Summary

Larissa Behrendt uncovers the extraordinary story of the three landmark Yirrkala Bark petitions that sparked the flame toward recognition of Aboriginal rights. In August 1963, two bark petitions—traditional documents prepared and signed by Yolngu people—were sent to the Australian Parliament and became the first documented recognition of Indigenous people in Australian law. When a fourth bark petition is found in Derby, Western Australia, in 2022, the community begins the ceremony of guiding its journey back to Yolngu Country. The repatriation provides the opportunity to track the long political campaign—through petition, song, dance, and campaigning—to keep culture strong and to have a voice for country.