Palawa Story
Tasmanian Aboriginal people have thrived in Lutruwita for thousands of generations. Living within nine nations across Lutruwita/Tasmania, comprising clans and family groups, Tasmanian Aborigines were the custodians and lawkeepers of their respective Country.
Just over 11,000 years ago, sea levels rose, covering the land bridge to mainland Australia and isolating Tasmanian Aborigines. This development created a deep and prosperous relationship between people and Country, unique to the landscapes and climate of Lutruwita.
In 1803, everything changed. The invasion and colonisation of our Country was swift and brutal.
Aboriginal people who survived the Black War were exiled to offshore islands to languish in squalid conditions.
Conciliator George Augustus Robinson deceived the survivors. On behalf of the governor he represented, he promised a return to their ancestral lands, which never happened.
Too many died.
In the end, the Crown appropriated all of Tasmania.
Despite Robinson’s treaty, much of this land was given away in land grants. Over time, it has been subdivided and registered as private freehold titles.
But no land was ever ceded.
Today, all these titles are privately owned. Ordinary people, family businesses, companies, and trusts own them. All hold Aboriginal values and significance to Aboriginal people, and we’re seeking your help to get some back.
We’re not here to take it because that’s what happened to us.
We’re here to ask for your help, to buy some back and restore some justice.
Contemporary Palawa Community
We have achieved much since the colonising flag was raised on 26 January 1788 in Botany Bay.
The Palawa Community is the only one to survive the invasion of Lutruwita. We are connected through the bloodlines of the northeastern nation’s peoples and hold their knowledge, culture, and legacy.
We have reclaimed our identity, rebuilt our Community and recovered some land, which we now manage in a culturally appropriate and sustainable way.
These achievements, along with many others, have only been gained through activism and leadership of our Community and with the support of our friends and allies.