Aboriginal People In Australia Evicted For Roads, Residents Protest

Activist arrested by officers for obstructing land acquisition (Twitter / Lidia_Thorpe)

JAKARTA - The eviction of sacred trees for Aboriginal people to open land for roads sparked anger from local residents. Activists protested against the cutting of the tree that is hundreds of years old. Some even set up tents at the scene.

The demonstrators camped in Victoria, the area where the culturally valuable trees stand. They are also on guard at several places which are usually used by the women of Djab Wurrung for childbirth.

But apparently this was not enough to stop the local government. According to activists quoted by the BBC, the state government had cut down Djab Wurrung's "direction tree".

Officials have defended themselves against the logging. According to them, the tree is not included in the list of protected trees.

Authorities said the tree they cut down on Monday was a fiddleback type thought to be around 100 years old. But demonstrators insisted the tree was actually a yellow box species, which is estimated to be 350 years old.

Last year, the Aboriginal landlords negotiated with the Victorian government to save about a dozen of the 250 culturally important trees from destruction. But apparently their request was ignored.

Independent activists from Aboriginal land groups continue to be near Buangor to try to save more trees. Not wanting to leave, Victorian police arrested 25 demonstrators on Tuesday. They are seen as obstructing ongoing land clearing work.

Through a recording recorded by the activists, officers were seen dragging protesters. The officers forced them to leave. Some of the protesters were so messed up that some climbed into the trees.

Cursed

Many have condemned the news of the eviction of the tree, which is sacred to the Aborigines. Lidia Thorpe, for example, the first Aboriginal senator in the state parliament and woman Djab Wurrung, on her Twitter account, expressed her disappointment. "Really heartbroken and feel the suffering of our ancestors now," he tweeted.

So if you liked the Avatar film, maybe you'd appreciate how it feels when your sacred ancestor trees are torn down by the very government who want to Treaty with us. Absolutely gutted and feel the pain of our ancestors right now 😞 pic.twitter.com/sWt3k36jb3

- Lidia Thorpe (@lidia__thorpe) October 26, 2020

Meanwhile, Aboriginal writer Celeste Liddle has also blamed the state government. "Because it cuts down a holy part of Djab Wurrung's inheritance," he said.

Many Aboriginal people say land is the most important thing to their identity. Activist Djab Wurring has previously argued that the sacred tree is almost as important as a church or other spiritual place.

Among the trees to be protected are two "bearing" trees. This is a centuries-old tree where women also bury the placenta after giving birth, as part of a cultural tradition.