Andrew Bolt: It’s not within cooee of the truth

The Sydney Morning Herald has again confused history with flattery and failed to do a basic fact check of claims made by Jacinta Tobin.

Local indigenous campaigners have recommended Kamballa and Taldree ChildrenÕs Shelter (formerly the Parramatta Girls Home) be preserved as a Ôkeeping placeÕ in memory of the Indigenous children committed there over 40 years ago. Darug woman Jacinta Tobin will be showing her art at an open day there this weekend.

IF fair-skinned Jacinta Tobin identifies as Aboriginal — a descendant of chiefs including Bennelong, no less — that’s her right and her business.

But when a newspaper, the Sydney Morning Herald, confuses history with flattery, and produces a bastardised “flatteristory”, then that’s cultural barbarism.

Tobin will give a talk at the Sydney Opera House on Aboriginal language. She says she discovered in her teens she was Aboriginal through her mother, and has since learnt and taught the Dharug language of Sydney.

The Herald quotes her: “Most people are surprised to learn they already know some Dharug words: wallaby, wombat, woomera, boomerang, bunyip and coo-ee, which means ‘I am here’ and even boogie — to bathe or swim — as in boogie board.”

At this stage, I’m already asking questions the Herald apparently stifles.

“Bunyip” is a Dharug word from Sydney? In fact, most experts agree it is a Wergaia word from Victoria’s Wimmera.

“Cooee” means “I am here”? In fact, most experts, such as Professor John Ryan, agree it means “come here”, which is how it was translated by the first European to record it: Captain John Hunter in 1789.

And what’s this about a Dharug connection to the “boogie board”?

American Tom Morey invented and named the boogie board — the famous Morey Boogie — in 1971, inspired by boogie music: “Boogie swung, and it had a wiggle … it was perfect.”

The Herald, predictably, then lauds best-selling author Bruce Pascoe, “who traces his ancestry to the Yuin people from the NSW south coast and the Boonwurrung people”. Again, why not ask Pascoe for proof of his claim that’s had him appointed to two university positions as an alleged Aboriginal expert?

Dark Emu author Bruce Pascoe.

In fact, his genealogy shows all his ancestors are of British descent. Maybe some Aboriginal ancestor is hidden in those records, but Pascoe refuses to publicly say who.

But who cares about real history? This is flatteristory — about flattery, not facts — and Pascoe is also not questioned about him imagining pre-colonial Aborigines almost like English yeomen, praising them as “farmers”, living in “houses” in “towns” of “1000 people” with “pens” for animals.

Who cares that this fantasy doesn’t come within cooee of the truth?

Once history is corrupted into flattery, then asking for evidence is not just irrelevant but nasty.

As nasty as saying, yes, your bunyip does look too big in that.