"We always knew who we were, and we didn't need the court to tell us that," former senator and Yawuru man Pat Dodson told the Yawuru community in Broome on Tuesday, marking 20 years since the Rubibi Native Title Determination recognised their custodianship.
"But the fight of the old people was not only for recognition, but to uphold our communal and customary responsibilities."
This fight for native title in Broome began in 1994, when the Yawuru community lodged its first claim following the Mabo v Queensland (No 2) and the introduction of the Native Title Act 1993.
What followed was more than a decade of hearings, site visits and evidence, as elders and claimants worked to show their continued connection to Country.
The case tested whether that connection had survived colonisation, amid competing claims and a demanding legal process.
Mr Dodson spoke to this arduous process, saying: "Those who opposed our claim believed our customs and native title rights had been swept away like dead shells on the beach."
"This was a tough burden to establish, after more than 200 years of forced change and impact," he said.
Kimberley MLA and proud Yawuru woman Divina D'Anna echoed Mr Dodson's recognition of the battle cultural leaders confronted against the State to prove their cultural history.
"I understand what it cost our old people to get to this day — the years it took, the things they sacrificed and the pain they endured," Ms D'Anna said.
"I saw Elders who held on firm when it would have been easier to let go."
On April 28, 2006, Federal Court judge Ronald Merkel handed down the decision, recognising Yawuru native title over Broome and surrounding areas, while also establishing out where those rights had been limited or extinguished under Australian law.
Ms D'Anna describes the moment as "not the beginning of our story — it was the world finally catching up to it."
