Sovereignty, false pretences without the rightful consent
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Curators’ acknowledgement
“We pay our respects and dedicate the Unsettled exhibition to the people and other Beings who keep the law of this land; to the Elders and Traditional Owners of all the knowledges, places, and stories in this exhibition; and to the Ancestors and Old People for their resilience and guidance.
We advise that there are some confronting topics addressed in this exhibition, including massacres and genocide. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be advised that there may be images of people who have passed away.”
Laura McBride and Dr Mariko Smith, 2021.
Elder Waubin Richard Aken
Elder Waubin Richard Aken, Traditional Owner of Tuined and appointed Tribal Historian for Kaurareg First Nations people, discusses the HMB Endeavour’s voyage from his people’s accounts and perspective.
Image: Anna Kučera© Australian Museum
Author: Elder Waubin Richard Aken, Traditional Owner of Tuined and appointed Tribal Historian for Kaurareg First Nations people, discusses the HMB Endeavour’s voyage from his people’s accounts and perspective.
Listen to Elder Waubin Richard Aken discuss the HMB Endeavour’s voyage from a First Nations perspective
Days before Cook’s arrival, smoke signals, which we call blackfella internet, notified all the clan groups of Cape York that a strange ship’s travelling along the East Coast. Our warriors were waiting patiently for him, camouflaged in surrounding islands, ready to attack. But the signal never came from our Kuiku mabiag. Why? Because he never walked on the land. If he did, we wouldn’t have British sovereignty in Australia today. How can you claim sovereignty from a captain’s ship logbook whilst floating in the water? Elder Waubin Richard Aken, Kaurareg Traditional Owner, 2020.
© National Library of Australia
