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Ann-Mari Jordens
At a time when the reconciliation movement is in the doldrums, it is imperative to find new and effective ways to recognise the achievements of Indigenous Australians, affirm their value to the nation, and deepen and extend an understanding of Indigenous culture and history throughout the Australian community and internationally. I would like to suggest the establishment of a new institution specifically dedicated to revitalising and replenishing Australian Indigenous culture and promoting cross cultural understanding. Like the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, opened in September 2004 directly opposite the Capitol in Washington DC, it should be located in the Parliamentary Triangle in Canberra, to affirm symbolically the Indigenous foundations of our country. It need not be a collecting institution, but could draw on existing collections of tangible Indigenous culture already in other national institutions for its displays. Its uniqueness would lie in its being predominantly a gathering place rather than a repository for cultural property - a venue designed to celebrate, protect and support the living Indigenous culture of Australia, an instrument for self-definition for Australia’s indigenous people, and a catalyst for reconciliation, showcasing not only tangible but also intangible Indigenous culture such as music, art, dance, stories, craftsmanship and knowledge skills. It would not only be visited by the thousands of adults and school children who come to Canberra annually but, though an extensive outreach program of travelling exhibitions, publications, digital and audio-visual records, it could bring its concerts, seminars, educational workshops, conferences and performances to Indigenous communities and cultural centres around Australia, to non-Indigenous people in distant parts of Australia, and to international audiences. The institution could also be the site for an annual cultural festival similar to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival at which non-Indigenous people learn about rituals, ceremonies and celebrations by participating in them, and can buy Indigenous crafts, food, art and music CDs, with the income returning to the artisan communities to encourage the continuity of local cultural industries. The Queensland Premier Peter Beattie is currently negotiating with the Smithsonian to have the 2009 Folklife festival feature Queensland and the Torres Strait Islands as a unique destination for cultural tourism. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had a venue where we could showcase our various Indigenous cultures at similar annual festivals in Australia! All we need is an indigenous Director with the fund-raising skills of the Museum of the American Indian’s Richard West, and a government or an antipodean James Smithson with vision, a passion for Indigenous culture, and the determination necessary to achieve the national reconciliation which currently eludes us. Is anyone interested in helping to make this dream a reality?
Ann-Mari Jordens is a member of Manning Clark House, working on the program Canberra Refugee Settlement Network, funded by the Department of Disability, Housing and Community Affairs, through its Canberra Community Grants Program.
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