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Aborigines put curse on Australian PM

20 April 2004 - SYDNEY (Reuters) - Aborigines have invoked an ancient curse on Australian Prime Minister John Howard by "pointing the bone" at the conservative politician to protest against his decision to scrap a top aboriginal body.

Aborigines believe that to point a kangaroo bone at someone is to bring that person ill fortune, and the black magic is strong enough to cause death.

An aboriginal woman dressed in possum skin and traditional tribal makeup confronted Howard on Tuesday after he made a speech in a rural town and pointed a 2.5-cm (one-inch) bone at the politician to place a silent curse on him.

The aboriginal woman, known only as Moopor, was not permitted to speak with the media, in line with aboriginal culture, but the head of the axed aboriginal body said the curse was a message to Howard to heed black Australians.

"This curse could go two ways, it could enlighten him and lift a mental block that Mr Howard has about indigenous Australians," Aborigine Geoff Clark told reporters.

"Mr Howard can refuse to ignore the message at his own peril and be put under a curse up until the next federal election."

Howard, who is expected to call an election later this year, dismissed the curse, saying, "I will deal with the matter calmly."

Howard axed the peak Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) last week, saying the experiment in an elected black body to administer aboriginal affairs had failed.

He said ATSIC had become preoccupied with "symbolic issues", such as land rights and an apology for past injustices, to the detriment of delivering improvements in black living standards.

Not all aboriginal leaders opposed the axing of the Commission, saying it was inefficient and riddled with black politics.

Aborigines remain the nation's most disadvantaged group, dying 20 years younger than other Australians and suffering far higher rates of unemployment and alcohol and drug abuse.

Source:Reuters

Angry Aborigines put a curse on Howard's head

20 April 2004 - It was probably not the first time he has been cursed, but Prime Minister John Howard had to face up on Tuesday to the real thing - as an Aboriginal woman pointed a bone at him.

Agrieved over his government's decision to scrap the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC), and clad in a possum skin with traditional tribal makeup, the woman, known as Moopor, stood silently as she pointed a 2.5 centimetre bone towards the prime minister apparently to act as a curse.

ATSIC was set up by a Labour government in 1990 as an elected national Aboriginal body with its own dedicated budget with the aim of solving the problems plaguing the country's poorest community.

Howard waved and smiled politely during the incident before stepping into his waiting car.

He had just addressed a crowd of 500 people at the Victorian country town of Colac on a visit to regional Australia ahead of federal elections expected around October or November.

Geoff Clark, suspended chairperson of ATSIC, said the curse was a warning to Howard to listen to the Aboriginal community.

"This curse could go two ways," he said. "It could enlighten him and lift a mental block that Mr Howard has about indigenous Australians."

Alternatively, he could ignore the curse at his own peril up to the federal election, Clark said.

Aboriginal welfare was placed on the election agenda last week when Howard announced he would disband ATSIC, which he said had become obsessed with symbolic issues, rather than delivering basic services to communities in need.

The experiment with indigenous representation had been a failure, he said.

It became bogged down in factionalism and claims that it was frittering away much of its A$1,3-billion dollar annual budget.

Meanwhile, Aborigines, who number about 400 000 out of a population of 20 million, remain Australia's most disadvantaged community, dying an average of 20 years younger than their fellow Australians and suffering far higher rates of imprisonment, alcoholism and unemployment.

Aboriginal leaders acknowledged major problems within the commission but described Howard's dismissal of the principal of their self-determination as devastating. They said they feared a return to days when Aborigines had no say in their own affairs.

Howard dismissed the curse which was witnessed by dozens of Aborigines protesting over the dissolution of ATSIC.

"I don't think Mr Clark speaks for indigenous Australia," Howard said. "I will deal with the matter calmly."

Clark was recently suspended as ATSIC chairperson after being convicted of obstructing police in a brawl outside a pub.

Source: AFP

PM `cursed' in Colac

April 21, 2004 - An Aboriginal woman pointed a bone at Prime Minister John Howard yesterday, cursing him on his visit to Colac.

The curse, intended to "torment" the Prime Minister, was made as members of the Aboriginal community turned out to protest against the abolition of ATSIC.

The "passive" protest at the Colac Performing Arts Centre was attended by about 70 people from Framlingham, Colac, Geelong and Melbourne, with faces painted white and wearing sombre black. Standing beside ousted ATSIC leader Geoff Clark, Koori woman Moopor carried the possum skin hair belt and bone that would send a "bad spirit" or "bad dream" to Mr Howard.

Several Framlingham women had banded together to create the belt, Mr Clark said.

"It's now going to torment the Prime Minister while he visits...it will haunt him through his campaign," Mr Clark said.

"He's getting a message by the bone being pointed at him."

The items are significant to the Tjapwhuurrong, or Mopoke Owl tribe. Traditionally the bone sends out either enlightenment or a curse and is energised by the hair belt.

Mr Clark said the decision to dissolve ATSIC had been made by Mr Howard alone and without cabinet approval.

He called for a Senate committee to dissect Mr Howard's arguments for axing the representative body.

Several members of the Warrnambool Reconciliation and Treaty Supporters group also stood by, supporting the Koori protesters.

"We support the stand against the abolition of ATSIC. We think it's a tremendous reversal for Aboriginals," a spokesman said.

But Mr Howard dismissed the unusual threat.

"I don't think Mr Clark speaks for indigenous Australia. I will deal with the matter calmly," he said.

Source: Warrnambool Standard

Aborigine's ancient hex

By SUN ONLINE REPORTER

April 22, 2004 - An aboriginal woman clad in face paint and possum skins has placed an ancient curse on Australian Prime Minister John Howard with a bone.

Protesters angry at plans to scrap a top indigenous representation body were waiting for Howard on his visit to an outback town in the state of Victoria.

Painted in traditional tribal make-up the woman, known only as Moopor, "pointed the bone" at the Aussie leader to place a curse on him.

The Prime Minister, apparently oblivious, smiled and waved at Moopor as he clambered into a car.

Geoff Clark, the chairman of the threatened Aboriginal commission, said the curse was a warning for Howard.

"Mr Howard can ... ignore the message at his own peril and be put under a curse up until the next federal election," he said.

Source:The Sun (UK)

Aussie PM cursed by Aboriginal woman

Australia's Prime Minister John Howard has had a curse placed on him by an Aboriginal woman.

It came after he decided to disband the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission - an elected body that helps Aborigines.

He'd said the Commission was now obsessed with symbolic issues, rather than delivering basic services to communities in need, reports Sky News Online.

That prompted a woman, clad in a possum skin with traditional tribal make-up, to point a one-inch bone towards Mr Howard during a visit to the country town of Colac, in Victoria. He waved and smiled politely during the incident.

Geoff Clark, suspended chairman of ATSIC, said the curse was a warning to Mr Howard to listen to the Aboriginal community. "This curse could go two ways. It could enlighten him and lift a mental block that Mr Howard has about indigenous Australians," he said.

Alternatively, he could ignore the curse at his own peril up to the federal election, Mr Clark said.

The Aborigines number about 400,000 out of a population of 20 million.

Source:Sky News (UK)

Why we pointed the bone

Sarah Bieske

22 April 2004 - An Aboriginal woman who pointed a bone at Prime Minister John Howard was using the curse to rid the Aboriginal community of bad spirits.

The woman, known only as Moopor, was clad in possum skin and stood silently as she pointed the bone at the nation's leader on his visit to Colac on Tuesday.

Wathaurong tribal member Allan Browning was standing beside Moopor while she cast the spell that made headlines around Australia and even rated a mention on American TV station CNN.

"Basically what she was doing was telling John Howard to leave our culture alone, our culture belongs to the people,'' he said.

Moopor, from the Mortlake tribe Tjapwuurong, was among 70 Aborigines protesting at the Prime Minister's proposal to scrap ATSIC.

The bone-pointing is a curse in Aboriginal culture that uses a ``special'' bone, taken from either a kangaroo or emu.

Moopor would not comment on the ceremony she performed for cultural reasons.

But Mr Browning said the curse was a warning for Mr Howard.

``ATSIC was our national voice and now he's taken that away,'' he said.

``We're concerned about what is going to happen to our people and now the curse has given Mr Howard a choice about what he is going to do.''

Source: Geelong Advertiser

Curse on PM could backfire

Mark Dunn

27 April, 2004 - Geoff Clark has been attacked by fellow Aborigines for using his cousin to point the bone at Prime Minister John Howard.

In revealing the identity of "Moopor" as Bernadette Clark, Mr Clark's second cousin, they have questioned her right to carry out the sacred ceremony. Long-time critic Len Clarke, another relative of the suspended ATSIC leader, said members of the west Victorian Aboriginal community were upset by what he called a stunt.

"It's playing around with a very sacred and traditional area in Aboriginal life," Len Clarke said.

"There's no history that it has been used by women and has never been handed down through the Aboriginal society that women do carry out these procedures.

"Without a doubt it has really, really concerned the Aboriginal people. I've had continuous phone calls.

"It's a thing you don't play with. It's not a thing that should be used for political purposes . . . the spirits could turn right back on you."

Len Clarke said he had never known Bernadette Clark to be referred to as Moopor, an Aboriginal name for an owl that delivers bad messages.

Ms Clark was introduced during last week's bone pointing ceremony at Colac as Moopor, of the Tjapwuurrong people from Mortlake. Geoff Clark said the media could not question her for cultural reasons.

"I don't think Bernie really realised what she was doing," Len Clarke said.

Another Warrnambool Aborigine who grew up with Ms Clark at the Framlingham community also questioned her ability to conduct the ritual.

"It's a joke . . . there was an uproar last week about who gave her the authority."

Last Tuesday, when the bone was pointed at Mr Howard, Geoff Clark played down its historic use as a curse.

Mr Clark, who was suspended as ATSIC chairman before the government decided to dismantle the organisation, said the ceremony was to lift the cloud of misery occupying Mr Howard's mind.

"This curse could go two ways, it could enlighten him and lift a mental block that Mr Howard has about indigenous Australians.

"(Or) Mr Howard can refuse to ignore the message at his own peril and be put under a curse up until the next federal election."

Comment from Geoff Clark and the Framlingham Aboriginal Trust was not available yesterday.

related links :

• The feather and the bone - a difference in approach to Indigneous issues
  22 April 2004 - Sometimes pictures do tell the story. On Monday this week, Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin met in Ottawa with First Peoples and was presented with a ceremonial Eagle Feather. The next day, Mr Martin's Australian counterpart, John Howard, was photographed leaving a community centre in the small town of Colac when Aboriginal elder Moopor, wearing traditional possum skin and tribal makeup, pointed a bone about 2.5 centimetres long at the Prime Minister, placing a curse on him.
• Howard axes Aboriginal body
  15 April 2004 - BBC - Australian Prime Minister John Howard has announced plans to abolish the country's top Aboriginal body. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) was created to represent the country's impoverished indigenous population.

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