 Elkin.Although they were not given the right to halt the study, members of the community, who were aware of their rights and aired their grievances, were listened to by Tindale and Birdsell.Years later, Tindale would use some of the issues at Cummeragunja to support his theory that while mixed-race Aboriginal people ("half-castes") could be assimilated successfully, the reserve system was not successful in this aim, citing the unrest at Cummeragunja in his report.