Description

Following the intrusion of non-Indigenous police officers, including a female officer, on a restricted Walpiri ceremony ground in Lajamanu (northern Tanami Desert, Northern Territory), this article highlights the conflict between Indigenous and non-Indigenous laws, and brings to the fore questions regarding the legal rights of Indigenous people where there is a transgression of sacred sites under the current Commonwealth and State legislation. The article also draws attention to the dynamic cultural and political strategies the community relied on in the absence of legal redress. The Lajamanu community’s approach to developing mutual respect reveals a space where Indigenous and non-Indigenous laws can coexist.