On the 14th August 1963, the Yirrkala Bark Petitions were tabled in the Commonwealth House of Representatives. The petitions were written in Yolngu Matha and English. They were a protest against the decision to grant mining leases without consultant. The 1963 barks and those that followed in 1968, 1988 and in 2008, represent an expression of ownership and sovereignty.
For more information about the Yirrkala Bark Petitions:
- NITV (2016) Explainer: The Yirrkala Bark Petitions, SBS. Retrieved from http://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/explainer/yirrkala-bark-petitions