Several months ago, The Australian newspaper broke the news of the “White Hands on Black Art” scandal where Indigenous artists allege studio staff regularly meddled with their artworks.
Evidence included a video of a white Aboriginal art centre manager painting on the canvas of what was meant to be the work of an acclaimed Indigenous artist.
The scandal is a metaphor for the proposed change to the Australian Constitution to establish an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. My work with Aboriginal people, and my academic research on their faith and culture, led me to wonder if something similar to the “White Hands on Black Art” scandal is happening.
Does The Voice campaign embrace traditional Aboriginal values, or does it reflect values that are not Aboriginal?
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