Aboriginal Tent Embassy, July 1972. Photograph reproduced from Identity, July 1972.
Aboriginal people have been associated with the area of the Embassy for centuries. Scrapers and points were found in 1925 on the sandy ridge between Parliament House and the Molonglo River. An axehead and boomerang were discovered during the formation of the Paliamentary lawns and implemnets were uncovered in a sand pit near Parliament House.
The first Aboriginal protest at the Site took place in 1927, during the opening of Old Parliament House, where it is reported that two senior Aboriginal men made personal protests against the construction of Parliament House on lands to which they laid claim. The best known of these protesters was Jimmy Clements.
More recently the Site became the focus of national attention in 1972, when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people set up camp to highlight their struggle for land rights in Australia.
It is a significant place for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. As well as being a spearhead for the Land Rights and Sovereignty moments it has become an important meeting and education area.
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