled  by her school   to  study and learn  a language that  her ancestors ,   her  blood  once spoke .
I  shall not  have another child by birth so  that makes my child the last of the last of a long line ( some say 60, 000 -  I dare say it much longer ) of people.

As  Far as I am aware  only  a  handful of people in compared to  Mandarins  staggering  results  even  know  the Taungurung people  exsisted and  still do  - let alone  know  a  whole language exists as well. 

sad for me to acknowledge that   because  it  is my ancestors . a  big  line and  a very old line .    so much  was taken  by the  Commonwealth  .  so much  from people  but  more important   for  it vital to everyone .   the Commonwealth stole  from the future .

Time  being the once currency the government  has not been made accountable for  and yes still  steals  and takes  time  from  not only the past ,  the  present   but well into the future .    If  only more people  would see the dangers  of  what we doing to the future .  (  as things stands   we  dont have much future )

I  stray  from track ..  as  my path  that was once spoken   now  has a  freeway  and a mcdonalds on  it.  but  dont pity  this    for  you share the same path as me ..  I just know  and  want it to be like it was .  Greed  for the  future  and  not the speed I travel  on with which waste of  cash on wheels  that cost so much to fuel .  this path  is what concerns me .

Environment sustainability , holisitic even ( holistic  by definition and  not by stereotyping that is ! )  - health , safety , education , farming , justice .   any  of   this and  much more  how  can it  properly be delivered without  the   initial and most important  -  cultural safety .  ???

what is  cultural  safety  to you ?   is  it knowing who  your mum  and dad is ?   is  it having a pie  n a beer at the footy ?   is  it  going to church every sunday ? I can not answer that for you  and yours  but I do urge you to ponder this thought .   What is cultural  safety to you ?


Let  me try to explain what it is for me .  for me  it is about to live within the skin i live in . to live  with  brown  hair and green / grey eyes  and not have  to  explain time and time again  I am  what is left  after 60 , 000  +  years .    My  bloodline  can  be tied back  thousands  of years to this land .  this land   Australia.

I want the ability to walk and sleep under the stars .  I want the ability to  eat  what is now rare plants . I want to be able to share  stories  long ago  about stars and animals .

I want to  practise the long ago lore that  us  men and women  once made to animals   of all kinds .  for  trust me on my word .  the animals  have not forgotten the lores and  bonds  we once had with them .  pity  us as people for not keeping  the one thing that  made as  apart from the animals.  Our  abilty to endlessly love .

I claim no higher  need  nor greater than anyone else .  I just can acknowledge what this land needs  I can acknowledge what I need  and  I  want to help fix  the damage  . as least leave this planet   saying to the  future  I tried to stand  against  what I know  to be wrong  by land  and  by people s  and yes  I think people have souls .

keeping what left  of my old peoples   is beyond important .  ability to access such ancient languages and may be just key  in  parts  to a greater picture of human life than we could  not even begin to comprehend yet . the pyramids are a mere 4, 500 years old .. I am talking of a  peoples 60 , 000 +  older !!  think about it !! 

so  if you take anything from  my perception today  note  that  i really  want to forsake  my child learning  such a common language as Mandarin . and really want with  all my heart to know  of the language  her ancestors  once spoke , told stories,  sang  songs ..  

May this education system in  Victoria  Assist me  in enabling my child  to learn how to use   vital  cultural research and practices in a way that  empower  her with a sense of cultural identity which is  fundamental  in true and  essential  education  and workplace relations.