Blacklash Reconciliation after Wik Fiona Nicoll There has to be a reason, and we use reason. Yet another part of us welcomes the faer chat reason-as instituted-has violence at its disposal, Michael Taussigl In a 1993 article for Meanjin I examined the State's deploymem of contemporary Aboriginal art in relation to the political process of reconciliation. I discussed various governmental agendas in foster- ing the production and consumption of Aboriginal art in terms of [he tension be£ween 'reconciliation with '-defined as 'harmonizing', 'healing' or 'making friendly after estrangement'-and 'reconciliation [0'-a5 in rendering another 'resigned or comentedly submissive', The analysis of public art commissions, exhibitions and policy docu- ments seemed to point to the conclusion that in the late 19805 and early 1990s the emphasis of public policy was on the reconciliation of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders to the cultural and eco- nomic prerogatives of non-Aboriginal Australia. Then the Mabo judgment was handed down. After months of negotiations Lois O'Donoghue, the head of ATSIC, was sufficiently pleased with the Keating government's native title legislation to pro- claim: 'We start off together on the long road to genuine reconcilia- tion.' By 'genuine reconciliation' O'Donoghue was referring to the 1993 Act's protection of native title holders' rights of negotiation .67