On June 3rd, Australians will commemorate the 30th anniversary of Mabo Day.

Mabo Day celebrates the brave efforts of Torres Strait Island activist Eddie Koiki Mabo. Mabo spent a decade seeking recognition of his people’s ownership of Mer and rejecting the doctrine that Australia was terra nullius (nobody’s land). Through his tireless campaigning, Mabo reshaped the history and laws of Australia. His efforts paved the way for legal recognition of land rights known as native title.

In 1981, Eddie Mabo delivered a speech at James Cook University in Queensland, where he challenged the widely accepted belief of ownership and inheritance of land on Murray Island. This speech was witnessed by a lawyer, who asked Eddie if he would be willing to challenge the Australian Government through court.

In May 1982, a group of Meriam from the Eastern Torres Strait, led by Eddie Mabo, lodged a case with the High Court of Australia, petitioning for legal ownership of the island. Over 10 years, 33 Meriam people generated 4000 pages of transcripts of evidence. This evidence was conclusive proof that the eight clans of Mer (Murray Island) occupied the land for hundreds of years.

On 3 June 1992, the High Court ruled that the Meriam held traditional ownership of the lands of Mer. This ruling led to the passing of the Native Title Act 1993, a landmark ruling that provided the framework for all Australian Indigenous people to claim their native title. Tragically, Eddie Mabo did not live to see the ruling passed. Five months earlier he passed away from cancer.

“It was a shock when he won because most people didn’t think we would win,” shared Eddie’s daughter, Gail Mabo, with indigenous.gov.au. “It was unheard of for a single person to change the whole history of a nation and for Dad to do that it was an awakening call to Australia to say ‘it’s time to right a wrong’ and embrace Indigenous people.”

When asked about how Gail believes Mabo Day should be celebrated, she said: “For me, Dad’s legacy is that through strength of culture and commitment you can achieve anything. People who are fighting for their own native title have to believe in themselves and their culture because that is what will help them succeed.”

To celebrate the enduring legacy of Eddie Mabo, we’re taking the time to celebrate Australia’s First Nations musicians.

Emily Wurramara

Emily Wurramara is one of Australia’s brightest musicians. She hails from one of Australia’s most remote indigenous communities: the Warnindilyakwa mob of Groote Eylandt, an island in the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Her debut album, Milyakburra, is performed in both English and her traditional language Anindilyakwa. It’s a moving study of Wurramara’s personal history and a celebration of family, culture, and country.

DRMNGNOW

DRMNGNOW is Neil Morris, a Yorta Yorta musician who pens shimmering and poignant hip hop. DRMNGNOW uses his music as a vessel to convey the detrimental effects that colonial sovereignty has wreaked on Aboriginal land. He has released a slew of fantastic singles over the years that illuminate the injustices facing First Nations people, such as ‘Ancestors’, ‘We See You’, ‘Indigenous Land’, ‘Australia Does Not Exist’ and ‘Survive.’

Last year he released a collaborative single with Emily Wurramara, ‘Get Back To The Land’

Lonely Boys

Lonely Boys are a bush-punk band hailing from Ngukurr, a remote Arnhem Land community South East of Darwin. Lonely Boys are unlike any punk act you’ve heard before. The six-piece guitar-indebted act have been playing in local and surrounding communities for over ten years.

Their music is blistering and frenetic, and impressively tight for a band that barely ever practice. The band don’t own any instruments — they were stolen from the local community centre in 2017— and rely on borrowing what they can to get up on stage. Despite all this, the band scored the support slot for Queens of the Stone Age during their 2017 tour.

Tragically, the lead singer of The Lonely Boys died following a pedestrian accident near his hometown in December.

Miiesha

Miiesha, who is from the small Aboriginal community of Woorabinda in Central Queensland, released her stunning debut album Nyaaringu last year.

“Nyaaringu is a collection of stories that I wanted to tell. For me it represents my journey and where I’m at now coming from Woorabinda,” she explains. “The interludes in the collection are recordings of my grandmother speaking. For me she was and always will stay with me as the strongest voice in my life so I felt she had to be a part of this with me.”

Nyaaringu is essential listening. A unified, crucial statement through the lens of a Woorabinda woman. Miiesha deftly weaves stories of community, survival and inherited knowledge. A pivotal masterpiece and an ode to resilience. A heartbreakingly timely debut.

Miiesha followed it up with a brand new single ‘Damaged’, released last month.

Kardajala Kirridarra

Kardajala Kirridarra are an all-female group hailing from Marlinja and Kulumindini in Australia’s Northern Territory. Descendants of this bush woman, these women team up with Melbourne producer Beatrice ‘Nalyiri’ Lewis to create rich arrangements that aim to “empower Aboriginal women through music.”

Ziggy Ramo

Growing up in remote Arnhem Land, regional NSW, Sydney and Perth, Ziggy Ramo is one of the most important and powerful voices on the Australian hip hop circuit. Ziggy Ramo’s politically-fuelled music ruthlessly dissects race relations in Australia. Sonically, Ziggy Ramo’s is a breath of exuberant fresh air amongst a landscape dominated by unenthused slurring.

Last year, Ramo unveiled his crucial debut record Black Thoughts.

The Merindas

The Merindas are the collective force of Candice Lorrae of Jawoyn and Thursday Island heritage and Ballardong Whadjuk and Nyoongar woman Kristel Kickett. The duo marry rhythmic expression drawing from their cultural heritage with glorious electro-pop and R&B. The Merindas released their debut album We Sing Until Sunrise (Ngaangk Nookertiny Ngala Warangka) last June.

“When listening to the album you can hear our voices singing out to the spirits and the depth in the music grounding us to the earth,” the band explain of the record. “Our sound empowers us and we hope that it does the same to everyone else.”