In the Northern Territory, a large proportion of remote Aboriginal communities continue to live according to their customary law and maintain their traditional languages and ceremonies. Yet the nature and practice of Aboriginal customary law remains insufficiently understood by the mainstream Australian community. This gap in knowledge at the academic, legal and political levels has made the development of informed policy and laws an ongoing challenge, often resulting in prejudiced and discriminatory attitudes towards Aboriginal customary law and practices.
The Ŋärra Rom Project, led by the Yolŋu Nations Assembly (YNA), seeks to maintain, document and share the vitality and true meaning of its traditional Maḏayin legal system with the Australian community. A major focus of the project will be on video documenting highly significant traditional legal parliament ceremonies known as Ŋärra, presented by the senior law-men and women of the Yolŋu Nations. Footage will then be edited into appropriate educational material for academic, legal and policy-making audiences, as well as for sharing within the Yolngu community.
Video has proved the most effective medium for conveying the nuance and richness of customary law processes. To illustrate this, YNA members in partnership with the Charles Darwin University Law Faculty, delivered a presentation to the Judicial Colloquium of Australia, using video material from Yolŋu Maḏayin ceremonies. The presentation was extremely well received by the 90+ judges in attendance, with a current Judge of the High Court of Australia specifically commenting that further research and materials such as those would be of great service.
Yolŋu elders have long been asking for help to document and strengthen their traditional ceremonial practices, so that the social laws and moral values that they embody can passed on for the benefit of future generations.
Output(s)
There are no listed outputs for this project.