Dexter Daniels (Aboriginal activist): Difference between revisions

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[[File:Dexter Daniels.jpg|thumb|Dexter Daniels, 1970]]
[[File:Dexter Daniels addressing Sydney unionists, October 1966.jpg|thumb|Dexter Daniels addressing Sydney unionists, October 1966]]
'''Dexter Daniels''' or '''Nubuluna''' ({{circa|1938}}c.24 1990December 1999) was a Numamurdirdi (Yugul Mangi) man from [[Arnhem Land|south-east Arnhem Land]] and pioneering activist in the struggle for [[Aboriginal Australian|Aboriginal]] rights and [[land rights in Australia]] during the 1960s and 1970s. Daniels came to public attention as the breakaway Aboriginal Organiser of the [[North Australian Workers' Union]] (NAWU) in 1966 and was integral in supporting the [[Wave Hill walk-off]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Biography - Dexter Daniels - Indigenous Australia |url=https://ia.anu.edu.au/biography/daniels-dexter-30057 |access-date=2024-02-05 |website=ia.anu.edu.au}}</ref>
 
==Early life==
Daniels was born at the [[Roper River Mission]] in the [[Northern Territory]] of Australia. This was run by the [[Church Mission Society]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Roper River Mission - Summary {{!}} Find & Connect |url=https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/guide/nt/YE00010 |access-date=2024-02-06 |website=www.findandconnect.gov.au}}</ref> He was the son of Ukamangara (known as Debra) and Jangridpa (known as Dan) and he was one of seven children. His mother worked at the mission and he attended school there; as policy dictated Daniels was required to live in a dormitory, separate to his parents.<ref name=":0" />
Daniels was born at the [[Roper River Mission|Roper River Church Missionary Society mission]] in the [[Northern Territory]] of Australia. Established in 1908, it brought together the remaining fragments of groups previously occupying a wide area of the Roper basin and South East Arnhem Land. Daniels was one of many Indigenous activists from the Roper Mission who went on to become deeply involved in social and political struggles in the Northern Territory. They included the Roberts brothers, Clancy, Jacob and Phillip and Dexter Daniels and his brother Davis.<ref name="thatsnotright">{{cite web|last1=Kimber|first1=Julie|title='That's not right': Indigenous politics, Dexter Daniels and 1968|url=https://labourhistorycanberra.org/2015/02/2011-asslh-conference-thats-not-right-indigenous-politics-dexter-daniels-and-1968/|website=ASSLH conference|publisher=Australian Society for the Study of Labour History|accessdate=5 July 2017|date=2011}}</ref> "That's not right" was a response of which Daniels was "very fond" when discussing injustices.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hardy|first1=Frank|title=The unlucky Australians|date=1972|publisher=Gold Star Publications|location=Hawthorn, Australia|isbn=978-0726000126|edition=2nd ed. rev.}}</ref>
 
After completing his schooling Daniels worked as a stockman at [[Oenpelli|Oenpelli Mission]] and then moved to [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]] where he worked at the airport washing planes and then as an orderly at Darwin Hospital. In 1962 he married Ruth Wurramara (Wardunggu) and they had one daughter named Muriel.<ref name=":0" />
 
In late 1964 he travelled to [[Kenya]] with [[Phillip Waipuldanya Roberts]] to study their move for independence and this trip deeply influenced him and fed into a strong vision for Aboriginal equality and sovereignty.  Following this trip, in 1965, he began working as an Aboriginal Organiser of the North Australian Workers' Union.<ref name=":0" />
 
Daniels was born at the [[Roper River Mission|Roper River Church Missionary Society mission]] in the [[Northern Territory]] of Australia. Established in 1908, it brought together the remaining fragments of groups previously occupying a wide area of the Roper basin and South East Arnhem Land. Daniels was one of many Indigenous activists from the Roper Mission who went on to become deeply involved in social and political struggles in the Northern Territory. They included the Roberts brothers, Clancy, Jacob and Phillip and Dexter Daniels and his brother Davis.<ref name="thatsnotright">{{cite web|last1=Kimber|first1=Julie|title='That's not right': Indigenous politics, Dexter Daniels and 1968|url=https://labourhistorycanberra.org/2015/02/2011-asslh-conference-thats-not-right-indigenous-politics-dexter-daniels-and-1968/|website=ASSLH conference|publisher=Australian Society for the Study of Labour History|accessdate=5 July 2017|date=2011}}</ref> "That's not right" was a response of which Daniels was "very fond" when discussing injustices.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hardy|first1=Frank|title=The unlucky Australians|date=1972|publisher=Gold Star Publications|location=Hawthorn, Australia|isbn=978-0726000126|edition=2nd ed. rev.}}</ref>
 
==The Wave Hill walk-off==
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After the Wave Hill Walk-off, Daniels travelled to [[Sydney]] on a speaking tour with [[Gurindji people|Gurindji]] elder Lupngagiari (Captain Major). His advocacy and confidence quickly made Daniels a well-known and controversial figure among NT pastoralists and conservative politicians. In 1967, Daniels was arrested upon his return to his home community on a vagrancy charge. The charge was subsequently shown to have no basis and was dismissed.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Kimber|first1=Julie|title=A Right to be Troublesome: the Arrest of Dexter Daniels and the Politics of Vagrancy Laws|journal=Labour History in the New Century|date=2009|pages=167–180}}</ref>
 
During the later 1960s and early 1970s, Daniels again traveled interstate, leading numerous demonstrations and speaking at rallies for Aboriginal Land Rights in Sydney and Melbourne. Daniels lobbied for the land rights of his own and neighbouring clans also.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article237356348 |title=You can help us get our land hack, says Daniels |newspaper=[[Tribune (Sydney newspaper)|Tribune]] |issue=1565 |location=Sydney |date=3 July 1968 |accessdate=12 July 2017 |page=12 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Support for Roper River Land Fight|publisher=Northern Territory News|date=24 February 1970}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article237503858 |title=Backed Aborigines on Sand rights |newspaper=[[Tribune (Sydney newspaper)|Tribune]] |issue=1649 |location=Sydney |date=1 April 1970 |accessdate=12 July 2017 |page=12 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Daniels lobbied for the land rights of his own and neighbouring clans also.
 
In April 1968, Daniels was arrested for vagrancy and sentenced to 14 days jail. He appealed the conviction and won.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article107046332 |title=Dexter Daniels found not guilty |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |volume=42 |issue=11,972 |date=11 April 1968 |accessdate=12 July 2017 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article107035904 |title=Surprise move releases Dexter Daniels |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |volume=42 |issue=11,866 |date=8 December 1967 |accessdate=12 July 2017 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> In July the same year, Dexter attended the [[World Festival of Youth and Students|World Youth Festival]] in [[Sofia]], [[Bulgaria]] as a guest of the Communist Party of Australia.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article107058699 |title=Dexter Daniels to attend festival |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |volume=42 |issue=12,032 |date=20 June 1968 |accessdate=12 July 2017 |page=16 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref><ref name="thatsnotright" />
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==Later life==
In his later years Daniels diedlived at [[Bagot Aboriginal Reserve]] before returning to live at [[Ngukurr]] in the1988. He died on 24 December 1990s1999 in [[Katherine, Northern Territory|Katherine]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Gosford|first1=Bob|title=Wave Hill, Communists and a Bedford two-tonner. An interview with Brian Manning|url=https://blogs.crikey.com.au/northern/2016/08/19/wave-hill-communists-bedford-two-tonner-interview-brian-manning/|website=Crikey|accessdate=11 July 2017|date=19 August 2016}}</ref><ref name=":0" />
 
==References==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Daniels, Dexter}}
[[Category:1938 births]]
[[Category:1990 deaths]]
[[Category:People from the Northern Territory]]
[[Category:Australian indigenous rights activists]]
[[Category:19901999 deaths]]