Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia

I recently listened to this book. It's an anthology of people’s experiences growing up as Aboriginal Australians. They were certainly very diverse, but some themes kept coming up, and by the last one, Tamika Worrell's introduction sounded very familiar:

"What percent Aboriginal are you? You don't look like an Aborigine? You've done really well for an Aboriginal." ... My skin colour does not dictate my connection to country, my attachment to culture, or my understanding of who I am. ... As a child I made no connect between the stolen generation and my mum’s stories. It was just what we knew and how things were. … As I got older, I realised how these things added up, and why they were the way they were. Why there was so much pain and trauma in the family. Why addiction and violence were prevalent, but also how I can acknowledge them and avoid them in my future.

As I only work with Aboriginal people who still speak their languages, I don't often hear about the experiences of Indigenous Australians who have been disconnected from their language, culture, land or family. I think for true reconciliation to occur, we need to recognise the diversity and legitimacy of the experiences of Indigenous Australians across the country. The first thing we can do, is to get informed. (I also found Archie Roach's autobiography interesting, if you'd like something else to read.)

Pray that all Australians will work together to acknowledge our past and seek reconciliation.