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Photos of 1946 Pilbara strikers reveal Aboriginal rights movement's hidden roots

Anthropologist photos from the 1950s-60s show the 1946 Pilbara strike that launched Indigenous rights activism, now on display at UWA's Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery in Perth.

Why it mattersThese images challenge the mainstream story that credits government action in the 1970s for Aboriginal land rights, revealing Indigenous people were fighting for independence decades earlier.

AustraliaAustralians now see previously hidden evidence of Aboriginal activists who shaped the nation's rights movements and established early Indigenous economic independence in the Pilbara.