The descendent of one of Victoria's first settlers has called for monuments memorialising her ancestors to be removed or destroyed.
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Suzannah Henty is a sixth-generation descendent of James Henty, one of the Henty brothers who were early European colonisers of Gunditjmara Country in southwest Victoria.
Ms Henty on Thursday faced the Yoorrook Justice Commission, a hearing into injustices against Indigenous Victorians related to land, sky and waters.
"I want to acknowledge the invasion of my forefathers and the war that ensued was a crime that continues to inflict harm," she told the commission.
The Eumeralla Wars, a series of violent conflicts and massacres that followed the Henty landing in western Victoria, led to the deaths of more than 6000 Gunditjmara and reduced their population to a few hundred.
Settler deaths during the conflict have been estimated at about 80.
"I was never told while I was growing up that the Henty family were involved in an organised ethnic cleansing of First Nations peoples," Ms Henty said.
She would like to see memorials to her forebears removed to museums or a park to fallen monuments, or ceremoniously destroyed.
"There have been five generations of family members who have not said anything," Ms Henty told the commission.
"I don't want to be part of the sixth generation."
Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation chief executive Aunty Jill Gallagher, a Gunditjmara woman, spoke about the importance of Indigenous rights to crown land for wellbeing and connection to culture.
"We need places to heal and connect, safe places," Ms Gallagher told the inquiry.
"Owning land and having access to land, it really is that ongoing sustainable approach to self determination ... at a local level."
Ms Gallagher said traditional owner groups must be resourced to be able to care for country as true partners with state governments.
"We have ancient and we also have contemporary Aboriginal people, with our culture and our past, the stories that we can tell and the gifts that we could give to all Victorians is amazing, people just don't realise that," she said.
Aunty Vicki Couzens, chair at the Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages, said a lack of government support for Indigenous language survival represented a continuation of cultural oppression.
"The government can send a billion dollars to Israel and they can spend $4.5 billion on nuclear submarines ... and they cannot find even the moment to go to a budget bid to provide support for our languages," Dr Couzens told the commission.
She said federal support for her language centre had not changed in 10 years, while support from the Victorian government was non-existent.
"It's a continuation of 'linguicide' and genocide," she said.
"It's very much one of the first strategies in genocide, stop people talking their language."
Australian Associated Press
