Treaty's value questioned by Indigenous elders, but recognition of Australia's first people important
ABCThis year's NAIDOC Week theme is Voice. Key points: Indigenous Australians have a long history of intertribal treaties, with more than 500 nations across the country traditionally observing protocols for each other's land Significant landmarks have long been used as visual tools to maintain order between groups upholding treaties For some Indigenous elders, a treaty is less important than Australians knowing who the country's first people were The issue of a treaty has been on the agenda since 1988 when the Northern and Central Land Councils presented the late former prime minister Bob Hawke with the Barunga statement. Indigenous artist and teacher of Indigenous cultural arts Warwick Keen said Aboriginal people "always had respect for other people's land when they crossed over into someone's territory". Now in his 60s, Mr Keen recognises Indigenous ways of viewing the world and has mixed feelings about how the nation's first people would benefit from a treaty. "There's a lot of people in the country who know our people were the first people here and acknowledge that, but there are still people who think Captain Cook landed here first, before us.
History of this topic
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In an Australian first, Victoria is primed for Aboriginal treaty negotiations next year
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Australia: Creating a Nation
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