Blog

We just got back from the project's first international trip to Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia where we spent three and a half weeks meeting and interviewing Maori and Aboriginal elders and community leaders. It was quite a trip!

As the manuhiri (honored visitors) of our gracious Maori hosts we were led on a whirlwind tour of the north and south islands, where we visited different marae (traditional meeting houses), explored the spectacular countryside, experienced real Maori hospitality and met some truly wonderful and inspiring people. We filmed ten interviews with Maori elders and leaders who shared their stories and understanding of interconnectedness and Kotahitanga (“oneness” in Maori). Many spoke of the need for the 'coming together' of Maori and indigenous values and wisdom with the paheka (non-maori) world. We were overwhelmed by the openness and warmth of the people we met and the knowledge and wisdom they shared with us.

Landing in Adelaide, South Australia was a stark contrast to the lush rainy green country we had just come from. Adelaide is experiencing the worst drought in one thousand years and was very hot and dry (we were later told by an Aboriginal elder we met, 'What does the white fella expect if he treats the land like he does?'). We spent the first few days with the Sumner brothers, both elders and leaders in their Aboriginal community who took us into their homes and spoke at great length about the suffering their people have endured, the need for remembering that the earth is our mother and that the golden rule can be expanded to include our environment and all living things. Mulla, the younger of the two brothers drove a Harley Davidson. When I asked him about it, he looked at me and said, 'What, you don't expect us to all be out in the bush, standing on one leg with a spear in our hands do you?'

From South Australia we flew to Alice Spings in the central desert and drove to Mutujulu at the base of Uluru to meet with Bob Randall, a traditional owner of Uluru and elder of the Yankunytjatjara people. Spending a few days with Bob in the hot desert was quite an experience. He showed us around his land, talked to us about the Tjukurpa (dreamtime) and the importance of recognizing the oneness of all things. Out in the desert you can drive for 200+ kilometers on the main road and not see a single car.

It was quite a contrast to arrive in Sydney, a bustling international cosmopolitan city. We drove away from the city to a small town where we met with Max Harrison, a warm and kind elder from the south coast who sat with us at a creek near his home, and spoke about the need for respect, tolerance and understanding between all people and all things. Our last interview before returning to the US was with a young and energetic traditional healer named Jagamurra who stressed what we had repeatedly heard in different ways on our trip: 'I am an aboriginal man, but I am a human being first.'

We will be posting the clips, shorts and interviews from this trip in the coming weeks, so please be sure sign our email/newsletter list to be notified when the new videos are added.

Also, for more photos of our trip, check out the Global Oneness photos on Flickr.

Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee
Global Oneness Project Director