Great piece and well worth your time, here’s the introduction
The Wuthathi/Meriam woman has spent 20 years finessing protocols that could empower Indigenous people to protect their arts and culture
In the early 2000s, having just started her eponymous law firm in Sydney, Meriam and Wuthathi woman Terri Janke travelled to her birthplace of Cairns to speak about protecting Indigenous art and knowledge to empower the local community.
The Cairns local newspaper dubbed her a “cultural crusader”, which shocked her: the front page story made her feel like an “impostor” and “big noter”. Flying out of Cairns, a Torres Strait woman reading the newspaper in the next seat recognised her.
“Well done, girl,” said the elder, “you can stop this theft of our cultural knowledge”.
Janke told the woman she still had so much to do. “You be strong,” the elder countered. “You’ve just got to stay on track and, if you listen with your heart, they will be true tracks. People will follow.”
The woman’s words let Janke’s “skin breathe”. She realised she wasn’t alone.
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