This man's ploy was deliberate and again, assumed to make fools out of the Aboriginal people, the Aboriginal publishing house in Broome, and to reap rewards for his endeavours. Like Colin Johnson, Leon Carmen has won awards for his efforts in deliberately stealing Aboriginal identities. The literati made much of his story written from an Aboriginal woman's viewpoint. It is sad and it is sickening, that these non-Aboriginal people are receiving and accepting, as their right, merits which should belong to Aborigines. Aboriginal intellectual property rights belong to the Aboriginal people.
Aboriginal culture belongs to the Aboriginal people.
The Australian government stands in error by not taking more care to protect Aboriginal art and artifacts which is taken overseas for exhibition in different countries. While there we were shown a collection of Aboriginal art and artifacts which came from Arnhem Land, judging by the tall totem poles and other pieces of art we looked at. But there were some pieces which I could not look at because I am a woman and these pieces were for men's eyes only. However, this collection had been travelling around Europe - to Germany and other countries before it finally came to Holland. In other words, the people at Nijmegen University did not know what to do with this Arnhem Land art and artifacts collection.