Professor Marcia Langton celebrates 50 years of land rights and the power of art in Mparntwe

On 16 October 2026, the Koori Mail reported on a significant gathering of artists and scholars in Mparntwe (Alice Springs) to celebrate the intersection of Indigenous land rights and creative expression. The event, held at the Araluen Arts Centre, featured the Desert Mob exhibition and the Vincent Lingiari Art Award (VLAA), curated by Warumungu and Luritja woman Kelli Cole. Laureate Professor Marcia Langton AO, the Foundation Chair of Australian Indigenous Studies at the University of Melbourne, served as a key panellist for the discussion titled 'Our Country, Our Culture – 50 Years of Land Rights'. Speaking to a capacity audience, Professor Langton reflected on the historical significance of the 1966 Wave Hill Walk-off led by Vincent Lingiari. She described the movement as a defining transition that secured freedom for Aboriginal people from exploitative systems on pastoral stations and established their legal right to return to Country. Professor Langton noted that while the concept of land title for Aboriginal people was considered revolutionary and 'shocking' to settler society in the 1970s, it has since transformed the nation. She highlighted that the movement eventually led to the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976, an achievement whose meaning continues to unfold today through the care for Country and the work of Indigenous artists. In her contribution to the exhibition catalogue, Langton praised the works of the 22 finalists, specifically acknowledging Elizabeth Ngwarraye Bonney. Bonney’s winning painting, 'My grandmother’s Country', was described by Langton as a declaration of an uninterrupted connection to the land, mapping Titjambera country as a site of ceremony and family continuity. Professor Langton concluded that art centres remain central to ensuring that the history of legal and political struggles for rights is carried forward to future generations.