AUTHENTIC BLACKFELLA LAUGHTER
When you have to justify your existence every day; when you’re told you’re not black enough or that you’re not an “authentic” Indigenous Australian… well, sometimes you just have to laugh.
And that’s just what our Indigenous community did this week when they took over Twitter and, using the hashtag #Itriedtobeauthenticbut , laughed themselves silly.
I laughed a lot too.
“I’m impressed with my mob’s capacity to laugh in the face of adversity! And gee we’re funny!!! And might I say, also kind! Xx,” said author and activist Anita Heiss in a personal note.
And who was the butt of the joke? Tony Abbott.
This week he made the bone-headed comment that the first Indigenous lower house MP, Ken Wyatt was an “urban Aboriginal” and that the parliament should do more to encourage “authentic” Indigenous representatives.
Cue much *falling about in hysterics* from the blackfellas on Twitter.
Just what makes an Aborigine “authentic” they wondered? How is it different from being an “urban” Aborigine?
Is it knowing how to spell corroboree? Having legs that look better in high heels? Toe nails painted hot pink instead of caked in red ochre?
The gags came thick and fast.
I tried to be authentic but…
@LukeLPearson every year at Corroboree I just end up line-dancing by myself in a corner somewhere singing “Achy-Breaky heart”
@AnitaHeiss I’ve thrown more parties than boomerangs!
@Ebswearspink I thought the song “from little things big things grow” had to do with superannuation
@Shannondod the only culture I know is Culture Club
@nathblackmagic writing stories in books is a lot easier than writing stories in caves:)
@Morris11Donna the only tracking I do is with gps
@Utopiana my parents named me “Celeste”, rather than giving me a traditional blackfella name like “Alison” or “Bess”
@PeteDawson law school wouldn’t accept my essays in dot form
@anitaheiss the only stars I want to sleep under is five stars. *****
@Nareenyoung I actually have no artistic talent. Whatsoever
@Morris11Donna I buy my speared meat on kebabs at the supermarket
@Tahjee_Moar the only time I stand on one leg is when I do the tree pose in yoga
@Ebswearspink my totem animal was a tamagotchi
The hilarity rolled on… for hours.
And it still is, after brilliant cartoonist First Dog On The Moon posted this at Crikey.com.au.
Excerpt from original “Fauxborigine” to be found, in full, here. Thanks First Dog!
Last night I spoke to the young Indigenous woman who started the hashtag.
She’s a 27 year-old lawyer who hails from Byron Bay and goes by the Twitter handle @Ebswearspink. A self-confessed “girlygirl” and social media addict, she describes herself as: Formerly Blonde. Green eyes. Crazy. Passionate. Political. Fun.
“I wouldn’t trade my blackfella sense of humour and sense of community for anything,” she said. “I loved that we took a negative comment on our identity and turned it into something that demonstrated our brilliant sense of humour, our intelligence, quick wit, resilience and pride.
“It turned into a celebration.”
Of course she has every right to be angry about the continuing denigration of her Indigenous heritage, but, she says, “the anger goes away quickly – it doesn’t achieve much.”
“There’s so much to be done and anger is an impediment.”
The days of marching in the street for indigenous rights are over, she reckons. “But change is happening when people aren’t looking.”
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24 Responses to this article
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Random78 November 15, 2012
Good onys wendy, great story amd great work showing another aspect of our wonderful. Indigenous community.
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Lisa Lintern November 15, 2012
Loved reading about brilliant voices like these rarely heard in mainstream media. Keep it coming.
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Heather November 15, 2012
Can Tony Abbott put his foot any further into his big gob?
Come on Australia, you can’t seriously consider him as our next PM,-
Ekka November 15, 2012
Totally agree, he is a goof!!
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Kerry C November 15, 2012
Another cringe-worthy comment from Tony Abbott.
Maybe this time, he is getting into “pick on someone else” mode because his beloved Catholic church is about to be hauled over the coals. Will give him a change of subject when questioned about the church’s role in cover ups.-
Harry November 20, 2012
Don’t be too self-righteous about child abuse in the catholic church; everyone knows that aboriginal kids are sexually abused more than any others in the country.
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Merryl Chantrell November 15, 2012
Tony Abbott only opens his mouth to change feet. Authentic Aboriginal indeed. Honestly stupid is forever.
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Sarah November 15, 2012
Love this article Wendy! Would be wonderful to have a regular Indigenous writer on the Hoopla
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Rhoda November 15, 2012
It is heartening to read an article like this. Thank you, Wendy. Let’s hear more from our indigenous people. I think we’re all tired of the stereotypes and Tony Abbott really needs to put a sock in it. He has no clue.
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ro.watson November 15, 2012
Some of the best laughs and sharing in my life so far,were with colleagues, in a stairwell, in a building that housed the Victorian Commissioner for Equal Opportunity in the late 80′s and early 90′s. In the stairwell, we were smokers and jokers…..defusing some revolting stuff.
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ro.watson November 15, 2012
Anyway~” woof”, on silly colour naming schemes. Talk about “painting oneself into a corner”….Mr.Abbott, you need to meet more people and read more, and know more Australian history.. to discover the true meaning of “authenticity” and community identity. I am sure this task is not beyond you as I understand you were once a Rhodes scholar….
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Nic November 15, 2012
I think we’d be better off with George W Bush as the Liberal leader than Abbott.
Well, he’s made my decision about who to vote for next election VERY easy
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Lucille November 15, 2012
Tony, dumb idiot is not fatal, but it is incurable.
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ro.watson November 15, 2012
Arhh.. the burden of intelligence often falls on deaf ears.. like sticky ears that cannot fathom a life different and distinct from their own….
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Tony W November 15, 2012
Years ago when I was at uni I used to drink with some Aboriginal blokes at a nearby pub, and they always used to crack me up with their jokes, there was something about their sense of humour. I remember one day I stood up to leave and couldn’t find my car keys, and I’m doing the panic thing, rummaging around the glasses and ashtrays on the table, when one of them asks with concern,
What’ve you lost mate?”
“I’ve lost me f…..g car keys” I snapped.
To which he snapped back, “Mate, how do you think we feel? We lost a whole f…….g country!”
They let a hush descend over the table for a moment, then pissed themselves laughing at my expense! -
ro.watson November 15, 2012
Definately expensive humour. Carol Martin leaves the W.A Parliament soon. The first aboriginal woman parliamentarian in Australia. There are so many complexities which are difficult to explain without insider knowledge….that goes someway to comprehending the gaps between blacks and whites in this country…
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Olinda November 15, 2012
Hilarious!
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ro.watson November 15, 2012
Slip,sliding away on hilarity and loss ~ actually appalled Abbott did not know better.. or know his colleague well enough to get ~ as I am assuming here~ our Noongah heritage and standing here…yoo hoo~ it goes far further back than most of us will ever know~ and this connection is not only about blood but connection to community and country. Identity is very deep for all of us.
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Wendy Green November 16, 2012
Is everyone watching “Redfern Now”?
It’s excellent drama with a bit of comedy thrown in here and there but, really, a bloody brilliant production. -
Alf arnold November 20, 2012
You black fellers believe all this crap , what he said was completely taken out of context, and those who were there know it, all he was saying that it would be nice to have some elected people off the land that know what we need , not city folk who have never lived in the bush.
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Tony W November 24, 2012
@ Alf arnold – “what he said was completely taken out of context”
I know where you’re coming from Alf, but in making a distinction between “urban Aboriginal” and “authentic Indigenous representative”, Abbott took it into a dimension way beyond the simple bush vs. city folk dimension that applies for white people. He’s effectively saying Ken Wyatt is not an “authentic Indigenous representative”, which is why he took offence, and why Abbott apologized to him.
The bigger point here is that Abbott just can’t help putting his foot in his mouth and offending people. Do you really want someone like that as PM of Australia, trotting around the globe offending world leaders without even trying?
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Bella November 26, 2012
Great article and also I fully endorse how fabulous Redfern Now is. It is one of the best things the ABC has put on for quite a while!
