Greetings to you from where I am presently typing this electronic message.
I sit on the second floor of a large factory in the heart of Sydney.
Its my factory where I operate my business which finances my work.
I am not even sure what my work is. Some people draw upon my strength to
advance their fight to better their community. I am a fourth generation
residentof Australia and I'm not proud of what my forefathers did to enter this
land.
Nevertheless its where I was born and where I return to whenever I need the
comfort of family and familiarity of surroundings.
If you gather many people together in a community and you say to them
what is it that you want ? what would you like to do to to sustain your
community ? I believe many of them would say that the know that they want
something but they are not sure exactly what would be best.
You mentioned a saw mill and doctors and money and videocrews as possibly
good things to send...don't worry about the visit just send the readies
(cash). Lets talk about the saw mill. They cut down trees and i assume that
you see benefit in a saw mill so that trees can be cut and the trees sold for
cash. What do you do with the cash and what do you do when all the trees
are cut down ? Did your father and his father cut down the trees for Cash ?
Do the elders want to cut down trees for cash ?
If some elders( and perhaps a few youths) knew that there brothers (forget
nationality, race, kin, family, colour) I mean human brothers were not
doing so well and their hearts included space to share experience, ideas,
knowledge, strength and cash if it was needed with those brothers be it
ever so briefly is that a bad thing.
You are right their are foundations that if they got a good videofilm of a
good cause specially if it was to do with indigenous people in need they
would give cash. But thats not my bag, thats not my journey, thats not my
spirit.
You see I like to sit with my brothers and hear their story. I like to
know what is important to them. I like to understand what they believe.
I cannot tell you whether I have wisdom. I can tell you that i don't bend
in the wind. I can tell you that if I start my journey going in one direction
I can be found continuing in that direction.
I read your "white brothers" thoughts. Perhaps your journey has only lead you
tomeet little white brothers who come and take and leave.
I recently met an American indian leader. Not a tribal leader but a white mans
leader employed in a top government job. I had just finished giving a big
talk saying to a mixed audience that I was totally against any develoment
that wasn't controlled 100% by the indigenous community having that development.
At the finish of my talk many stayed behind and spoke with me. Others
scurried back to their dark corners throuyghout the world and spoke against me
and what I had said. The American Indian leader came up to me and said
"its allright what you say but you haven't answered three big questions
" and then he left. I looked for that brother and found that the next day
he was giving his talk. I listened to that talk and I waited until after that
tllk was over because I wanted to hear from him what were these three
unanswered questions. If I had any further answers I had travelled from
Australia to Canada to share all that I knew. He couldn't wait to talk
with me and I found him later drinking beer with two good looking women.
Mind you Robert Yellowhand perhaps afterall he is the wiser of the two.
Robert I am not talking about ten donors sending cash to help a cause
or need I am talking about a new indigenous development forum where
those amongst other conference delegates that would like to do more
than talk could get together and do more than talk but as well as
talk.
In July I will bring possibly eight big men amongst their own indigenous
people to one location where we will smoke the pipe. This will possibly
attract one hundred other skilled and committed people having the same
interests. That location will get its cash. The delegates who attend
will go home much wiser people . Some lifelong friendships may be made.
We will give but not take. If you can't help me that's okay.
I wish you well.
I would like to know more about you. I would like to know your age and
your journey in life. I would like to know what you fight for. I would
like to know whether in your journey you have found and white brothers
of value.
That is all. I thank you very much for your reply and your reading of this
communication.
Marc Aussie-Stone.