Aboriginal society was, and is, the absolute opposite of modern society. It was semi-nomadic rather than settled, and self-sufficient rather than dependent on other people for food and materials. The idea of private property was unknown: Aboriginals did not own the land but they belonged to the land. They lived in harmony with it. They were part of the land and it was part of them. When they lost their land they lost themselves. They did not have money. They valued knowledge and held older people in great respect.
Traditional stories tell how ancestral spirits came to earth and created the land, the animals and plants during “the dreaming” (the time when the earth and humans and animals were created). This is a story of Gulaga, our sacred mountain. Gulaga had two sons: Barranguba and Najanuga. The first one was the elder. He wanted to leave home. He asked his mum if he could move away to go into the sea and watch the fish and whales. Najagunga saw his big brother go and asked Gulaga :” mum, mum, can I go out too? I’m big. I’m grown up. I want to go out and watch the fish and whales too”. She said, “No son, you’re too little, if I let you to go out there, you’ll get swallowed up by Gadu, the sea. I’ll put you down right here so I can watch you and you can watch your brother out of the ocean. “So, he stayed there, watching his brother while under the eyes of his mother. He became this little mountain that we call “mummy’s little boy”.
In April 1770 Captain James Cook discovered Australia. Under English Law, the land that didn’t belong to anybody could be taken and Aboriginals didn’t exist. This law ignored their rights.

La société autochtone était, et est, à l'opposé absolu de la société moderne. Il était semi-nomade plutôt que réglé, et autonome plutôt que dépendant des autres pour la nourriture et les matériaux. L'idée de la propriété privée était inconnue: les Autochtones ne possèdent pas la terre mais ils appartenaient à la terre. Ils vivaient en