This unit concerns historical and contemporary relationships between Indigenous Australians and the law. Students begin by exploring the role of customary law in traditional societies and then trace the impact of introduced legal systems on Indigenous Australians through to the present. Key issues to be examined include: legislation and practices that governed Indigenous communities up to 1967; terra nullius, lands rights legislation and case law, up to and including recent native title rulings; the legal bases of self-determination, incorporation, governance and the recognition of customary law; the legal protection of Indigenous culture, heritage, intellectual property and identity; and the relationship between Indigenous Australians and the criminal justice system. Students also explore in depth one contemporary issue concerning Indigenous Australians and the law.