The Murrawarri Republic declaration

Derrick West Coast Native News - Canada
March 31st, 2013

On the 30th March 2013, Murrawarri people from the Culgoa River region of northern New South Wales declared their Sovereignty of their lands under the name of the Murrawarri Republic.

In a formal declaration (below) the peoples of the Murrawarri Republic attested that they have never ceded their Sovereignty, Dominion or Ultimate Title over their ancient homeland nor did they give permission for the colonisers to enter their ancient land and for their mother earth to be violated through progressive illegal acts, practices or policies of the British Crown, Former British Colonies, The state of New South Wales and Queensland or the Australian Federal governments.

They declare their continued independent statehood on behalf of their peoples and, by virtue of their natural ancestral and inherent right and on the strength of the resolution of their people and declare the Murrawarri State, to be known as the Murrawarri Republic.

The Murrawarri Peoples declare that they have maintained a physical, spiritual and cultural connection to their Ancient Lands, Subsurface, Natural Resources, Waters and Airspace and we did not cede their Sovereignty Dominion and Ultimate Title through any process of treaty nor through any act of war declared on the Murrawarri Nation and its peoples by the British Crown, Government or their servants.

Muruwari (More-roo-worry) means, ‘to fall (warri) with a fighting club (murru) in one’s hand’.

The Murrawarri Ancient Lands are the birthplace of the Murrawarri People and the creation of the Murrawarri Nation. Here our physical, spiritual, cultural, and political identity as a people and Nation was shaped. The Lands, Subsurface, Natural Resources, Waters and Airspace, was created for us to live in harmony with and care for by Pitangulu (Bida-Ngulu) our Creator. Here we first attained to Statehood, through laws and customs, which were and still are observed and practiced. Our people lived and still live in harmony with nature, the landscape and our Mother Earth.

After attempts by the colonisers to be exiled from our land through unjust and illegal acts by the British to control our Lands, Subsurface, Natural Resources, Waters and Airspace, erase our language, wipe out our culture and cultural practices and to remove us off our lands to missions on other peoples’ country, the Murrawarri people kept faith and connection to country throughout our Dispersion and never ceased to pray and hope for our return to it and for the restoration in it of our Spiritual, Cultural and Political Freedom.

Impelled by this historic and our ancient inheritance and attachment, the Murrawarri strove in every successive generation to re-establish ourselves in our ancient homeland.

Accordingly, we the members of the Murrawarri Nation, declare our continued independent statehood on behalf of our peoples and, by virtue of our natural ancestral and inherent right and on the strength of the resolution of our people hereby declare the Murrawarri State, to be hereinafter know as the Murrawarri Republic.

The Murrawarri people of all generations declare that we have never ceded our Sovereignty, Dominion or Ultimate Title over our ancient homeland nor did we give permission for the colonisers to enter our ancient land and for our mother earth to be violated through progressive illegal acts, practices or policies of the British Crown, Former British Colonies, The state of New South Wales and Queensland or the Australian Federal governments.

We the Murrawarri Peoples declare our people have maintained a physical, spiritual and cultural connection to our Ancient Lands, Subsurface, Natural Resources, Waters and Airspace and we did not ceded our Sovereignty Dominion and Ultimate Title through any process of treaty nor through any act of war declared on the Murrawarri Nation and its peoples by the British Crown, Government or their servants.

We Declare the Murrawarri ancient lands were occupied at the time of settlement of the colonisers taking up large parcels of pastoral leases granted by illegal acts by British, New South Wales and Queensland Governments.

We Declare there will be a People’s Council and a Peoples Administration established until the elections of the regular authority of the State.

We Declare with effect from the moment dated 30th day of March 2013, until the establishment of the elected, regular authorities of the State in accordance with the DRAFT Constitution which shall be adopted by a referendum of Murrawarri peoples’ not later than the 1st April 2014, the People’s Council shall act as a Provisional Council of State, and its executive organ, the People’s Administration, shall be the Provisional Government of the Murrawarri Republic.

The Murrawarri Republic will be open for Murrawarri peoples, Non Murrawarri people currently residing within the borders of our ancient lands and others who wish to live in our country.

The Murrawarri Republic will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; it will be based on spiritual, cultural, freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by our peoples. It will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of culture, religion, conscience, language, and education; it will safeguard our sacred places handed down to us by our creator and our ancestors; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

The Murrawarri Republic is prepared to cooperate with the agencies and representatives of the Crown of the Great British, State and Federal Governments of Australia through their nominated representatives and the United Nations in implementing the peaceful transition and development of our Sovereign State as an equal in this world.

We appeal to the United Nations to assist the Murrawarri people in the building-up of our State and to receive the Murrawarri Republic into the world family that is represented by the United Nations.

We extend our hand to all neighbouring states and their peoples in an offer of peace and good neighbourliness, and appeal to them to establish bonds of cooperation and understanding.

The Murrawarri Republic is prepared to do its share in a common effort for the advancement of other Ancestral Nations within the Continent of Australia.

We Appeal to non Murrawarri constituents to embrace this Declaration of Statehood fo the Murrawarri Nation, and accept the formation of the Murrawarri Republic and consent to its constitution.

We declare that the following map shows the boundaries of our Ancestral Murrawarri Lands as created by… our creator Pitangulu (Bida-Ngulu)…

Placing our trust in our creator, we the following members of the Murrawarri Nation affix our signatures to this declaration for the re-establishment of the Murrawarri Republic as of 30th Day of March, 2013.

Source: Murrawarri Republic website
other source: nationalunitygovernment.org