Australia Day - Invasion Day
Most Australians celebrate Australia Day as the day Australia was founded.
In contrast, Aboriginal people mourn their history and call it 'Invasion Day'.
26th January 1788 - Australia Day
January 26, 1788 was the date on which Captain Arthur Phillip took formal possession of the colony of New South Wales and raised the British flag for the first time in Sydney Cove.
In the early 1880s the day was known as 'First Landing', 'Anniversary Day' or 'Foundation Day'.
In 1946 the Commonwealth and state governments agreed to unify the celebrations on January 26 and call it 'Australia Day'. The day became a public holiday in 1818 (its 30th anniversary).
Since 1994 all states and territories celebrate Australia Day together on the actual day. On this day ceremonies welcome new citizens or honour people who did a great service. On the fun side are BBQs, contests, parades, performances, fireworks and more. A National Australia Day Council, founded in 1979, views Australia Day as "a day to reflect on what we have achieved and what we can be proud of in our great nation," and a "day for us to re-commit to making Australia an even better place for the generations to come".
The Aboriginal perspective of Australia Day
To many Indigenous peoples there is little to celebrate and it is a commemoration of a deep loss. Loss of their sovereign rights to their land, loss of family, loss of the right to practice their culture. Aboriginal people call it 'Invasion Day', 'Day of Mourning', 'Survival Day' or, since 2006, 'Aboriginal Sovereignty Day'. The latter name reflects that all Aboriginal nations are sovereign and should be united in the continuous fight for their rights.
"Australia is the only country in the world that celebrates the coming of one race at the expense of another—not even the Americans do it," says Michael Mansell, legal director of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre [6].
Aboriginal Sovereignty Day 2007. This protest poster summarises most of the issues Aboriginal
people have to deal with today.
Day of Mourning
On Australia Day's 150th anniversary, in 1938, Aboriginal activists named the day a "Day of Mourning", alluding to the annual re-enactment of Phillip's landing. They refused to participate in the re-enactment because it included chasing away a party of Aboriginal people (which, by the way, had been carted to this event against their will). Finally, by 1988, the re-enactments were discontinued. This same year was named a Year of Mourning by and for the Australian Aboriginal people.
On Australia Day Aboriginal people mourn their forbears who suffered and perished during colonisation.
We all still suffer from the life-draining, over-legislated madness called British Australia, which never seems to abate to the reason of sound voices or even democracy. Then they expect us to join in their triumphant dances over our ancestors' graves each January 26. —Phill Moncrieff, Aboriginal musician [3]
Survival Day, Invasion Day
Say Sorry Best Before Jan 26th. Many Australians, be they white or black, lobbied for years the Prime Minister to say
these two words which he finally did in 2008.
I couldn't resist to create this artwork when I saw the best-before date of this lid.
In 1992 the first Survival Day concert was held in Sydney. These concerts are often staged at places with great Aboriginal significance, for example La Perouse or Redfern. Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal artists play music or dance, there are information, arts and crafts stalls, and you can buy food and bush tucker.
Survival Day has become one of the biggest Aboriginal cultural events that is staged throughout Australia. In all major cities you can visit alternative concerts where mainly Aboriginal people gather.
- Sydney celebrates Yabun which means "song with a beat" in the language of the Eora, the original people of the Sydney region. The event is held in Victoria Park.
- Perth has an event called Too Solid in the Supreme Court Gardens. Survival concerts have been held in Perth since 2000.
- Adelaide organises Survival at the National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Tandanya, in Rymill Park (Mullawirraburka).
- Melbourne holds the Share the Spirit festival in the Treasury Gardens (since 2002), and another Survival Day celebreation in Borthwick Park, Belgrave.
- New South Wales celebrates the Saltwater Freshwater Festival at 10 rotating locations (Coffs Harbour, Taree, Karuah and others).
The name Survival Day expresses the fact that Aboriginal culture is still strong and many Aboriginal people's identities are positive and alive despite all what happened since colonisation.
We call it Survival Day. Whitefellas pretty much celebrating invasion and killing our mob off—that's what it feels like for us. —Warrick Wright from the Aboriginal band "Local Knowledge
However, to many Aboriginal people there is little to celebrate and it is a commemoration of a deep loss. Loss of their sovereign rights to their land and the right to practice their culture. Many of them rather call 26th January Invasion Day.
"While Australians celebrate a day that represents a history of booze, barbecues, bloodshed and theft, we continue our resistance," says Jidah Clark, youth delegate of the Aboriginal Provisional Government [6]. "Despite the mindless nationalism of some Australians, we remember the invasion. This is invasion day."
We won't stop, we won't go away / We won't celebrate Invasion Day! —Chant during protests on Australia Day 2012 [6]
January 26th marked the beginning of the murders, the rapes and the dispossession. It is no date to celebrate.—Michael Mansell, National Aboriginal Alliance spokesman [1]
Our Survival Day
Another Australia Day has arrived Celebrations across our land Guess they don't think what we've been through Our ancestors tried to hold our land Keep us together to protect our clans Barbecues burning and sweet tasting wine The white man's celebrating what belongs to us But we're here in the background Being proud of who we are Our red, black and yellow unites us all Saying we have survived another century Of white man's invasion
Poem by Raylene Campion [2]. More Aboriginal poems
In a controversial move the City of Sydney decided in July 2011 to use the word 'invasion' in one of its official documents [4]. Many white Australians were affronted by the word and felt it described the past, not the present.
Remember, 'invasion' was only used to describe the arrival of the British in 1788, not the whole 200-years plus. —Larissa Behrendt, Aboriginal law professor [4]
Let's get the facts right and the facts are that this country was invaded. —Chris Lawrence, Noongar man [4]
An Aboriginal perspective: "We will mourn the loss of our land"
Aboriginal woman Nala Mansell-McKenna reflects on the meaning of Australia Day for Aboriginal people [5].
"On January 26 Aborigines from across the country will mourn, just as we do every Anzac Day.
"We will mourn the deaths of the 50 Aboriginal men, women and children who were massacred at Risdon Cove while hunting kangaroo; we will mourn the deaths of those shot in cold blood while bathing in the waters of the Jordan River lagoon; we will mourn the loss of our land, the stolen children, the remains of our ancestors held in overseas institutions and everything else that our people have had to endure since the arrival of the white man on January 26, 1788.
We will also call for the race-based celebrations of January 26 to come to a close and for a new date to be chosen, so that we can all proudly wave our flags and celebrate the wonderful country that we now share."
Towards a new Australia Day
Many Australians recognise that Australia Day is no longer an appropriate day for celebrations and call for a new day which includes all Australians. Some suggest to rename Australia Day to 'Arrival Day'.
People happy with the current Australia Day base their arguments often on racist grounds. Surprisingly, many show a lack of knowledge and awareness of the controversy surrounding Australia Day.
90% of people are saying Australia Day should be inclusive of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. I firmly believe that some day we will choose a date that is a comprehensive and inclusive date for all Australians. —Mick Dodson, Aboriginal Law Professor and Australian of the Year 2009 [1]
Resources
You find plenty of history of Australia Day on the site of the Australia Day Council of New South Wales.
Out of respect for Aboriginal culture I use Indigenous sources as much as possible.
[1] 'For Mick Dodson, the work goes on', Koori Mail 468 p.21
[2] Koori Mail 468 p.26
[3] Personal email, 10/2/2011
[4] 'Council's 'invasion' decision divides', Koori Mail 505 p.9
[5] 'Offensive date that must be changed', Koori Mail 518 p.23
[6] 'Protest vow to fight on', Koori Mail 519 p.39