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When was the Gurindji land return?

When was the Gurindji land return?

August 16, 1975
It was on August 16, 1975 that Mr Whitlam poured soil into the hands of senior Gurindji man Vincent Lingiari to mark the return of more than 3,000 square kilometres of the Wave Hill cattle station to his people.

How much land was given back to the Gurindji people?

Gurindji land is ceded The colonial government grants almost 3,000 square kilometres of Gurindji country to explorer and pastoralist Nathaniel Buchanan.

In which year was the land handed back?

Eastern Arrernte people celebrated title to their traditional lands in the northern Simpson Desert on 19 August 1994 when then federal Aboriginal Affairs Minister Robert Tickner granted them nearly 23,000 square kilometres of it at a ceremony at Arkarnenhe Well about 250 kilometres east of Alice Springs.

How long did the Gurindji strike last?

7 years
On 23 August 1966, Gurindji tribal elder Vincent Lingiari led 200 Aboriginal workers off their jobs at the Wave Hill cattle station, 800 kilometres south of Darwin, where they worked for the British pastoral company Vestey. It was a strike that would last 7 years.

Why did Vincent Lingiari and the Gurindji people protest from 1966 1975?

On the 23rd of August 1966, Vincent Lingiari led 200 courageous Indigenous stockmen and their families to walk off Wave Hill Cattle Station in the Northern Territory protesting against the work and pay conditions.

How did Aboriginals get their land back?

In December 1976 the federal parliament passed the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act. It was the first legislation in Australia that enabled First Nations peoples to claim land rights for Country where traditional ownership could be proven.

What happened to the Gurindji people?

The Walk-Off took place 80 years after the British invaded Gurindji lands, bringing cattle and farming that destroyed Aboriginal water and food sources, and livelihoods. These 80 years included massacres and killings, stolen children and other abuses by the early colonists.

Was the Gurindji strike successful?

The success of the Gurindji land claim, however limited, was a real victory against a powerful industry and a hostile government. Without their courage and determination, the ongoing struggle for land rights would be far less advanced. Their struggle was a turning point for Australian society.

When did the Gurindji people get their land back?

This eventually led to the return of a portion of their homelands to the Gurindji people in 1974, and the passing of the first legislation that allowed for Indigenous people to claim land title if they could prove a traditional relationship to the country. I bin thinkin’ this bin Gurindji country. We bin here longa time before them Vestey mob.

When did the Gurindji move to Wattie Creek?

The camp moved before the wet season of that year and in 1967 the Gurindji Aboriginal people settled some 30 kilometres from Wave Hill Station at Wattie Creek (Daguragu), in the heart of their traditional land, near a site of cultural significance.

Why did the Gurindji go on strike in 1966?

In 1966 the Gurindji people at Wave Hill cattle station in the Northern Territory went on strike, demanding an increase in wages and the return of a portion of their homelands from the lessees (Vestey Brothers).

When did the Gurindji leave Wave Hill station?

On August 22, 1966, against the explicit instructions of the NAWU, the Gurindji employed at Wave Hill and their families, together more than 200 people, collected their few belongings and left the squalid humpies the station called accommodation.