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.