Content deleted Content added
Line 74:
In [[1963]], provoked by a unilateral government decision to excise a part of their land for a [[bauxite]] mine, Yolngu at [[Yirrkala]] sent to the [[Australian House of Representatives]] a [[Yirrkala bark petitions|petition on bark]]. The bark petition attracted national and international attention and now hangs in [[Parliament House, Canberra]] as a testament to the Yolngu role in the birth of the [[Native title|land rights]] movement.
When the politicians demonstrated they would not change their minds, the Yolngu of Yirrkala took their grievances to the courts in [[1971]], in the case of [[Gove land rights case|Milirrpum v Nabalco Pty Ltd]], the [[Gove land rights case]]. Yolngu lost the case because Australian courts were still bound to follow the ''[[terra nullius]]'' principle, which did not allow for the recognition of any “prior rights” to land to Indigenous people at the time of colonisation. However, the Judge did acknowledge the claimants' ritual and economic use of the land and that they had an established system of law, paving the way for future [[Native Title|Aboriginal Land Rights in Australia]].
The song ''Treaty'', by [[Yothu Yindi]], which became an international hit in [[1989]], demonstrates the dedication of Yolngu to the cause of reconcilation, land rights and the recognition of their culture and Law.
| |||