NitroXAdministrator
(.700 member)
25/03/04 01:10 PM
Spearing - a traditional Aboriginal punishment

This is not hunting, but perhaps might be interesting to some international members whom are unaware of this traditonal Australian Aboriginal practice.

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Spear tradition loses out to a point of law
By Lindsay Murdoch in Darwin
March 25, 2004


Jeremy Anthony was back in jail last night - after breaching bail so he could be speared in a traditional Aboriginal punishment for the death of his wife.

Anthony, 24, was arrested on Tuesday after being speared, in a case that highlights the dilemma of Aborigines caught between the tradition of payback and the Northern Territory legal system.

Lawyers in the case say the refusal of courts to acknowledge payback traditions in cases where they could lead to serious injury has added to tensions in Aboriginal communities.

Anthony, a traditional Warlpiri man, was arrested in Katherine after seeking treatment for spear wounds to a leg and a broken arm. He was refused bail in Katherine local court yesterday and will stay in custody until his committal resumes in May on charges related to his wife's death.

Police said he had breached bail conditions by visiting the community at Lajamanu, 800 kilometres south-west of Darwin, where police say he was speared for allegedly beating his wife, who died in her sleep in December.

In February the Supreme Court had released him on bail on condition that he would not visit Lajamanu. The court felt there was a risk he would suffer grievous bodily harm if the traditional punishment was meted out to him.

Anthony now faces charges of manslaughter and committing a dangerous act causing death while drunk.

With AAP


http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/03/24/1079939718140.html?from=storyrhs




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