Aboriginal activist interrogates loggers in court over cultural heritage defense

An Aboriginal activist is using a trespass court case to highlight the importance of cultural heritage and land protection. Ruth Langford/Tipruthanna, of Yorta Yorta/Dja Dja Wurrung heritage, appeared in Hobart Magistrates Court facing charges for allegedly trespassing during an anti-logging protest in January 2025.

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the link between Aboriginal lore and country informed the need for Palawa people to protect the land.

Langford/Tipruthanna, who was born in Tasmania, pleaded not guilty, asserting she had a reasonable and lawful excuse to be on the logging site. Her request to have the trial heard on traditional land was denied. She called four witnesses via video link to support her defense.

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protesting in the forest and being arrested "to draw attention to the issue".

Palawa elder Uncle Jim Everett Puralia Meenamatta testified that the connection between Aboriginal lore and the land necessitates its protection. He stated that protesting and facing arrest can be a way to draw attention to environmental issues, describing the destruction of the land as "trauma" for the Tasmanian Aboriginal community. Cody Gangell-Smith, a cultural nephew to both Everett and Langford, confirmed he was with the activists performing funerary rites for felled trees, which involved applying white ochre and singing traditional songs.

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seeing country "destroyed" was "trauma" for the Tasmanian Aboriginal community.

The case underscores the ongoing tension between resource extraction and Indigenous rights in Tasmania, with the activist's defense strategy directly challenging the legal framework through the lens of cultural obligation and spiritual connection to country.

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Our practices there included application of white ochre for funerary practices, applying to those kinsmen, as part of death rites, applying (ochre) to ourselves, singing the song of the country