One of the founding men of the Tent Embassy,
Michael Ghillar Anderson
, remembers a conversation with police on the first morning after they had set up the umbrella. Police officers approached the men and asked what they were doing. “We’re here to protest,” they replied.
When was the tent embassy first established?
The Tent Embassy was established under a beach umbrella on the lawns of Parliament House in Canberra on
26 January 1972
.
Who was the leader of the tent embassy?
One of the founding men of the Tent Embassy,
Michael Ghillar Anderson
, remembers a conversation with police on the first morning after they had set up the umbrella. Police officers approached the men and asked what they were doing. “We’re here to protest,” they replied.
Who was against the tent embassy?
| Aboriginal Tent Embassy | From top: Billy Craigie, Bert Williams, Ghillar Michael Anderson and Tony Coorey, first day of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, January 1972; Police question protesters, January 1972, Bobbi Sykes and Gordon Briscoe , July 1972; January 2015; Invasion Day 2010 | Date 26/27 January 1972 |
|---|
Why is Gary Foley important?
Gary Foley
became the first Aboriginal director of the Australia Council’s Aboriginal Arts Board
in 1984 and with friend and political mentor Chicka Dixon, Chair of the Aboriginal Arts Board, set about reforming the operations of the Board.
How did the tent embassy change civil rights?
The Tent Embassy
gave a boost to the campaign for land rights
. On July 14 in the same year the Tent Embassy was established, 6000 people marched in Sydney as part of the “Black Moratorium”, demanding land rights for Aboriginal people.
Was the Yirrkala bark petition successful?
The petition was successful
, and the township still stands under that name today. The 1988 bark petition, known as the Barunga Statement called for self-determination, land rights, compensation and Indigenous rights.
Was the tent embassy successful?
The Aboriginal Tent Embassy has always been acknowledged as the most successful and significant protest in the entire history of our Aboriginal struggle
. We have defended it through thick and thin. After the embassy was established on January 26, 1972, the Liberal government tried to destroy it.
Did Charles Perkins join the tent embassy?
In the 1960s, he became involved in the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, where he formed an everlasting bond with Charles Perkins and joined the campaign for changes to the Constitution.
How did the tent embassy protest?
The Embassy began as a protest
against the government’s refusal to acknowledge indigenous land rights
in 1972, and evolved to encompass the demand for recognition of indigenous sovereignty and self-determination. Tent Embassy protestors designed the current Aboriginal flag.
Who was Eddie Mabo and what did he do?
Mabo
gained an education, became an activist for black rights and worked with his community to make sure Aboriginal children had their own schools
. He also co-operated with members of the Communist Party, the only white political party to support Aboriginal campaigns at the time.
What does the tent embassy want?
Today the Tent Embassy is focused on
campaigning for Aboriginal sovereignty over the continent and the right to self-determination
. Do some research to find out which famous Yothu Yindi song released in 1991 came from the fight for land rights, including the Yolŋu people’s claim to their land.
When did apartheid end in Australia?
Australia introduced its White Australia policy with the ratification of the Immigration Restriction Act 1901. South Africa officially introduced apartheid much later, after the general election of 1948, to be repealed in
1994
.
What did Chicka Dixon do?
With the development of funded Aboriginal organisations in the 1970s, Chicka Dixon
became a foundation member of the Aboriginal Arts Board in 1973
. He went on to become Chairman and was effective in pressing for reforms in funding for Indigenous artists.
What language group does Gary Foley belong to?
Gary Edward Foley (born 11 May 1950) is an
Aboriginal Gumbainggir
activist, academic, writer and actor, who eschews Australian nationality. He is best known for his role in establishing the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra in 1972 and for establishing an Aboriginal Legal Service in Redfern in the 1970s.
Who are the traditional owners of Yirrkala?
The Rirratjingu Clan
are the traditional owners of Yirrkala.
Where did the Yolngu leaders turn to when the case failed?
When their appeals to Parliament failed to achieve the justice they sought, the Yolngu leaders turned to
the Supreme Court in the Northern Territory
, where hearings in their case, known as the Gove Land Rights Case, began in 1968.
Who signed the Yirrkala bark petition?
The petition, signed by
nine men and three women
, stated that 500 people were residents of the land that was being removed, and that the whole deal had been kept secret from them.
When did the tent embassy end?
On
September 12 1972
, the ACT Supreme Court ruled against the use of the trespass laws, and the Tent Embassy was temporarily re-erected before being removed again the following morning. Then, at the end of 1972, the Coalition government led by McMahon lost the federal election to Labor.
Can you visit the tent embassy?
The Aboriginal Tent Embassy is part of Australia’s history. It has been since 1972 and has seen a few changes in the intervening years.
Strictly speaking this is no tourist destination
.
