Australian Aboriginal Sovereignty
Encyclopedia
Australian Aboriginal Sovereignty is a political movement amongst Indigenous Australians
and supported by others in the 20th century, demanding control of parts of Australia
by Indigenous peoples.
As is the case in many other countries where native people were displaced by European settlers, such as New Zealand
, the United States
and Canada
, the issue is complicated and controversial.
In 1972, the Aboriginal Tent Embassy
was established on the steps of Parliament House
in Canberra
, the Australian capital, to demand sovereignty for the Aboriginal peoples. The protest has remained in place for over thirty years. Demands of the Tent Embassy have included land rights
and mineral rights to Aboriginal lands, legal and political control of the Northern Territory
, and compensation for land stolen.
Many public events in Australia, including ceremonies, speeches, conferences and festivals, begin with a Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country. Welcomes to Country are made by Elders of the Aboriginal nation on whose traditional lands each event is taking place. Welcomes to Country can be relatively long, and are often spoken in full in both English and the language of the respective Aboriginal nation. (Sometimes an interpreter is required to translate the Elder's language into English for the English-speaking audience present.) Acknowledgements of Country are more common, and are typically made at the beginning of a speech or an event by a speaker who is not of the requisite Aboriginal nation. Acknowledgements of Country are usually only one or two sentences long, and simply ask those present to acknowledge the fact that they are on the traditional lands of a particular Aboriginal nation.
Notable proponents of Aboriginal sovereignty included Isabell Coe and Charles Perkins. Educator, historian and activist Gary Foley
is a prominent advocate of Aboriginal sovereignty.
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
and supported by others in the 20th century, demanding control of parts of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
by Indigenous peoples.
As is the case in many other countries where native people were displaced by European settlers, such as New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the issue is complicated and controversial.
In 1972, the Aboriginal Tent Embassy
Aboriginal Tent Embassy
The Aboriginal Tent Embassy is a controversial semi-permanent assemblage claiming to represent the political rights of Australian Aborigines. It is made of a large group of activists, signs, and tents that reside on the lawn of Old Parliament House in Canberra, the Australian capital...
was established on the steps of Parliament House
Politics of Australia
The Politics of Australia take place within the framework of a parliamentary democracy, with electoral procedures appropriate to a two-party system. Australia is governed as a federation and as a constitutional monarchy, with an adversarial legislature based upon the Westminster system...
in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, the Australian capital, to demand sovereignty for the Aboriginal peoples. The protest has remained in place for over thirty years. Demands of the Tent Embassy have included land rights
Real property
In English Common Law, real property, real estate, realty, or immovable property is any subset of land that has been legally defined and the improvements to it made by human efforts: any buildings, machinery, wells, dams, ponds, mines, canals, roads, various property rights, and so forth...
and mineral rights to Aboriginal lands, legal and political control of the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, and compensation for land stolen.
Many public events in Australia, including ceremonies, speeches, conferences and festivals, begin with a Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country. Welcomes to Country are made by Elders of the Aboriginal nation on whose traditional lands each event is taking place. Welcomes to Country can be relatively long, and are often spoken in full in both English and the language of the respective Aboriginal nation. (Sometimes an interpreter is required to translate the Elder's language into English for the English-speaking audience present.) Acknowledgements of Country are more common, and are typically made at the beginning of a speech or an event by a speaker who is not of the requisite Aboriginal nation. Acknowledgements of Country are usually only one or two sentences long, and simply ask those present to acknowledge the fact that they are on the traditional lands of a particular Aboriginal nation.
Notable proponents of Aboriginal sovereignty included Isabell Coe and Charles Perkins. Educator, historian and activist Gary Foley
Gary Foley
Gary Foley is an Australian Aboriginal Gumbainggir activist, academic, writer and actor . He is best known for his role in establishing the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra in 1972 and for establishing an Aboriginal Legal Service in Redfern in the 1970s...
is a prominent advocate of Aboriginal sovereignty.
See also
- Black GST The Black GST movement
- Stolenwealth.com
- native titleNative titleNative title is the Australian version of the common law doctrine of aboriginal title.Native title is "the recognition by Australian law that some Indigenous people have rights and interests to their land that come from their traditional laws and customs"...