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| Traditional Owners of Australia | |
|---|---|
| Name | Traditional Owners of Australia |
| Regions | Australia |
Traditional Owners of Australia Traditional Owners of Australia are the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who hold ancestral rights, responsibilities and spiritual connections to specific lands and waters across the Australian continent and surrounding islands. Their relationships are encoded in complex kinship systems, songlines, law and ceremony, and are recognised in diverse ways through Australian legal, political and cultural institutions. Recognition involves interactions with entities such as courts, parliaments, Indigenous organisations and international bodies.
The term encompasses groups such as the Anangu, Yolngu, Arrernte, Wiradjuri, Gunditjmara, Noongar, Koori, Murri, Palawa, Tiwi, Pintupi, Erubam Balam, Murrinh-Patha, Gagudju, Guringai, Yidinji, Gumbaynggirr, Warlpiri, Luritja, Kukatja, Barkindji, Kulin and Gamilaraay peoples, and island nations including the Torres Strait Islanders, Meriam people and Indigenous communities of the Tiwi Islands. Definitions draw on sources such as the High Court of Australia decisions, Mabo v Queensland (No 2), Native Title Act 1993 (Cth), academic works in Australian studies, anthropological research by figures like Daisy Bates, T.G.H. Strehlow, and legal commentary in law journals and publications linked to institutions such as the Australian National University, University of Sydney, University of Melbourne and Monash University.
Australia is home to hundreds of nations and language groups including the Yorta Yorta, Warramunga, Ngarrindjeri, Wurundjeri, Dharug, Kaurna, Barngarla, Adnyamathanha, Ngarluma, Martu, Ngaanyatjarra, Gija, Yungngora, Jaru, Walmajarri, Walabi, Yupanguthi, Murrumbidgee River communities, Cobourg Peninsula groups, Gangalidda, Kunwinjku, Ngarinyin, Bininj/Mungguy, Kokatha, Nyangumarta, Badimaya, Yamatji, Ngarla, Wangkatha, Yindjibarndi, Anmatyerr, Alyawarre, Kaytetye, Warumungu, Gamilaraay (Kamilaroi), Bundjalung, Yuin and Yorta Yorta nations. Language revival, documentation and community programs are supported by organisations such as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, SBS Radio, AIATSIS projects, local land councils including the Northern Land Council, South Australian Native Title Services and regional cultural centres like the Tjapukai Cultural Park and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia.
Land rights and native title were transformed by cases and laws including Mabo v Queensland (No 2), Wik Peoples v Queensland, the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth), and decisions of the High Court of Australia. Landmark claims and agreements involve parties such as the Northern Land Council, Central Land Council, Land Councils of the Kimberley, and corporations like Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation and Yetimarri Aboriginal Corporation. Native title determinations, heritage protection orders and Indigenous Protected Areas intersect with agencies such as the National Native Title Tribunal, Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department, state land authorities, and international instruments referenced by advocates including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the International Labour Organization Convention 169 and submissions to the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Custodianship practices are expressed through songlines and ceremony recognised in collections at the Australian Museum, National Museum of Australia, State Library of NSW, National Gallery of Australia and community galleries. Custodial responsibilities are enacted by Elders and cultural authorities including figures and groups linked to institutions such as the Aboriginal Land Council (NSW), Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council, Queensland Indigenous Council and the Torres Strait Regional Authority. Protecting rock art at sites like Kakadu National Park, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Murujuga (Burrup Peninsula), Dulcie Range and sacred places recognised under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 involves collaboration with bodies such as the Australian Heritage Council and local rangers, while cultural protocols engage museums, galleries and universities such as the National Centre for Indigenous Genomics.
Traditional Owners engage in political advocacy through organisations such as the Prime Minister and Cabinet advisory structures, National Congress of Australia's First Peoples, Aboriginal Legal Service, Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia, Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation, AMSANT, South Australian Native Title Services, Aboriginal Medical Service (Redfern), and native title representative bodies. Economic programs include Indigenous enterprises like Indigenous Business Australia, joint ventures with mining companies such as BHP, Rio Tinto, Fortescue Metals Group and agreements with the WA Aboriginal Ranger Program, tourism enterprises operating in Kakadu, Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef regions, and cultural tourism initiatives with state tourism bodies. Social determinants addressed by organisations include the Lowitja Institute, Healing Foundation, Close the Gap campaigns, and legal advocacy by the Human Rights Commission.
Contact history involves events and entities such as the First Fleet, Captain Cook, Arthur Phillip, frontier conflicts including the Myall Creek Massacre, Battle of Pinjarra, the Black War, and policies enacted by colonial administrations in New South Wales, Van Diemen's Land, Queensland and Western Australia. Impacts include dispossession tied to pastoral expansion, missions such as Point McLeay Mission, protectorates like the Aboriginal Protection Board (NSW), removal policies culminating in the Stolen Generations, legislation including the Aborigines Protection Act 1909 (NSW), and inquiries such as the Bringing Them Home report and reports to bodies like the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.
Representative and governance bodies include the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, National Native Title Tribunal, Torres Strait Regional Authority, Aboriginal Land Councils (NSW), Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service, ATSIC-era institutions, community-controlled health organisations such as Apunipima Cape York Health Council, legal services like the Central Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service, research organisations like the Lowitja Institute, and local corporations managing Indigenous Protected Areas and cultural enterprises. Contemporary treaty and truth-telling processes underway at state levels involve the Victorian Treaty Advancement Commission, NSW Treaty Commission, and multilateral forums connecting to the Uluru Statement from the Heart and dialogues with federal entities.
Category:Indigenous Australian peoples