Allen Madden, pictured with John Newcombe,
opening the Yvonne Gulogong Olympic Tennis Centre
in April 2000.

The Art Community &
the Sydney Metopolitan Land Council

Call the Metropolitan Land Council on +61 2 9267 2985 or email the Council.

    

Allen Madden is the Cultural and Educational Officer and works with the Metropolitan Land Council in Sydney with the Assistant Sites Officer, Andrew Roberts. Over the last 13 months he has conducted well over 150 welcoming ceremonies with Jenny Munro, often several a day. In the 4 years prior to this time he conducted relatively few.

The Metropolitan Land Council is that body which acts as custodian for the traditional owners of this region. Contrary to white propaganda the original inhabitants, the Eora people, were not wiped out after the European invasion led by Captain Phillip. Rather there is strong political and spiritual representation of the four sub-groups of the Eora nation in the Metropolitan Land Council today. Allen is a Gadigal man and as such, is ideally qualified for his position.

Allen puts this sudden increase in inquiry in indigenous ceremony down to interest in Australia that has been generated by the Olympics. Peoples from other countries naturally inquire about the inhabitants of the country where they want to be active and don’t feel comfortable coming into Australia without being welcomed by its rightful owners. It is natural to assume that if you wanted to go into another people’s country and for argument’s sake, open a big display there, you would first go to the people who own that land to be welcomed into their country.

It is common practice amongst the indigenous community to seek approval for projects in any particular country within Australia. For example when Fiona Foley was developing the artwork that is down in Custom’s House, she cleared it with the Metropolitan Land Council to ensure that it would portray nothing offensive to the local community. Bronwyn Bancroft did the same thing when she was in the process of installing "Dreaming" at the Royal Botanical Gardens.

When asked for examples of material that would be considered offensive to the Community represented by the Metropolitan Land Council Mr. Madden gave several examples:

*To be asked if you're quarter-caste or half-caste is deeply offensive. A person either identifies as aboriginal or they don’t. Which part would be Koori anyway.

*Racist slurs like the dramatic motif in the clock featured at the QVB where aboriginals are depicted as being shot by European invaders (settlers).

*Untruths.

*Culturally insensitive use of local spirit figures like Baiame, the sky hero who returned to the sky after his acts of creation and his son, Daramula. These figures are not depicted outside the context of sacred sites of which there are over 7600 in the Sydney region. There are more sacred sites in this region then in Kakadu and Katherine combined. The oldest sites in the world are under water, in this region, as the shore-line has crept inland 30 meters over the past 6-7000 years.

The Metropolitan Land Council acts to protect the interests of their local community so even if you’re collaborating with an individual artist on a specific project, give the Land Council a call (9267 2985) and drop them a brief outline (metrolalc@acon. com.au) of what it is you would like to do. It’s only courtesy. ARTnews Business System and Design © Jayne Waterford, 2003. All rights reserved. Contact: web.