Why I'm a Ngarigo and Djiringanj Mawa (male)

Why I'm a Ngarigo(male) and Djiringanj Mawa

Words hold power. And that power varies depending on who's language is being used and how it is being being applied.

Within the Oxford Dictionary there are over 170 thousand words/ definitions. But what many people don't know is that there are different "dictionaries" for different societies. There are also religious dictionaries that have their own definitions. Something I'm not that familiar with, but I have visited the local church and quickly viewed these very large books. The dictionary that I have looked over in great detail is a western law dictionary that has over 15 thousand word entries. I've specifically reviewed a recently published Blacks Law Dictionary. There are other versions of western law definitions, even an Australian version, but Blacks is a very prominent publication with over 200 legal practitioners and professors contributing to it's definitions. There were three words I chose to understand better, Aboriginal, Indigenous and Man. Why? Because these are terms I grew up with and defined myself by. These terms were very prominent to how I defined my identity, how I seen myself and how I seen the world. Obviously Aboriginal and Indigenous are key terms because they were used in schools, academia, media, politics, community, sport and to a lesser extent my family, to define my ancestral heritage. And of course the term Man. This defines my "sex" or gender...and of course, within western European culture...my "manliness." Well, I couldn't be more wrong about these words. Let's have a closer look at these three words and see what the definitions mean within western and historical context. Firstly there is no specific definition for Aboriginal within Blacks Law Dictionary. But we'll get to that term later. The word Indigenous, under western law, derives from its Latin root term 'indigena.' This term is defined as meaning "native", but it's historical meaning is "a subject born within the English realm or naturalised by act of Parliament." Hmm? Well moving on.

The much used term "Man" is interesting. But before I give the definition for Man, what about "Woman"..? Well, there is no definition for Woman within the worlds most prominent western law dictionary. A woman is insinuated within the term "Man"...apparently. There is no definition for a woman/ female. And here's why:

Because Man means "An adult male, Humankind, Mankind, a human being" ...that's why. But what is the historical meaning of the term man? The historical meaning of the term man, according to Blacks Law Dictionary is "A Vassal, a feudal tenant." And what is a Vassal and feudal tenant? Well a Vassal is: "a grantee of a fief"; and what is a feudal tenant? To know that we have to see feudalism: "a land holding system, particularly applying to medieval Europe, in which all are bound by their status in a hierarchy of reciprocal obligations of service and defense. The Lord is obligated to give the vassal some land, protection and justice. The Lord guarantees the quiet occupation of the land by the vassal and guarantees to do right if the vassal becomes involved in a dispute. In return, the vassal owed the Lord some type of service, called tenure (meaning "of holding"), because the different types of service were the methods by which the vassals held the property. The social, political and economic system of medieval Europe - also termed feudal system." Well there you go. One small step for Man one giant leap for...well elitism, misogyny, racism, colonialism etc. I make no further comment. And for the term "Aboriginal".?...here's a link that finds its roots in Latin European mythology. Words hold power! Why I'm a Ngarigo and Djiringanj Mawa (male) Have a great day everyone!! David