YOUR ASSISTANCE IS NEEDED TO SUPPORT INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIAN WOMEN TO PROTECT AND MAINTAIN THEIR SACRED YAWULYU - TRADITIONAL CULTURE. Dear Friends, I am writing to ask you if you, or someone known to you, can assist the women of Wirrimanu Aboriginal Community in Australia to buy a vehicle so that they can access their ancestral lands for ceremonial purposes and to gather bush foods. Wirrimanu is one of the last Aboriginal communities to have contact with kartiya (whites) - only 40 years ago - and as such enjoys a very strong connection with its lands and ancestral teachings. The senior Law women of Kapululangu Aboriginal Women's Association are custodians of traditional women's lore that needs to be sustained, protected and maintained. They need to access their "country" - to practice their cultural and religious beliefs, to keep the Tjukurrpa (or Dreaming) alive; to teach the younger generations; to gather foods to improve their health. But to do this they need to have a vehicle that is capable of carrying them safely into some of Australia's most isolated and difficult desert regions. This car will cost $A35,000 to buy and $A5,000 to maintain and run for one year. This is a total of $40,000 (Australian) which is equivalent to $26,000 (US). Raising funds for buying the vehicle is the biggest problem facing the women because many government bodies and other funders in Australia are unwilling to pay out for a vehicle. This is despite the reality ownership of a vehicle being the item most essential to enabling the women to achieve their responsibility to maintain their culture. Could you assist the women by either making a donation of however much you can afford; or by asking your friends to make a donation; or arranging for an organisation to make a donation? If so, we would really like to hear from you. It is best if you can donate directly into our bank account - details below. If you do that please send us an email or letter telling us what you have done. More information is available - just ask. Our bank account details are: Bank Name: Commonwealth Bank of Australia Bank Address: Booth Street, Annandale, NSW 2038, Australia Account Number: 062 102 1005 2883 Account Name: "Pacific Connections" Our email is [EMAIL PROTECTED] This request for assistance is being sent out on 9 June 1999 by Zohl de Ishtar Coordinator, Kapululangu Aboriginal Women's Association Pacific Connections, PO Box 172, Annandale, NSW 2038, Australia Zohl de Ishtar Pacific Connections Women for a Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific (Australia) International Peace Bureau, Oceania Representative Hague Appeal for Peace, Coordinator for the Pacific Abolition 2000 - Global Council, Pacific and Australia PO Box 172, Annandale 2038, Australia. Tel: +61 (0)2 96603670 Email: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink