9 October 2023
Ghillar, Michael Anderson, Convenor of the Sovereign Union, last surviving member of the founding four of the Aboriginal Embassy and Head of State of the Euahlayi Peoples Republic, shares the outcome of a Tjilpi Lawman meeting at Uluru and Yulara on 7 October 2023.
This is the outcome of a gathering of Senior Lawmen and Watis at Uluru. It is conclusive and demands that the ancient Laws and customs of the Tjukurpa belong to the knowledge-holders and to those who conduct the sacred spiritual rites of our Celestial Laws.
It is further emphasised that Australian colonial laws are in contravention of our sacred spiritual sovereignty under our Laws and this will no longer be tolerated. The Tjukurpa Declaration and video(25minutes) that are now being released make the point that the Tjukurpa Law of First Nations is built within the landscape. Unlike other places of the world our Laws were created and left within the landscape, something that we cannot change, nor vary.
Australia must now take notice for the Senior Lawmen and Law women will make their presence felt within the legal landscape of the occupying colonial state.
7 October 2023
A meeting of Senior Lawmen and Wati took place at the northwest part of Uluru and at the Outback Resort, Yulara on 6 & 7 October 2023 with observers from Murrawarri and Budjiti. During the meeting regular connection was had between Lawmen from various regions in SA and NT via Facetime and phone conferencing.
The meeting’s concluding determination is that, in spite of the proposed referendum on 14 October, the holders of the spiritual Celestial ancient Law of these lands affirm that “the Voice”, if successful, will have no authority, nor effect, nor be able to pretend to speak on First Nations Law and Cultural observances, known as the Tjurkurpa.
The absolute authority of the Tjurkurpa is the intellectual property right of Senior Ceremonial Elders, referred to as the Tjilpi and Wirring’un. In other locations in Australia these Law holders are known by separate names in their regions.
This ancient spiritual knowledge comes through the Songs that belong to the sites of Creation, and they link together across this vast continent. It is important for all to understand and accept that no-one other than the Tjilpi has the power and authority to speak on the sacred and spiritual. There is no proxy in Tjurkurpa.
In 1970 Pope Saint Paul VI affirmed the integrity of our spirituality based on Celestial Law during his visit to the Northern Territory by stating,
We know that you have a lifestyle proper to your own ethnic genius or culture - a culture which the Church respects and which she does not in any way ask you to renounce.
The power and authority of the Tjilpi is further affirmed by the High Court decision in Mabo (No.2) which ruled at paragraph 65,
Native title, though recognized by the common law, is not an institution of the common law and is not alienable by the common law.
Prime Minister Albanese, Attorney-General, Mr Mark Dreyfus MP, and future political leaders and First Nations advisers to government must accept, on behalf of the Australian people, that their parliament and their law courts cannot impede, impact or overrule any decision made by the Senior Lawmen in respect to protecting the sacred Country, sacred places and spaces, and our right to access the same for rituals and ceremonies. This includes accessing our ancestral Celestial Law-grounds on all lands, waters, air space within the spiritual realm. Any colonial land laws that impact, impairs or purport to bar us from practising our sacred rituals and rights will violate constitutional section 116 on religious freedom.
116 Commonwealth not to legislate in respect of religion
The Commonwealth shall not make any law for establishing any religion, or for imposing any religious observance, or for prohibiting the free exercise of any religion, and no religious test shall be required as a qualification for any office or public trust under the Commonwealth.
We will no longer permit our cultures to be erased by the colonisers’-imposed laws. Mining companies, agribusiness and other developers must now turn to the Senior Lawmen for the right to do anything on Country.
You say we get royalties from mining companies but only white administrators, who look after the trusts, make money and we get vouchers. This is economic apartheid. No equality here, because we are not allowed to have the money that you say belongs to us.
We have sat back and watched for too long as our Country and Mother Earth are being torn apart for the sake of mobile phones, computers, solar panels, electric cars, and profit. It is our decision that if you want these things then go back to your own country and dig up England, China or India, or countries in Europe.
We no longer accept, nor tolerate, your belligerence towards us and our Tjukurpa.
Your native title takes away our rights and falsely pretends that it is for our benefit. No! native title is for the coloniser to continue stealing from us and our Country. You create government funded organisations which are supposed to address issues like health, housing and education, but you keep failing our Peoples, which is confirmed by your own annual reports, e.g. Closing the Gap. These Prescribed Body Corporates and peak bodies are paid by government to keep us oppressed and beggars in our own lands.
The referendum for a voice is to finalise the pathway to assimilation of First Nations into the Australian Constitution. We have no intention to validate the illegal colonial Constitution from Britain.
The proposed Voice to parliament may, or may not, help our people, because in all your promotions on the Voice you keep telling the Australian public that you, the Parliament and the Executive Government can and will exercise your prerogative to listen or not to listen, effectively granting you the power of veto. That’s alright if you listen to them and take notice, but you and the Voice cannot and will not interfere with the Tjukurpa.
Authorised by Senior Tjilpi for Tjukurpa,
Murray George (Fregon) South Australia
Ghillar Michael Anderson (Goodooga) NSW
Frank Young (Amata) South Australia
Donald Fraser (Ernabella/Kenmore/Uluru) South Australia
Clem Toby (Ernabella) South Australia
Graham Kulyuru (Ernabella) South Australia
Lee Brady (Kanpi) South Australia
Mr Miller (Pipalyatjara) South Australia
Robert Stevens (Fregon) South Australia
Peter Mitchell (Docker River) Northern Territory
Sammy Dodd (Mimili) South Australia
Stanley Young (Pipalyatjara) South Australia
Alex Baker (Indulkana) South Australia
Huey Cullen (Indulkana) South Australia
Charlie Anytjipalya (Indulkana) South Australia
Winmati Roberts (Fregon) South Australia
Johnny Roberts (Fregon) South Australia
Witjiti George (Fregon) South Australia
Taylor Cooper (Fregon) South Australia
Wangan (Fregon) South Australia
Keith Stevens (Nyapari) South Australia
Dickie Marshall (Amata) South Australia
Willy Tingku (Oak Valley) South Australia
Alwyn Bates (Wanarn) Western Australia
Mr. Bennett (Warakurna) Western Australia
Ringo (Docker River) Northern Territory
Bruce Williamson (Yalata) South Australia
Mr. Woods (Jameson) Western Australia
Winston Mitchell (Blackstone) Western Australia
Bernard Newbury (Wanarn) Western Australia
Mr. Foster (Wingellina) Western Australia
David Coombes (Imanpa) Northern Territory
Colin Peterson (Newman) Pilbara, WA
Teddy Bilbiju (Meekathara) WA