‘I miss her’: Kumanjayi Little Baby laid to rest
A five-year-old girl allegedly abducted and murdered outside a remote community has been farewelled by hundreds of mourners dressed in pink.
indigenous people
Huge swath of land returned to Traditional Owners
A Federal Court ruling has granted Traditional Owners native title for more than 170,000 hectares in northern Australia as part of a decades‑long campaign.
Fair marks 20 years as crowds show up for authentic art
The 20th year of the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair features an exhibition marking 40 years of Merrepen Arts, an NT arts centre recovering from record floods.
‘History makers’ win at national Aboriginal art awards
The prestigious $100,000 Telstra Art Award has gone to Ryan Presley, while winning works include dilly bags made from maps taken from the British Museum.
Scholarship win for Indigenous university students
Pursuing higher education is costly but one university wants to change that by assisting all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander undergraduate students.
Six years, 21 drafts earn hip-hop poet top book prize
Author and hip-hop artist Omar Musa moved to Borneo to write his second novel Fierceland, which has taken out Australia's premier literary award.
Database and DNA to help find lost First Nations people
A database is being set up to document cases of missing First Nations people along with a DNA collection program to help families find lost loved ones.
Garma eyes life after mining and a new land rights era
At the NT's Garma Festival, Yolngu leaders have marked 50 years of land rights, confronted the end of a Rio Tinto mine and push for a future on their terms.
First Nations fashion, textiles take Country to Couture
First Nations textiles, fashion and art are remaking high fashion in a colourful showcase of creativity from across Australia.
Garma festival shows Yolngu culture in full colour
As leaders talk policy at Garma, Yolngu men, women and children step onto the Bungul ground, using ochre, song and story to show Australians who they really are
Australia leans on Indigenous culture in Pacific pacts
Australia is drawing on First Nations ties in its Pacific diplomacy push as PNG and other islands' leaders back a culturally grounded regional agenda.
Breakaway Arnhem Land council shocks NT Indigenous body
Yolngu leaders have launched the breakaway Dilak Land Council at Garma, stunning the Northern Land Council and reshaping the land rights fight in Arnhem Land.
Didgeridoo rumble as Garma Festival bursts into life
Under a bruised-purple Arnhem Land sky, 13 Yolngu clans have drenched the red dust in ochre, song and didgeridoo as the Garma Festival explodes into colour.
‘Breathtaking’ NDIS exploitation in remote communities
Multiple groups have told an inquiry the federal government's proposed National Disability Insurance Scheme reforms should not go ahead in their current form.
‘Not good enough’: pleas to act on Indigenous targets
Indigenous women and children are at risk as the nation falls woefully behind Closing the Gap targets because of limited collaboration, experts warn.
Native title exists: court hands back land to ancestors
A historically significant native title has been handed back to traditional ancestors following a long and difficult federal court judgment.
‘Viscerally sick’: child protection reforms under fire
A territory's child protection changes have been heavily criticised amid accusations a five-year-old Aboriginal girl's death has been politicised.
Damning report highlights red flags before girl’s death
Sweeping changes have been recommended for a child protection system after a review found safety threats were missed before a little girl's death.
Minister ‘bias’ in major gas project extension approval
A federal minister has been accused in court of favouring an energy giant over the environment by agreeing to extend the life of a major gas project.
Traditional owners call for Pine Gap spy base shutdown
Traditional owners of the land beneath Pine Gap are calling for the secretive US-Australian spy base to close
Aboriginal conservation deal boosts environmental goals
A huge swath of the Simpson Desert in the Northern Territory is now protected through Aboriginal management, meeting a major environment target.
‘Failing us’: commissioner quits over child safety laws
A children's commissioner has resigned in protest over a territory's controversial child protection reforms.
Australian dance troupe earns deadly international gong
A First Nations dance company is set to be awarded a major accolade at the Venice Biennale - but says it represents just 35 of 65,000 years of stories.
Big things: NAIDOC Week kicks off in ‘deadly’ style
A deadly piece of art has been chosen to celebrate National NAIDOC Week - although its creator uses a different word to describe it.
Firing up carbon credits through cultural burning
Cape York Indigenous native title holders have inked an Australian first carbon credits profit sharing deal with a farmer over a massive cattle station.
Community buy-in boosts jabs for Indigenous kids
Better transport, shorter wait times and cultural safety are all factors in improving immunisation rates for First Nations children, a study has found.
Uncle’s quest reveals police racism in train track case
After a long campaign by the family of an Aboriginal teenager mysteriously found dead on train tracks, a coroner has found racism hindered the investigation.
‘Scared, humiliated’: senior police blamed for culture
Bullying is as much a part of the NSW Police as wearing a uniform, one member has told a scathing review into toxic culture within the force.
Weapons seized after violent disturbance at town camp
Up to 100 people wielding a variety of weapons have been involved in a violent disturbance in a remote town camp.
‘Hard day’ for teen’s family as killer cop sentenced
A First Nations father is pleased the serving police officer who killed his son is being held accountable and hopes he will reflect on his mistakes.
Neo-Nazis unrepentant after dawn service booing saga
Hecklers who booed a Welcome to Country during an Anzac Day dawn service have been dealt their punishments, but they remain unrepentant for their actions.