Aboriginal people's relationship with their land is very different to that of European's – Aboriginal people believe that they are part of the land.
Each clan 'belongs' to a particular tract of land by virtue of descent from creation ancestors.
After their epic journeys during the Dreaming, the Spirit Ancestors merged into the land or returned to the sky or waters. The land and all forms of life contained within it are regarded as a sacred trust.
In traditional society Aboriginal people did not 'work' the land but lived in harmony with the land. The possession of traditional lands is of utmost importance to Aboriginal people.
In Victoria and in other parts of Australia, indigenous land use agreements are increasingly being used to negotiate agreements for use of Indigenous lands by other parties. Agreements between local Aboriginal people and others seeking to use the land generally allow for heritage protection and management, employment opportunities and financial benefits for community development.
Today Aboriginal communities use the land for a variety of cultural, social and economic activities.
In 1992 the High Court of Australia overturned the legal fiction of terra nullius – meaning 'empty land'.
Through what is known as the Mabo Decision the court ruled that native title continues to exist wherever it has not been extinguished by governments and provided that local indigenous groups have maintained a relationship with their traditional country based on customary law.
Learn about terra nullius, the legal notion that had a devastating effect on the land, culture and traditions of Australia’s original inhabitants.