Mabo Day in Australia

Aborigines inhabiting the continent failed to exercise any title documents. They believed that a close link with graves of ancestors is the best proof for legality of their residence. For the natives rivers, lakes and mountains were boundaries dividing territory. And due to absence of writing system all laws and traditions passed on to succeeding generations through songs, dances, art and verbal stories.

British colonizers invaded the mainland in the 18 century, they did not recognize such rules of property registration and considered local population as too primitive to conduct any negotiations with them. However, they did not deny their presence in the territory of Australia.

Caught in a desperate situation, the natives began to fight for their rights. For 200 years they could not get any understanding from the British authorities. And only in 1982 the Meriam tribe resident Eddie Mabo and his co-plaintiffs achieved acceptance of their claim in the Supreme Court of Australia.

Justice prevailed and it was proved that in pre-colonial times indigenous peoples did own the land and the myth giving status of terra nullius - the land of no one to Australian territories was finally destroyed .

Since then indigenous population marks the Day of Mabo on June 3. Unfortunately, the hero of the occasion had not lived up to this point. In January 1992 he died at the age of 56.