Indigenous Australians took European glass beads from Macassan seafarers in return for giving them fishing rights on traditional lands as early as the 18th Century, say archaeologists.
They say the findings could have relevance for native title claims, which rely on this as a precedent for Aboriginal people negotiating access to their lands.
Daryl Wesley and Mirani Litster of the Australian National University reported on the significance of 30 beads they excavated from the Wellington Range in north western Arnhem Land, at this week's Australian Archaeology Association conference in Coffs Harbour.
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