Australia is one of few Commonwealth nations not to currently have a treaty or treaties with its Indigenous people, despite ongoing calls for a settlement.

The term Makarrata has long been proposed as an alternative name for the treaty process in this country. However, many people have only become familiar with it since the Uluru Statement from the Heart was released in May.

That statement, and a final report to government, came after the Referendum Council held 13 regional forums to discuss constitutional change and try to reach a consensus.

These two documents rejected the idea of minimalist or symbolic changes to the constitution.

Instead, they called for a constitutionally enshrined First Nations voice to parliament, along with a Makarrata Commission "to supervise a process of agreement-making between governments and First Nations and truth-telling about our history".

Makarrata was also the theme for this year's Garma Festival, and part of its tagline, "Go! Bukuluŋdhun Makarrata wu," which translates to: "Come! Let's gather together for Makarrata."

Where does the term come from?

Makarrata is much more than just a synonym for treaty, though. It is a complex Yolngu word describing a process of conflict resolution, peacemaking and justice.

It is a philosophy that helped develop and maintain lasting peace among the Yolngu people of north-east Arnhem Land.

"Makarrata has so many layers of meaning," says Merrikiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs, a Gumatj woman and principal of Arnhem Land's Yirrkala School.

Merrikiyawuy Ganambarr-Stubbs describes a Makarrata as "a negotiation of peace". ( ABC News: Mitchell Woolnough )

"The first one, and the main one, is peace after a dispute.

"Makarrata literally means a spear penetrating, usually the thigh, of a person that has done wrong… so that they cannot hunt anymore, that they cannot walk properly, that they cannot run properly; to maim them, to settle them down, to calm them — that's Makarrata."

One of the other layers of meaning is more aligned to the spirit of what many hope a treaty process would look like.

"It can be a negotiation of peace, or a negotiation and an agreement where both parties agree to one thing so that there is no dispute or no other bad feeling," says Ms Ganambarr-Stubbs.

When did people start talking about a Makarrata for Australia?

The concept of Makarrata itself is, of course, incalculably old. But it was introduced into the national consciousness in the late 1970s by the National Aboriginal Conference (NAC).

The NAC was established by the Federal Government in 1977, following on from the enactment of Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act in 1976, to provide a forum for the expression of Aboriginal views.

In 1979 the NAC recommended a Treaty of Commitment be entered into between the Australian Government and Aboriginal nations, and it was decided that a word from an Indigenous language should be used for the process. Makarrata was the term selected.

The NAC sub-committee on Makarrata travelled across Australia consulting Aboriginal people and afterwards made a number of specific recommendations of what it believed was a "faithful expression of the expectations of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people".

These recommendations included recognition of prior ownership, and negotiation of a Makarrata with the Australian government as an equal party. It also covered issues of education, compensation, the return of lands, as well as reserved Indigenous seats in government, Indigenous employment in government agencies, and the return of artefacts and human remains from museums.

Where to from here?

It is yet to be seen how the government will respond to the Uluru Convention's call for a Makarrata commission or whether the recommendations of such a process would resemble the NAC's.

In his welcoming address to the attendees of the Garma Festival, including both the PM and the Opposition Leader, Yolngu leader and land rights champion Galarrwuy Yunupingu said: "At Uluru we started a fire, a fire that we hope burns bright for Australia."

Galarrwuy Yunupingu invoked Makarrata in his welcoming address at Garma. ( ABC News: Mitchell Woolnough )

"The fire is now our future, and I have given you the words of the fire to you so you can talk with us with tongues of fire. Because we have come here for serious business, Prime Minister, very serious business. The business of our nation is very serious, as you all know."

"Now let me give you my final words: Yothu Yindi. Garma. Makarrata.

"These are very special words also. They mean coming together, working together, and making peace together.

"That is why this place is Garma. And this is the perfect place for us to find our path to a settlement. Our wayawu — our pathway through the bush."