On day one of Reconciliation Week, we got a comment on one of our posts:

"How’s inventing the wheel going?"

It’s the kind of sarcasm that might seem harmless to some, but it says a lot about the myths still alive in this country.

Myths about who holds knowledge, who made the world as we know it, and who gets to be called a genius.

So, let’s clear a few things up.

White people didn’t invent the wheel. In fact, no one alive today can claim that legacy. It occurred thousands of years ago, in ancient Mesopotamia, on lands now known as Iraq. Not Europe. Not Australia. Not white people.

It’s ironic and revealing. These comments proudly (and mistakenly) claim credit for something invented thousands of years ago, yet they often come from the same people who say things like, “we’ve got nothing to apologise for” or “that wasn’t us.”

So it’s fine to take pride in the parts of history you benefit from, but when it comes to the ugly truths, suddenly it’s not your responsibility? That’s not history. That’s selective memory.

But this kind of comment is part of a bigger pattern: the assumption that technological advancement, innovation, intelligence, and modern life all came from white, Western minds. That Indigenous peoples, especially here on this continent, contributed nothing while the rest of the world moved forward.

Realistically, you could argue that any culture capable of surviving for tens of thousands, possibly over a hundred thousand years without needing to invent the kinds of tools often held up as markers of “genius” by narrow-minded people may in fact be more advanced, not less.

Surviving alongside megafauna, enduring multiple ice ages, and thriving without modern technology speaks to an extraordinary depth of knowledge, adaptability, and connection to land. That should be seen as an achievement and a triumph.

But to truly acknowledge that would mean accepting, despite what the Mabo decision already confirmed, that First Nations people had a sophisticated, thriving civilisation long before colonisation arrived. And that’s a truth many still aren’t ready to face.

Here’s the truth: many of the things we rely on every day were created or developed by non-white, non-European peoples.

Things like mathematics have no single inventor.

Sub-Saharan Africa has a rich but often overlooked mathematical heritage, with traditions like susu, tontines, and esusu. Systems of communal money-pooling, demonstrating advanced arithmetic and financial management long before colonial influence. 

Despite the loss of many traditions due to oral transmission and the disruptions of the slave trade, historical records and artifacts reveal that complex mathematics was integral to African societies, from intricate number systems like that of the Yoruba to the sophisticated gold-weight system of the Akan in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoir. 

European traders noted the impressive calculation skills of African merchants. The legacy of African mathematics endures in traditional games such as mancala, which require quick and strategic arithmetic, and ongoing research continues to uncover the continent’s significant contributions to global mathematical history.

However, and possibly due to erasure of others, Ancient Greece's Archimedes is sometimes considered the 'Father of Mathematics'. Ironically, when Greek and Italian immigrants first arrived on Australian shores, they experienced high levels of discrimination. 

Modern medicine also cannot claim to have a single inventor.

Long before the advent of modern medicine, several African tribes pioneered sophisticated surgical practices, demonstrating remarkable medical knowledge passed down through generations. The Banyole of Uganda performed successful C-sections using banana wine as both anesthetic and antiseptic, while the Kisii of Kenya were renowned for traditional craniotomies to treat head injuries.

The Dogon of Mali practiced circumcision, dental surgery, and fracture treatment, and the ancient Nubians of Sudan excelled in tumour removal and amputations, as evidenced by archaeological finds of surgical tools. Other tribes, like the Khoisan of South Africa and the Hausa, were skilled in tooth extraction and bone setting, respectively. These achievements highlight the ingenuity and expertise of African societies in surgical care long before the rise of modern hospitals.

 The Aztecs also used forms of surgery to set bones, while the oldest known amputation was performed in Borneo. However, India's Sushruta Samhita is commonly considered the 'Father of Surgery'.

Agriculture was no stranger to this continent either. First Nations peoples across Australia developed complex and sustainable systems of land management, seed cultivation, and aquaculture. The Budj Bim eel traps in Victoria, carefully engineered to farm and harvest eels, are older than the Pyramids of Egypt.

There is even strong evidence of baking.

In astronomy, Indigenous Australians mapped the stars with astonishing precision, using constellations to navigate vast distances and mark the seasons, a practice maintained over tens of thousands of years.

Some structures created to do this still exist today and are at risk of destruction by farmers, mines and changing laws. Democracy itself, so often hailed as a Western invention, existed in sophisticated forms through the governance structures of Aboriginal Nations long before colonisation disrupted them.

Even things like chewing gum, rubber, and sunglasses came from Indigenous peoples of the Americas and the Arctic. Let’s not even start on how many foods, tomatoes, potatoes, chocolate and corn were cultivated long before they appeared on European plates.

So, when someone drops a “funny” little jab like “how’s inventing the wheel going,” what they’re really doing is reinforcing the colonial myth that whiteness equals intelligence and progress, and that everything else is primitive, irrelevant, or in the past.

They're also, in their attempt prove intelligence, demonstrating the exact opposite..

This Reconciliation Week, we’re not here to just swap feel-good messages. We’re here to speak truth.

Innovation didn’t start with colonisation.
Knowledge didn’t begin with Europeans.
And respect doesn’t grow in ignorance.

First Nations people have always been innovators. Always been thinkers. Always been creators. The difference is, they’ve done it without needing statues, patents, or mainstream credit.