Martu Reservation



The Martu Reservation 

 Capital: Mparntwe

 Demonym: Reservationist 

 Government: The closest thing to a legitimate functioning government is the Council of Tribal Elders made up of leaders from a number of indigenous tribes. The Swedish-born convict Anders Berwald eccentrically claims the title of King but in reality his rule is confined to Mt Kalka, a mining settlement of some 900 people. 

 Population: 132, 000 (1930 estimate) 

Despite the name this inhospitable and lawless region of desert has been put aside not only for the Martu tribe but for a number of aboriginal groups as part of a regional policy of “Sovereign Separation”. Under this policy, all Australian aborignes are automatically considered to be citizens of the Reservation and to have sovereignty over the territory as an independent nation.

However, while nominally an independent sovereign nation the Martu Reservation exists, in reality, entirely beholden to its more powerful and densely populated neighbours who routinely ignore Reservation sovereignty in the pursuit of mining interests. The most recent such violation has been the occupation of the south-western region of Weeloona by the Crownland of New Dundee, a nation which has continually refused to recognise the Martu Reservation.

The population of the reservation is made up of aborigines deported from all over the continent as well as foreign miners, convicts and political exiles from the surrounding states. This has resulted in some commentators calling the Martu Reservation “The World’s Largest Prison” and it continues to provide a desolate home to the continent's unwanted.