From The Vault - “ITS JUST ONE SMALL CLICK FOR BLAKFULLAS, ONE GIANT LEAP FOR OUR STRONG-BLAK-NATIO

SAM COOK’S KISSmyBLAKarts™ Column NOVEMBER

“ITS JUST ONE SMALL CLICK FOR BLAKFULLAS, ONE GIANT LEAP FOR OUR STRONG-BLAK-NATIONS [-O-]”

OKAAYYYY so now I got all you blakfulla Spocks thinking of the time/space continuum [gammin] - jump into ya red-blak-yellow unitard and throw up that secret sign - cause I want to take you on a journey to a place where the bushtrack meets the Super-information Highway! So pack that damper and billy-tea, or at the very least a .jpg of it, cause we awwffff to CYBERSPACE!!!! [-O-]

OHHHH….

ACTUALLY ummmm artshub IS cyber so aaahhhhhh U MOB are already here!!! Jeez talk about deadly fullas! Koori-time just took on a whole new meaning! Ok Ok quick eye exercise now cause we know we’ve been up on here for a what feels like a hot minute but in reality is more closer to a couple of hours! LOL, LMAO, LMBBTSIAO, ROFLMAbFabAOOOOOOoooOOOOooo

Here we go….

BLAKFULLAS throughout the ages have developed intensely sophisticated innovations, inventions and trade routes – primitive we are not. So is it any wonder that we embrace new technologies with gusto? We have afterall survived colonisation and have the daily task of over-proving ourselves and over-delivering to Western Society to ensure we continue to survive and where possible thrive, in two-worlds.

With the advent of the internet making its way into popular culture, as far back as the late 80s/early 90s cyber-blaggies have been logging in and congregating. Mob the likes of musical acts Propaganda Klan and Nokturnal have been onto the net and trailblazing for years - forging a place for Indigenous arts, individuals, communities and organizations alike.

Nowadays there is a vast reserve of Indigenous networks, blogs, e-groups, organisational pages, academic resources and even the odd blakfulla dating site. All of which have brought about a new and largely unmeasured social change element to our BLAK nations.

Through the BLAKwerks, cyber-blaggies have found a means to further adapt and push against this imposed sense of minority and division as we etch out places we can go to re-charge our cultural battery or seek out a dialogue amongst a group of likeminded individuals. EVEN better still is that we have the ability to engage with our International Indigenous Community - on so many levels, in so many ways. We are M-powerin-UP as we share our knowledge and continue to expand our global trade routes within our cultural processes and protocols.

Cyber lingo abounds as we purposely create a new Indigenous language, one that interconnects our tribal nations with the USB plug an’ play mindset embedded in our cyber youth.

In MySpace alone, you can find an ever growin nation of cyber-blaggies. We’ve set up camp in droves and have also placed a land claim over our corner of the cyber world. We still find ourselves in the WHO’s YER MOB ritual, all the time knowing that “6-degrees of separation” is a whitefulla construct cause we cyber-blaggies know there’s only 2 degrees separating us!

MySpace has become a great ally for Indigenous artists to promote and market their craft. Its an opportunity to level the playing field as we each become an ambassador for our craft and have the potential to get a look in the global marketplace. BLAK gold for us mob, especially given the lack of opportunity and equity we press up against everrryyy dddaaayyummm daaayyyyy!!!

Don’t be fooled into thinking that this type of technology marginalises our regional and remote cuznZ cause I’m telling you now that we’ve got mob logging in from Jigalong to Halls Creek, the Pit Lands to tha Islands. Brothaz and Sistaz are cyber-yarnin’ and we not shy about it either!!! The yungnZ have BLAK pride for days online and a voice that can be heard and shared with the rest of the world.

Even better still is that our Indigenous diaspora, residing in the US, Europe, Canada and Japan, who are out in the world tryin to make a global impact and make the change from the outside in now have a place to congregate. A place where the campfire burns bright and the billy is always on the boil.

CYBER-BLAGGIE WORDLIST

Now IF you got through this without needing translation, you are either a cyber blaggie or a gammin-fulla!! YA KNOW I couldn’t leave you hanging without translation!!!...Enter the world of the cyber-blaggie….

[-O-] = Landrights flag

STRONG - BLAK - DEADLY = pride statement

ROFLMAbFabAOOOO = Rolling on Floor laughing my Aboriginal Fabulous Ass Off

LMTSIAO/LMBBTSIAO = Laffin my TSI azz off / Laffin my big black TSI azz off

cyber yarnin' = talking online

cyber blaggies = Aborigines on internet

Cy-Blaktrakka = stalker thingy on our pages

E-Tribe = Us mob populating a site/group

E-Mob = same as E-Tribe

Bleek - Black Geek

Blakwerks = blakfulla networks

SistaZ = well ya know, us deadly females