Ṉäku Dhäruk: Professor Clare Wright’s book wins 2025 Northern Territory History Book Award
The Northern Territory History Book Award has celebrated the richness and relevance of regional historical narratives for 21 years, showcasing the enduring power of history to inform and inspire.
At a ceremony on 16 July 2025 at Library & Archives NT Danala in Darwin, Professor Clare Wright OAM was announced as the winner of the 2025 Northern Territory History Book Award. Her powerful and timely work, Ṉäku Dhäruk – The Bark Petitions: How the People of Yirrkala changed the course of Australian democracy, took out this year’s prize.
In Ṉäku Dhäruk, Professor Wright recounts how Yolŋu leaders from Northeast Arnhem Land skilfully combined traditional law with Western legal strategies to challenge the Australian government’s land acquisitions in the 1960s. Their efforts resulted in the Yirrkala Bark petitions, the first formal recognition of Aboriginal land rights by the Australian Government, marking a pivotal moment in Australia's democratic history.
Professor Wright is a historian, author and broadcaster, and is a professor of history and public engagement at La Trobe University. She is also the chair of the National Museum of Australia Council. Ṉäku Dhäruk concludes her acclaimed Democracy Trilogy, following 'The Forgotten Rebels of Eureka and You Daughters of Freedom'.
Her latest work highlights the coming together of Yolŋu traditions and democratic principles, showing how First Nations Peoples reshaped Australia’s democracy. This award honours her scholarship and ensures these pivotal stories continue to resonate with new audiences.
