The Challenge of Relationship

One of the issues that comes up in creating any community engaged in direct relationships is what is our relationship going to be with other communities? In particular, indigenous communities, and even more particularly those indigenous communities that our ancestors colonised at great benefit to themselves; benefits that we have also benefited from.

Of course, it is possible to build relations only within our own first world bubble—even if we may be dismissed by some as having ‘first world problems’. Mind you these problems are fast becoming rather more dangerous and devastating than they used to be.

The difficulty of course is that building relations is not a theoretical or slogan supported activity. It requires face to face relations with real people within actual space and time.

I have lived for decades in two indigenous communities; one in Papua New Guinea and one in Northern NSW. As I have anthropological skills that can be useful to indigenous communities in dealing with their interface with the dominant culture, fighting developers, dealing with native title etc, I had something to exchange in our relationship where I received their mentoring and teachings. Not everyone has these opportunities, nor indeed has the type of personality and life-style that rejoices in them.

Across Cultural Divides

So, one of my current concerns is what can I contribute to non-indigenous people that could encourage their journey of relationality across these cultural divides.

At one time I worked in major organisations and government agencies in the training and development of what is euphemistically called ‘Diversity Confidence’ but really amounted to ‘debriefing racism’, both structural and personal. I don’t know whether in the long run this made any difference. While people encouraged me to ‘change hearts’, I found that enforced improved behaviour is what actually changed them—sometimes even their hearts. After the Keating era such enforcement was no longer available through this work

However, my work with local organisations—hospitals, schools, Centre Link, police, churches—in relation to their service provision to indigenous people gave an opportunity to create direct relationship between the providers and indigenous recipients, and in the moment seemed to have some positive results.

However, having watched the ongoing reality facing indigenous communities in rural northern NSW since 1980, I can say that over the three generations of indigenous people I have stood beside there has been no lasting improvement.

Whenever I write formal anthropology for an academic audience, I consciously try to create a relational link between the reader and the indigenous people about whom I am writing. I use lengthy and frequent quotes from their own mouths and include photographs of the speakers and their involvement. I have no way of knowing if this makes any inroads in the academic milieu. I am not madly hopeful.

Relationships with the Kalam

Since 1965, I have had a continuous relationship with the Kalam people of Papua New Guinea.  As I was only 22 years of age, when I first arrived, I basically became an adult within their families. Recently, as part of my continuing relationship with the Kalam, with the desire to ‘give back’ to this community who nourished me, I have been working with the Kalam, using WhatsApp and telephone connections with the children and grandchildren of my close Kalam friends, only two of whom are still alive.

Today they face a dangerous and ever spreading TB epidemic with no medical assistance. This is due to the difficulty of transport and distance from hospitals and a Medical Health System that is not capable of delivering health services to rural areas. Recurring deaths of young and old, mothers and children are not only tragic, individually, but also very destabilising for the community.

Tk Adky: Giving Back

Having asked myself how can I help, my current ‘give-back’ for the many years of nurture I continue to enjoy with them is to and fund a Health Aid Post, with particular emphasis on eradicating TB. This has many echoes for me as I grew up in 2^nd World War Berlin. My mother had TB when I was born and many cousins went through long cures in sanatoriums. I fear TB as the Kalam are coming to fear it. I find it terrible that we have introduced diseases to a people without also making sure the cures we enjoy are available to them.

My attempt to raise money for this project includes current pictures and videos of what is happening on the ground – again hoping to make a link between the donors and the people.

As part of my work with the Enlivenment Network, with its focus on relationality and reciprocity, I have developed the Project: ’Tk Adky: Giving Back’. https://enlivenment.network/projects/

PLEASE MAKE A DONATION TO THIS IMPORTANT ACT OF ‘GIVING BACK’ TO OUR PACIFIC NEIGHBOURS.

DONATIONS BIG AND SMALL ARE APPRECIATED. Go to: https://gofund.me/38d6ecf8f