Aborigines stage lonely vigil

Aborigines stage lonely vigil

SYDNEY (Reuters): As the world watched the opening ceremony of
the Sydney Olympics, a handful of Aborigines intent on telling
their story of dispossession to the world, staged a lonely vigil
around a "Sacred Fire" at Sydney's "tent embassy".

Ironically, Aborigines performing an ancient "Dreaming" story
of Australia's creation was a haunting highlight of the opening
ceremony on Friday night, but there was no mention of what
Aborigines call the invasion -- the arrival of white settlers in
1788 and subsequent black massacres.

"That's another world out there. There are more serious issues
at hand," said one Aboriginal woman, as 3.7 billion television
viewers tuned into the opening ceremony in the 110,000-seat
Olympic Stadium.

There were no televisions or radios tuned to the Olympic
broadcast at the tent embassy. The Aborigines here huddled in the
dark around their small tents discussing tactics for the next
day.

But they were pleased to hear that Aborigines had helped
herald the start of the XXVII Olympiad -- for black Australia is
united in the need to tell the world of their existence.

"That's good, the world needs to learn about us," said Isobel
Coe, leader of the embassy. "But the world needs to know about
our plight."

Aborigines hope the 50-tent embassy and its banners
proclaiming "Self-determination, Sovereignty" will focus world
attention on their struggle.

They say Prime Minister John Howard's government has
whitewashed Australia's history of abuse and injustice against
Aborigines, who make up 2.1 percent, or around 400,000, of
Australia's 19 million population and have a life expectancy 20
years less than other Australians.

Olympics Cleansed

As pungent smoke from smoldering gum leaves filled the Olympic
Stadium in an Aboriginal cleansing ceremony, the same smoke hung
in the air above the embassy's "Sacred Fire".

Smoking is one of the oldest ceremonies in Aboriginal culture.
The smoke from "Sacred Fires" represents healing and bids a
traveler a safe journey through Aboriginal land.

"The Sacred Fire Ceremony is about obtaining peace, justice
and healing for Aboriginal Australians through the recognition of
Aboriginal sovereignty," Coe said.

"Symbolically the Sacred Fire represents the end of the
undeclared war between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians
that has been going on for 212 years," she said.

"The Aboriginal Tent Embassy is not a protest site. It is a
place of peace and harmony."

Aborigines have manned a tent embassy in Australia's capital
Canberra for more than 28 years. Embers from that embassy's
Sacred Fire were carried 3,500 kms by an Aboriginal man to Sydney
where they lit another Sacred Fire on September 2.

The Sydney tent embassy will remain in place to educate white
Australia and international media crews for the duration of the
Olympics and will be pulled down on October 22.

Earlier in the day a march through Sydney's central business
district by Aboriginal activists fizzled out with less than 200
protesters, easing police fears protests would mar the Sydney
Olympics -- the first Games of the new millennium.