Poems

Meaning of First Nations’ Peoples - Australia Day Thought

A poem by Zelda Quakawoot

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First Nation people of this land
Belong to deserts and coastline sands

For millenniums of Dreamtime places
Respecting country with black faces

The second nation to reach these shores
On ships with flags to conquer all,

A third nation to cross the waves
Of migrants, refugees and slaves

Australia’s first millennium
A nation built by British men

A nation with its mines and farms
A nation born from bearing arms

Australia’s nation of today
Whose generations number 8?

Australians merge to form new moulds
200 years is not that old...

First nation Australians are still here today
No boats have taken us away

From where our forefathers feet touched ground
First nation Aussies stand strong and proud,

Not for the White Australia Day
It brought us way too much dismay

We stand tall for what's here today
Another millennium? We will stay...

Thank you Zelda for sending me your poetry!

Zelda explains the meaning of "Whose generations number 8":

"[This line] refers to the number of generations which have passed since 1788 - colonisation for the European/white settlers. This was mentioned in the 1988 Bi- Centenary. For my family our Aboriginal heritage has thousands of generations which have passed [before] us since Aboriginal people have existed on this land. The question mark leaves this number open for interpretation as histories are continuing to be told and retold."

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References

View article sources (1)

[1] Zelda Quakawoot, personal email, 28/10/2014

Cite this page

Korff, J 2020, Meaning of First Nations’ Peoples - Australia Day Thought, <https://stage.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/arts/poems/meaning-of-first-nations-peoples-australia-day-thought>, retrieved 8 November 2024

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