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Murray Island Council
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In 1886, the nucleus of a Meriam local council was formed, following the Queensland Government's appointment of a head-man, who could choose his assistants.

A Murray Island Native Court was also established.

This was presided over by government appointed teachers, who approved written judgements about traditional Meriam rights to land and other matters.

Forming part of the British colonial practice of "indirect rule", these institutions provided Murray Islanders with a degree of latitude, and the chance to follow their customary ways.

Records of four hundred, government certified judgments accumulated over the years, and these became important documents when the Meriam people pursued their land rights claim in the 1980's.
Napoleon B. Tibi
Video
 
Keon-Cohen, Bryan, Land Bilong Islanders, land boundaries, land disputes, land ownership, McIntyre, Greg, Mer, Murray Island Council, Sebeg
...records of those fights about land...
Text
1898-1999
clans, Day, Ron, land disputes, land ownership, Malo's laws, Mer, missionaries, Murray Island Native Court, tribes
Land Boundaries
Topic
 
boundary markers, clans, inheritance, land ownership, land use, oral tradition
Meriam Land Disputes
Topic
 
Dauar, Depoma, Marwer, land boundaries, land ownership, Mabo, Edward Koiki, Malo's laws, Malo's laws, Mer, Meriam culture, Meriam history, Murray Island Native Court, sea rights, trespass, Waier
A Humanitarian Tradition
Topic
 
Australia, colonialism, Cook, Captain James, First Fleet, humanitarians, land rights, terra nullius