To be considered for a native title claim, Aboriginal Australians must be able to display an unbroken continuation of culture reaching back to pre-colonisation. This sets an incredibly high bar, and one which Eastern Maar people have proudly cleared.Mr Lowe said some Aboriginal Victorians have been fighting for their native title claims since the act was introduced in 1993.‘The time to get determination of Native Title is extreme. All the original [Eastern Maar] applicants have passed away, which is a story that’s all too familiar with people running native title claims,’ he told NITV.‘There’s a lot of conjecture around native title and what it does and doesn’t deliver.’ ‘But what it does say is that our people have been here forever, and now that’s an Australian law. That, if nothing else, is hugely significant,’ he said. Gulidjan woman and family representative, Ebony Hickey told NITV, ‘You couldn’t be a surviving people without the strength and determination that came from our Old People’.‘That lives on within us. It’s who we are and who we’ll continue to be,’ she said. Victoria is looking to strengthen its relationship between Traditional Owners and the State when Treaty negotiations begin later this year. Feature photo by @kieranstoneau