In 1976, the Aboriginal Land Rights Act was passed for the Northern Territory. It allowed native people to claim rights to own land if they lived on it before Europeans arrived, but only if the land is not already owned. The Aṉangu asked for ownership of the park's land under this law in 1979. But because it had already been made a national park, the claim was not allowed. Even so, the court decided that the Aṉangu were the "traditional" owners ("nguraṟitja") of the land.