Author Description

This Occasional Publication tells the story of how the traditional owners of the former Finke River Mission lease gained separate titles for each of the five clans that lived there. The publication brings together the differing perspectives of three key players in contributing to the eventual granting of five separate titles at Hermannsburg in 1982. In 'Rrangkarra Queen-aka vote-erramama?' 'Do you vote for the Queen?', Paul Albrecht, Field Superintendent of the Finke River Mission 1962-1983, describes the failures of attempts by the Mission authorities in the early 1970s to introduce democratically elected councils as a means to achieving Aboriginal self-determination. In 'The Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Bill 1976: mapping of clan estates in Hermannsburg', Garry Stoll describes the involvement of himself and the late Rex Ziersch in the process of mapping the clan estates with the traditional owners. In 'Aboriginal land rights and the Hermannsburg controversy: implications for self-determination', Greg Marks describes his involvement in the controversy at Hermannsburg as an officer of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs, Alice Springs. He analyses the meaning of self-determination for Aboriginal peoples, pointing out that to be meaningful, self-determination cannot be a top-down, unilateral process, but must be grounded in Aboriginal law and custom. -- Preface.