Ongoing fighting in Wadeye involving crossbows, spears, axes and machetes has exasperated police amid calls for some residents to be relocated to tribal homelands to reduce clan tensions.
Many cars have been torched and police vehicles damaged during brawls involving more than 100 people in the township 395km southwest of Darwin.
Extra police have been deployed to Wadeye, where 28 men and teenage boys have been arrested in recent days, the youngest aged 14 and the oldest 42, with police seeking other alleged offenders.
Those arrested remain in police custody with charges expected to follow.
Police have seized weapons in the township including crossbows, spears, bows and arrows, boomerangs, machetes, knives and hatchets.
A 34-year-old man was shot in the arm with a crossbow in Wadeye during a brawl on January 7 and flown to Darwin with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police are surprised other serious injuries have not been reported.
The township of almost 2000 people comprises 28 clans and seven language groups living on Kardu Diminin traditional lands.
Long-running clan disputes have fuelled the social unrest in Wadeye, formerly the site of the Port Keats mission.
Police have used pepper spray to disperse brawling crowds, while rocks have been thrown at officers.
Acting Commander Terry Zhang has said a collective response involving community leaders was needed to end the violence, as police could not do it alone.
"We will vigorously pursue those who are responsible for the unrest and violence that has occurred over recent weeks," he said in a statement.
Deputy opposition leader Dheran Young wants the Northern Territory government to back a plan to enable families to return to their tribal homelands to live on their own Country and ease clan tensions in Wadeye.
A report advocating the plan, following consultations with all 22 Traditional Owner groups in Wadeye, has been handed to the government.
"We're not going to fix this overnight. We need a 10-year plan to look at people moving back to their homelands and Wadeye being a service hub," Mr Young said.
18°C