Fashioning Sahul perspectives raises many questions and issues which will need to be explored and resolved.

We are now in a period like that when creative painting had similar concerns with higher matters, perspective and ways of seeing. And were tackled by enthusiastic artists.

A Covenant exists between original First Peoples and creation.

One key point for Sahul perspectives is that there is an unbreakable link between original Sahul Peoples and their living countries. Peoples-and-countries constitute a fundamental unity.

When this link is denied – in thought and in lived practice – damage is done to the fabric of life.

Caring for country is caring for eternal soul – Country is a generative cosmic context. Land is life. Their Ways are well-earthed.

This results in representational challenges both in terms of how we fashion well-formed images of life and how First Peoples are represented politically vis-à-vis the State.

We have to add contemporary political spin for a whole picture.

Original Sahul Peoples are presently captive within nation-states (PNG is a special case). We have to factor in their struggle to fashion accurate representations.

Faulty Acts of Parliaments – rooted in profound bad faith – cannot extinguish original Peoples relationships which are transcendental in origin.

States seek to ‘fix’ relationships between signifier and signified. States are blocked forms of relating. Life flows.

Drawing on Sahul peoples ways, rather than European nation-state specifications, co-existing sovereignty provides possible scope for healing governance solutions.

Good faith and acts of genuine high-level exchanges of things of real value are required to provide sound foundations for all of life in both Australia and New Guinea … and beyond.

We are not there yet. We are in a process of becoming