Yet more "acknowledgment of country"

are being gabbled at unwilling listeners.

Late yesterday I attended two meetings. Fortunately both of them were via Zoom so I did not need to leave the house. Unfortunately both of them were preceded by a gabbled " 'I would like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which we meet today, the (people) of the (nation), and pay my respects to their Elders past and present, as well as to emerging leaders. I extend that respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples here today. '

Now that may seem fine to some people but there were no "traditional owners and custodians" present and, even if they were present, why are we paying "respects" to them and not others? Why do the words have to be gabbled at each and every meeting?

The first meeting concerned the needs of a child who is struggling at school. The parents asked for me to be included and the school was willing, more than willing. What did it have to do with "acknowledgment"? Apparently "all meetings have to start like that". It certainly is not what anyone was there for. They were there to try and help a child who is in need of help. They were not there to think about who might once, many years ago, have walked across the land leading what is now seen as a rather primitive lifestyle.

The second meeting was held to organise an event in which I am participating in a minor way. It too had absolutely nothing to do with any "traditional owners and custodians". The whole event will be held via video links. The person running the meeting actually said, "I have to say this first". Why?

Our local council has recently been providing lessons in "Kaurna" - a language which was once spoken on the plains. That sounds like a good thing does it? 

Perhaps it was well meant too but there are problems with this. The first is that it is not a matter council should be dabbling in at all. It is not their role. (We just happen to have a very left wing mayor who likes to be seen to support such things.) They had to back down on giving a hefty donation to the failed "Yes" campaign at the last referendum and were warned not to take it further. Apparently however this was "already planned and a contract is in place" so they went ahead.

There are other problems with it however. Attendance at classes is voluntary. You went along if you were "interested". Well people won't go unless they are interested of course but those who were really interested had other ways of learning. If they wanted to learn the language which was spoken by the original inhabitants of the area however they were going to be disappointed. That language was not Kaurna. They spoke a different language - different enough to make it difficult to communicate with Kaurna speakers. We know very little about it but we do know that much. Nobody has tried to revive it. It would be impossible to do so.

The real problem however is that what is being taught is not "Kaurna" at all. It is a "white man's version" of the language. What is more it is not a language spoken out in the community, indeed it is unlikely it is even spoken all the time in anyone's home. It has never evolved enough to meet all twenty-first century needs. Word meanings differ, spellings differ - and arguments abound. There is no literature. Resources for teaching are severely limited. It is an experiment doomed to failure. It is of academic interest to just a few. Anyone claiming they can teach it to casual learners through the local council is simply not going to succeed. 

None of this is helping to "bridge divides", "combat racism", "bring about greater understanding"or any of the other things it is claimed it will do. It would make better sense to stop it and the gabbled "acknowledgment" and actually start a real conversation.