By Barbara Deutschmann

The Reconciliation Barometer (www.reconciliation.org.au), a measure of progress with reconciliation in Australia, tells us that Indigenous and other Australians have some important things in common. Both groups agree that the relationship between Indigenous and others is important. Both see themselves as good at sport, good-humoured and friendly, although we are not as ready to ascribe those qualities to the other group.

The Barometer also tells us that trust between Indigenous and other Australians is low. It’s apparent that although most of us believe it is important to learn about Indigenous history and culture, few of us know how to go about it. Obviously the best way to do it is by building friendships, but that may not be easy, depending on where you live.

Reconciliation Resource Kit – Available now

TEAR’s Reconciliation Resource Kit is available to download free or can be purchased on CD from TEAR for $10.

Act

Contact your local Aboriginal Land Council for advice about the traditional owners of the land you are on and ask them to be involved in your Acknowledgement of Country ceremony. It’s a great way to take that small, first step and start building a relationship.

Learn

Read TEAR’s Reconciliation Action Plan

TEAR’s recently revised Reconciliation Resource Kit (formerly, the Common Wealth Kit) has a number of ideas on where to begin. Not everyone starts in the same place. Some people and churches have been wrestling with Indigenous questions for a long time. For others, it is a new area. The kit aims to help you identify where you are on the journey and give you ideas on how to progress. It begins with prayer, then moves to ways to increase knowledge and awareness. Worship is the centre of Christian life, so there are ideas for worship. Contributors based in capital cities have come up with lists of places to go and things to do and there is a great list of movies and books.

“Our TEAR Group continually returns to (the TV series) The First Australians,” said Helen Beazley, from Brisbane. “It reminds us of our own complicity in the injustices Indigenous Australians suffer, and how we can seek reconciliation. I urge any TEAR Group that hasn’t engaged with our Indigenous history to do so, and the Reconciliation Resource Kit is a great starting point.”

Some churches are moving toward reconciliation. St Kilda Baptist Church, in Melbourne, acknowledged Aboriginal Sunday in June by reflecting on how standing up for reconciliation, or other issues of truth and justice, is a crucial part of their faith. West End Uniting Church, in Brisbane, recently held a very significant service. Although they had for some time acknowledged traditional owners at the start of their service, they had never been “welcomed” onto the land they occupy. Local Christian elders joined them for the Service of Welcome and Healing.