I came across this ‘wokery’ yesterday, which is summed up below.
If, like me you smell a rat whenever you come across woke politicians religiously bowing while wafting smoke over their faces, as they participate in “Welcome to country” ceremonies which have recently become obligatory around the nation, you will be pleased to hear that it is suggested that they are more avarice than pagan, more duplicitous than ancient culture, just simply deception, eagerly taken up to bolster indigenous ‘culture’.
Nevertheless less, it is foolish to participate in such wokery, which supposedly invokes spiritual blessing from other than the True God Isaiah 42:8, “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.”
………
“Spare me this modern ritual of minority obeisance
THE MOCKER Follow @Oz_Mocker
Despite claims that WTC [Welcome to Country] was an ancient tradition, its modern roots go back no further than 1976, when Indigenous entertainers Ernie Dingo and Richard Walley conducted a ceremony for Polynesian performers at a Perth fringe festival. In 2008, a WTC was performed, for the first time, at the opening of the Commonwealth Parliament. As the Guardian noted in 2016 when it reflected on that occasion: “Not long after, Walley noticed the welcome to country began to spread and took on a life of its own”. Funny that.
But in fairness to those who ‘offer’ these services, it’s not all beer and skittles. As the Sydney Morning Herald reported in December, the National Tertiary Education Union sought claims for “cultural load” in its latest round of bargaining, the rationale being that Indigenous academics should receive compensation for the arduous task of performing these ceremonies.
My solution is a straightforward one. Stop performing them every five minutes and end the rent-seeking practice of making them mandatory. As for the commercial performers, I have no wish to adulterate your ancient ceremony by handing over the white man’s filthy lucre. How about you instead join us for a cup of tea and a biscuit after the performance?
As for the non-Indigenous fans of the so-called Acknowledgement of Country, fill your boots. All I ask is that you wake me when you have finished your lengthy and fulsome recital. If you want to wallow in this modern ritual of minority obeisance, that’s your business.
It is also your right to insist I too must acknowledge I am but a tourist on these lands. I will respond by giving you a little travel advice of my own. And unlike the WTC, I will provide it for free.
THE MOCKER.
The Mocker amuses himself by calling out poseurs, sneering social commentators, and po-faced officials. He is deeply suspicious of those who seek increased regulation of speech and behaviour.
So, Wurundjeri elder is Aunty Joy Murphy Wandin AO. Unlike me, she was invited to deliver the so-called Welcome to Country (WTC) ceremony at Obama’s reception. “I have never been treated or spoken to in this way in the past,” [When told she or her ceremony was no longer needed] she said in a statement. “I do not want this to be a reflection on president Obama. I am a leader of the Wurundjeri Nation. I asked to be treated as an equal.”“ I have never been treated or spoken to in this way in the past,” According to the corporation, the WTC protocols are “traditional law and practice that have been used … for millennia.” But a quick perusal of its website reveals these traditional customs are remarkably adaptive to Western practices.
You want the standard welcome? That will be $660 plus GST. Not a bad little earner, given it takes only “5-15 minutes to complete”. For $1000 they will throw in a smoking ceremony. As for the performance, the corporation specifies that filming, audio, and photography are not normally permitted, as there is the need to protect “Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property”. Worry not though. Requests to film will be considered, although naturally this may require “additional fees”.”