Justice All Their Own

As punishment for murder, Aboriginal justice often calls for a ceremonial spear-thrust through the thigh. In Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia, the ceremony is called Makarrta. The white justice system demands imprisonment for life. Which justice should prevail? What is fair? Which is right?

Ted Egan, well-known bushman, folklorist and media personality, is uniquely place to write this book. His close association with Aboriginal people enabled him to interview participants in the events—he sat down in the country where the incidents took place.

The product of forty years research, this account of the killings, the protests and the subsequent trials in Darwin in 1934 presents a thorough analysis of the motives and behaviour of the various participants. It shows the disturbing and distressing consequences of the imposition of the British system of justice on people accustomed to their own predictable, consistent legal system, which itself is the product of a complex culture developed over thousands of years.