Vincent LingiariPrint Page

The artwork commemorates Vincent Lingiari (1919? - 1988), an aboriginal land rights leader.

To celebrate Indigenous leadership, this artwork focuses on two Aboriginal men. Neville Bonner, a Jagera man, fought for his people 'within the system', and became the first Indigenous Senator in the Australian Parliament (1971). Vincent Lingiari, a Gurindji man, led his people in a walk-off at Wave Hill Station in the Northern Territory in 1966 which began the Aboriginal land rights movement in Australia.

The southern face of the artwork features an artist's representation of a carpet snake (Neville Bonner's totem) burnt into a redgum timber surface behind Bonner's image. The northern faces feature a timeline with images depicting significant events during the fifteen-year campaign for recognition of land rights.

The lower image on the north-eastern side was derived from the Gurindji Freedom Banner, a tapestry created by Gurindji women depicting the Wave Hill walk-off.

The featured song, 'From Little Things Big Things Grow', by Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody, tells the story of Wave Hill and Vincent Lingiari.

Regarded as one of the greatest aboriginal leaders of all time, Vincent Lingiari led a strike at Wave Hill Station in the Northern Territory for better pay and working conditions.

Lingari petitioned the Governor-General for the return of 500 of the 6,000 square miles leased by the Government to the Wave Hill Pastoral Company. In March of 1967, he led his people back to Wave Hill Station. However, they were not about to surrender and instead they established their own settlement at a waterhole known as Daguragu. In January 1972, it was announced by Prime Minister Billy McMahon that funds would be made available for Aboriginal people to buy land.

Following these announcements, Lord Vestey, who owned Wave Hill Station, offered to surrender some areas of his lease to the Gurindji people and they were handed inalienable freehold title to Daguragu. It wasn`t until 1986, 20 years after their battle for land rights began, that the Gurindji people were handed inalienable freehold title to Dagarugu, on what was formerly Wave Hill Station.

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