Dr Paul Burke and Kim McCaul

Summary: Paul Burke and Kim McCaul are both anthropologists with experience in Native Title work in regions with long histories of impact from colonisation. In this videocast and podcast, They first turn to examining some of the impacts on Aboriginal societies across the south-east which pose challenges for meeting the requirements for establishing Native Title. These include in particular impacts on the nature of Aboriginal people’s connections to country, and on the laws and customs under which those connections arise.  Central to their presentation is a consideration of the significance of what anthropologist Peter Sutton termed the ‘families of polity’ to Aboriginal people’s connections to country, and which Paul and Kim propose are key institutions through which distinctive Aboriginal ‘laws and customs’ relevant to connections to country are established and transmitted.

Videocast and Podcast