Always was, always will be explained

"Always was, always will be Aboriginal land", sometimes abbreviated to "Always was, always will be" or just "Always will be", is an iconic phrase and rallying cry of the Aboriginal land rights movement in Australia.

Origin

The phrase is said to have originated in the 1980s, with the Barkandji people in far-western New South Wales, who were fighting for legal recognition and rights as sovereign owners of their homelands. The campaign was led by William Bates, which saw the first national park in NSW returned to its traditional owners. On one of his trips to Country during the campaign, William Bates' father, Jim Bates, was telling his son stories of the land. William said, "Dad, it’s not your land any more, whitefellas own it"; his father replied, "No, they only borrowed it; it always was, and always will be Aboriginal land."^{[1] [2]}

Meaning

It asserts that Aboriginal peoples were the first on the continent now known as Australia, occupying and caring for the land for more than 65,000 years,^[3] and that sovereignty of Country has never been ceded.^[4] It is sometimes shortened to "Always was, always will be."^[5]

The phrase is commonly chanted at protests, rallies and celebrations by Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Australia, and is synonymous with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land rights, self-determination and sovereignty.^{[6] [7]} It also responds to the lack of recognition Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples receive in relation to sovereignty, and as a fundamental understanding about the truth of Australia, but sometimes presents a challenge when dealing with Australian immigrant communities.^[8]

Uses

"Always was, always will be" is sometimes incorporated into the Acknowledgment of Country.^{[9] [10]}

Always was, always will be was the name of a temporary installation (2012–2017) by Reko Rennie in Taylor Square, Sydney.^[11]

A 2017 exhibition of photographs in Sydney by well-known Aboriginal Australian photojournalist Barbara McGrady was called Always Will Be.^[12]

In 2020, "Always Was, Always Will Be" was selected as the theme for NAIDOC Week.^{[13] [14]}

Notes and References

1. News: 2017-10-06. Obituary: William Charles Bates, land rights champion. ABC News (Australia). 2022-01-10.
2. Web site: 2021-08-06. We are proppa now. Wesley Enoch. QAGOMA Asia Pacific Art Papers. 14 February 2023.
3. Web site: 2020 NAIDOC Week theme announced: Always Was, Always Will Be.. 2022-01-10. www.indigenous.gov.au.
4. Web site: Always Was, Always Will Be, Aboriginal Land. 2022-08-29. Australian Museum.
5. Web site: Thoburn. Max. 2020-11-20. Always Was, Always Will Be. 13 February 2023. Medact.org.
6. Web site: How to make a sign for Survival Day . 2022-01-10. Deadly Story.
7. Web site: Ballad Films – Always Was Always Will Be . 2022-01-10. en-AU.
8. Book: Drew, Peter . Poster Boy: A Memoir of Art and Politics . 2019-08-06 . Black Inc. . 978-1-74382-084-1.
9. Web site: Acknowledgement of Country . Australian Centre for International Justice . 24 January 2023 . 11 February 2023.
10. Web site: Acknowledgement of Country . Common Ground . 22 December 2022 . 11 February 2023.
11. Web site: Always was always will be . City Art Sydney . 28 May 2023.
12. Web site: News . arthere . 11 February 2023.
13. Web site: 2019-10-29 . 2020 theme. 2022-01-10 . . en.
14. Web site: 2020-11-09. NAIDOC Week: Always was, always will be. 2022-01-10 . Reconciliation Australia. en-AU.