Indyvidual says: "In reference to dispossession of Aboriginal land I see Torres Strait included. Can someone please tell us where Torres Strait Islanders have been dispossessed because I haven't heard of any !"

If someone is fortunate enough to fly out to Mer Island one of its features that can be seen from the plane are the fish traps that have been used for hundreds of years at least.

This was one of the factors that was used to prove that the Meriam people have continually maintained their traditional association with the land.

Without the Mabo decision initiated by Meriam people the Indigenous history in Australia would be taking a very different course.

Talking to an old friend one time on a work trip to Bamaga on Cape York I asked him his thoughts on the annual 4WD tourist influx that was taking place.

His response was that he didn't understand why a lot of people make the trip.

He said that most of them huddled together and many of them seemed genuinely scared to be in a minority in their own country.

I think about that often and wonder how many people are if fact scared of being a visitor in predominately Indigenous places and how that influences their behaviour when they return home.

Hopefully National NAIDOC Week is just one more thing that can be done to give Indigenous Australians a platform that can be used to reduce people's fears.

Hi WTF,

Many times I have been the lone Pakeha (white fella) in a sea of Indigenous (Maori) folks, anything from 500 to 3,000 all in some way related to my wife. Mostly at a tangi (like a funeral but 3 days long held in the one location), at the Marae (meeting grounds). The first time was a little daunting, not understanding the language or the protocols and customs, but over the years I've got used to it. Its all about acceptance, they accept you, and you accept them, then you are not so much of an outsider. Many times I've been asked by Maori fellas; "What do you think of all this?" I tell them, I don't have a problem, although I might say kissing a dead body is a bit "hori" for me. "That's true bro", they say.

the Mabo decision initiated by Meriam people ....
WTF? - Not Again,
So, it wasn't the Lawyers smelling Dollars ?

he didn't understand why a lot of people make the trip.
WTF? - Not Again,
Like with so many aspects of life here, it's the hype that makes them do it !
Years ago before Labor ruined it all up here by flooding the place with surplus Brisbane bureaucrats, it was nice & everyone got along. No racial differences whatsoever or feigned indignation. All that divisive nonsense was brought in by Labor.

Dear mhaze,

Of course you over egged it.

Show me where Blainey says anything like: “In fact the most formal procedures between tribes was warfare”.

Next you have taken this from Blainey:

"Occasionally, there were pitched battles or raids in which many men took part. The causalities might not, at first sight, seem large; but the death of two men in a battle involving 40 meant the causalities were approaching the scale of the Battle of the Somme. An aboriginal fight could absorb a large proportion of adults within a radius of fifty mile - indeed could involve the a far higher proportion of able-bodied adults in any war of the 20th century could possible involve."

Erroneously combined it with:

"If we go on to accept a very cautious estimate of the number of fighting deaths, we arrive at the conclusion that the annual death rate in warfare equalled 1 for every 270 in the population. That death rate was probably not exceeded in any nation of Europe during any of the last three centuries".

To get this:

“the annual percentage of aboriginals killed in warfare was greater than the percentage killed in each year of WW1”

I know you struggle with figures but let's give this a go.

Blainey claims 1 annual indigenous death in 270 population.

Great Britain and Ireland had a population of 46.1 million people but lost 1,350,000 dead over the 4.3 years of WW1. Or 1 in every 147 people annually.

France had a population of 39 million people but lost 1,927,000 dead. Or 1 in every 87 people annually.

Germany had a population of 67.8 million people but lost 2,737,000 dead. Or 1 in every 106 people annually.

Turkey took the cake. It had a population of 17.3 million people but lost 2,325,000 dead. Or 1 in every 32 people annually.

Source: Brill`s Encyclopedia of the First World War.

All far exceeding 1 in 270 annually.

Finally the Somme lasted 5 months. Blainey hypothesised on one raid/battle. It is entirely appropriate to use the first day's battle.

This is fun.

Given the mhaze logic, if there are four people in a car accident and one is killed, then the loss of life in that car accident is statistically greater than lives lost at the Battle Of The Somme. That makes it safer to face machine guns, than venture onto the roads in a car. WELL DONE MHAZE.