What was the purpose of the gurindji strike?

The Gurindji strike was instrumental in heightening the understanding of Indigenous land ownership in Australia and was a catalyst for the passing of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976, the first legislation allowing for a claim of title if the Indigenous claimants could provide evidence for their …

How long did the gurindji strike for?

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.

Did the Gurindji people get their land back?

Victory was achieved in 1975! The nation witnessed the first piece of Australian soil being returned to Indigenous hands when the Prime Minister of Australia, Gough Whitlam, ‘handed-back’ the land to the Gurindji people.

Who supported the gurindji strike?

Vincent Lingiari
On the 23rd August 1966, Vincent Lingiari, a Gurindji man, led around 200 of his people in a strike where they walked off Wave Hill station – this action was supported by many unionists across the Country. In 1967 they moved the camp they had set up to Daguragu (Wattie Creek), a 20km walk from their current camp.

Why did Vincent Lingiari lead the walkoff?

In August 1966, Vincent Lingiari, a Gurindji spokesman, led a walk-off of 200 Aboriginal stockmen, house servants, and their families from Wave Hill as a protest against the work and pay conditions.

What is the Gurindji settlement?

Two Gurindji communities are Kalkarindji (established by the NT Government as Wave Hill Welfare Settlement), a township of 260 hectares (640 acres) located on the Buntine Highway, and Daguragu, a community settled on land under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1976.

How much land did the gurindji people get back?

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.

Did Vincent Lingiari lead the Wave Hill walk-off?

In August 1966, Vincent Lingiari led a group of Aboriginal pastoral workers and their families in a walk-off from Wave Hill Station. The strike protested the poor conditions Aboriginal workers had experienced on the station for more than 40 years.

What did Vincent Lingiari do for Aboriginal rights?

Australian livestock worker and activist Vincent Lingiari fought for Aboriginal land rights. He was best known for leading the 1966 strike of Aboriginal workers at the Wave Hill cattle station in the Northern Territory, Australia. Lingiari was born at Victoria River Gorge in the Northern Territory.

What is the Larrakia petition?

The Larrakia petition is a document signed in October 1972 by 1,000 Aboriginal people from all states and territories of mainland Australia. Some signed with their name, others with thumb prints. It draws its name from the Larrakia people who are the traditional owners of the Darwin area.

What does the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1976 provide?

The main purpose of the Act is “to reinstate ownership of traditional Aboriginal land in the Northern Territory to Aboriginal people” (Austrade). It provides for the grant of inalienable freehold title for Aboriginal land, meaning that the land cannot be bought or otherwise acquired, including by any NT law.

Who led the Wave Hill walk-off?

Where did the Gurindji strike and land claim take place?

The Gurindji strike and land claim. In the 1960s and ’70s, the Gurindji tribe of the Northern Territory, employed on the Wave Hill cattle station owned by Britain’s Lord Vestey, staged a landmark struggle for Aboriginal justice. The campaign, Australia’s first successful Aboriginal land claim, began as an industrial dispute.

Who was at Daguragu during the Gurindji strike?

The Gurindji strike is one of the most famous in Australian history. This is an account of life in the strike camp, as remembered by Tanya McConvell, who lived at Daguragu from 1974 to 1977 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that the following article contains images and voices of people who have died.

Why did the Gurindji people walk off Wave Hill?

His primary informant was Jimmy Mangayarri. The Gurindji people of the Northern Territory are best known for their walk–off of Wave Hill Station in 1966, protesting against mistreatment by the station managers. The strike would become the first major victory of the Indigenous land rights movement.

Who are the Gurindji people and what do they do?

Two Gurindji communities are Kalkaringi and Daguragu. The Daguragu Community Government Council provides municipal and other services to the township and surrounds of Kalkaringi (formerly Wave Hill) and to Daguragu, a community settled on land under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act.