Vincent Lingiari

Vincent Lingiari (1968) (charcoal on paper by Frank Hardy , portrait from his book The Unlucky Australians)

Vincent Lingiari (born June 13, 1908 , † January 21, 1988 ) was an Australian political activist for Aboriginal rights who was awarded the Order of Australia for his services . He was a member of the Gurindji people in the Northern Territory in the Victoria River District . Lingiari leads the Gurindji Strike , also known as the Wave Hill Walk-Off . Through this strike it was achieved that the Gurundji land was returned by the Commonwealth of Australia .

Wave Hill Walk-Off

The Wave Hill Cattle Station , which is about 600 kilometers south of Darwin is in the Northern Territory, was in the late 19th century by the British Agricultural Society Vesteys operated. Vesteys employed Gurindji on Wave Hill. The working conditions for the Aborigines were extremely poor compared to the non-Aborigines and the wages were very low.

In 1966, Lingiari, a Kadijeri Aborigines, drove herdsmen on Wave Hill. When he returned from a hospital stay in Darwin, he led Wave Hill workers on August 22, 1966 in protest at labor and wage conditions. Since Aboriginal workers had filed criminal charges there for several years about the conditions at Wave Hill, including an investigation during the 1930s that criticized Vesteys' work practices, the walk-off was aimed at a bigger goal than just Vesteys .

Until 1968 it was forbidden to pay more than a certain amount of money to Aboriginal workers and to hand over goods. In many cases, the government favored settler societies, which deposited money into their accounts rather than directly to the Aborigines.

The protesters established Wattie Creek Camp and demanded the return of some to their ancestral lands. This marked the beginning of the long struggle of the Gurindji for a legal title to their land.

Land Rights Act

The Wave Hill strike jeopardized relations between Aboriginal people and other communities, and although it began as an action for workers' rights, it soon became a central state issue when the Gurindji claimed their traditional land rights.

The strike lasted eight years, during which time support for Aboriginal rights grew and the struggle intensified. It may ultimately lead to the 1976 Commonwealth Land Rights Act being enacted in the Northern Territory. This act gave the Aborigines title to traditional land in the Northern Territory and, notably, an objection to mining and development of those areas. The size of their traditional land was about 3250 square kilometers, of which they got back 1295 square kilometers.

A significant and symbolic event in Australian history - during an emotional ceremony in 1975 - was the handover of local sand by Prime Minister Gough Whitlam to Vincent Lingiari when he returned Wave Hill Station to the Gurindji.

Wave Hill Walk Off Route

On August 9, 2007, the Australian federal government placed the Wave Hill Walks Off Route under national monument protection on the Australian National Heritage List through Malcolm Bligh Turnbull , Minister for Environment and Water Resources . It is an area of ​​approximately 300 hectares between Wave Hill Homestead and Daguragu.

The Australian Federal Government (Commonwealth) stated in their statement that this area was the first land that the Commonwealth returned to the Aborigines, which documents the right of the Aborigines to their identity, tradition and land.

Vincent's legacy

Vincent Lingiari died on January 21, 1988. Every year before that, he took part in the annual walk-off event on the occasion of the land transfer to the Gurindji.

Vincent Lingiari was a leader and cultural authority for the Gurindji. His fight for the rights of this Aboriginal people made him the trustee and custodian of their land. His achievements for their rights, culture and language made him a national symbol.

Vincent Lingiari came into confrontation with an enormous economic and political power that was marching against him and the Gurindji. In doing so, he achieved a victory in history that is of great importance for the recognition of the Aborigines, their universal rights and the affirmation of their land rights, their ability to practice law, language and culture.

The second largest Australian electorate is named after Lingiari. The Division of Lingiari covers almost the entire Northern Territory as well as Christmas Island and the Cocos Islands . There is also a Lingiari Foundation, the director of which, Patrick Dodson, was awarded the Sydney Peace Prize in 2008 .

The Vincent Lingiari Memorial Lectures have been held since 1996 , at which, for example, Sir William Deane (1996), Patrick Dodson (1999), Malcolm Fraser (2000) appeared.

Vincent Lingiari's story is portrayed in the song From Little Things Big Things Grow , written and rendered by Paul Kelly and sung by an Aboriginal musician, Kev Carmody .

Web links

• Information about Lingiari . Accessed July 26, 2005.
• National Archives of Australia . Accessed January 9, 2011. (English)
• Freedom Day (English)
• Illustration by Vincent Lingiari

Individual evidence

1. ↑ https://candowisdom.com/leadership/vincent-lingiari-savvy-leader
2. ↑ www.indigenousrights.net.au ( Memento of the original from September 14, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
3. ↑ environment.gov.au ( Memento of the original from June 6, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 24 kB): Wave Hill Walk Off Route , in English, accessed on October 3, 2011 
4. ↑ Vincent Lingiari Memorial Lectures ( Memento of the original of September 24, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.