Tasmanian Aborigines
|
Map of the Tasmanian Tribes |
The
Tasmanian Aboriginals are the
indigenous people of the island state of
Tasmania,
Australia.
20th century historians previously held that they had become extinct with the death of
Truganini in
1876, but this is no longer the accepted view.
Present-day Tasmanian
Aborigines claim heritage from several groups:
*The
Palawa claim their heritage from settlers and
Mannalargenna's daughters. Some Palawa are linked to a
Bass Strait Islands heritage.
*The
Lia Pootah are descended from unrecorded Aboriginal women, who partnered with European convicts, sawyers, soldiers, free settlers and farmers.
*The
Pungenna community claim direct descent from an Aboriginal Tasmanian woman who married a man of mainland Aboriginal, Torres Strait and European descent.
Before European Settlement
People are thought to have first crossed into Tasmania approximately 60,000 - 40,000 years ago via a land bridge between mainland Australia and the island during an
Ice Age. When sea levels rose, the people were left entirely isolated for approximately 13,000 years until European explorers arrived during the late
18th century.
The Tasmanian Aboriginals were
hunter-gatherers and almost entirely
nomadic, but this does not mean their society was simple. At the time of invasion by European settlers, there are thought to have been four to six thousand indigenous inhabitants, forming nine tribes. A tribe consisted of 8 or 9 bands of 40-70 people who lived in adjoining territories, shared the same language and culture, socialized, intermarried and fought wars against other tribes. Each tribe possessed technology adapted to their region. The Tasmanians built
rafts and
catamarans to fish and travel, and had skill in
weaving and
tool-making. Although they habitually went naked, animal grease, simple
necklaces and
ochre were used for adornment, while sewn skins were used for clothing during the cold
winters. Trade routes connected the nine tribes as a whole.
The Tasmanians spoke nine
Tasmanian languages (one for each tribe), of which little is known. They are probably closest related to the
Australian Aboriginal languages.
Fanny Cochrane Smith, the last speaker of any Tasmanian tongue, recorded some songs before her death in 1905.
Aboriginal Tasmanian Tribes as of 1803
Region in brackets.
* Lairmairrener (Big River)
* Nuenonne(South East)
* Toogee (South West Coast)
* Tommeginne (North)
* Tyerremotepanner (North Midlands)
* Plangermaireener (Ben Lomond)
* Pyemmaire (North East)
* Peerapper (North West)
* Paredarerme (Oyster Bay)
After European Settlement
The Tasmanians, estimated to number between 4,000 and 6,000 people in
1803, was reduced to a population of around 300 by
1833, mainly killed by the white settlers who came to Australia from the
United Kingdom, although disease and cultural disruption contributed as well.
The
Black War and subsequent
Black Line were turning points in the relationship with European settlers. Even though the tribes managed to avoid capture during these events, they were shaken by the size of the campaigns against them.
George Augustus Robinson, a Christian missionary, befriended Truganini, learned some of the local language and in
1833 managed to persuade the remaining peoples to move to a new settlement on
Flinders Island, where he promised a modern and comfortable environment, and that they would be relocated to the Tasmanian mainland as soon as possible.
Once on Flinders Island, Robinson abandoned the Aborigines. Of the 300 people who arrived with Robinson, 250 died in the following 14 years in conditions more akin to a prison.
In
1847, the 47 survivors were transferred to their final settlement at
Oyster Cove, where — no longer perceived as a threat — they were often dressed up and paraded on official engagements. In
1859 their numbers were estimated at around a dozen; the last survivor died in
1876.
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Last four Tasmanian Aborigines. Truganini seated right |
H. G. Wells, in his famous preface to
The War of the Worlds, which was published in
1898, wrote: "We must remember what ruthless and utter destruction our own species has wrought, not only upon animals such as the vanished bison and dodo, but also upon its own inferior races. The Tasmanians, in spite of their human likeness, were entirely swept out of existence in a war of extermination waged by European immigrants, in the space of fifty years."
The remains of the Oyster Cove people were treated with much disrespect during the
1860s, with many museums claiming body parts for their collections, even though one of the central traits of Aboriginal belief is that a soul can only be at rest when laid in its homeland. In one case, the Royal Society of Tasmania received permission to exhume the body of Truganini in
1878 on condition that it was
"decently deposited in a secure resting place accessible by special permission to scientific men for scientific purposes." Her skeleton was on display in the
Tasmanian Museum until
1947.
Other cases included the removal of the skull and scrotum — for a tobacco pouch — of William Lanne, known as King Billy, on his death in
1869.
Body parts and ornaments are still being returned from collections today, with the
Royal College of Surgeons returning samples of Truganini's skin and hair in
2002.
On 13th August,
1997 a Statement of Apology (specific to removal of children) was issued - which was unanimously supported by the Tasmanian Parliament - the wording of the sentence was
"That this house, on behalf of all Tasmanian... expresses its deep and sincere regret at the hurt and distress caused by past policies under which Aboriginal children were removed from their families and homes; apologises to the Aboriginal people for those past actions and reaffirms its support for reconciliation between all Australians."There are many people currently working in the community, academia, various levels of government and NGOs to strengthen Tasmanian Aboriginal culture and conditions.
While all agree that a tragedy has occurred, the fate, state and mandate of Tasmanian Aborigines has been particularly controversial in recent years.
20th century historians commonly viewed the Tasmanian Aborigine as
extinct due to the absence of any "full blood" Tasmanian Aborigines after the death of
Truganini in 1876. Up until the mid
1970s, this view was widely accepted in white Australia, but the appearance of vocal campaigners for the Aboriginal cause such as
Michael Mansell changed this view dramatically, to the point where it is now widely accepted within the Tasmanian community that some 15,000 people have Aboriginal heritage.
Almost all of the Tasmanian Aboriginal peoples today are descendants of several women: two being
Fanny Cochrane Smith and
Dolly Dalrymple.
Fanny Cochrane was born in the
Wybaleena camp on
Flinders Island and went on to raise 11 children. Dolly Dalrymple had 10 children and was the first Aboriginal woman to marry a European settler.
The legitimacy of certain claims to ancestry by the Lia Pootah (those not of Flinders Island descent) has been disputed by Aborigines of the Palawa. Interwoven are controversies about the nature of Aboriginal identity, Aboriginal self-determination, government funding, recent
native title entitlements and the Australian reconciliation movement (for example:
Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation).
More recently there have been moves to introduce
DNA testing to establish a family history with the Palawa, so as to establish who is eligible to vote and participate in local Aboriginal politics and be involved with local issues such as native title claims. This has drawn an angry reaction from many quarters, as some people also claim a
spiritual connection as well as, and more importantly,a distinct genetic link.
In June 2005, the Legislative Council extended the Aboriginal Lands Act to define aboriginality. The bill was passed to allow Aboriginal Lands Council elections to commence, after uncertainty over who was aboriginal, and thus eligible to vote.
Under the bill, a person can claim Tasmanian Aboriginality if they meet the following criteria:
* Self-identification
* Ancestry
* Community Acknowledgement
*
Truganini and
Fanny Cochrane Smith, both claimants to being the last "pure" Tasmanian
*
Kathryn Hay, first Aboriginal elected to the Tasmanian Parliament (of Western Australian Ancestry).
*
William Lanne or "King Billy"
*
Alma Stackhouse, named in
1989 as
Tasmanian Aboriginal of the Year and awarded the
Order of Australia Medal (OAM).
* "Aunty"
Ida West, author and social activist, NAIDOC Tasmanian Aboriginal of the Year
2002*
Records Relating to Tasmanian Aboriginal People from the
Archives Office of Tasmania "Brief Guide No. 18"
*
Statistics - Tasmania - History - Aboriginal occupation (from the
Australian Bureau of Statistics)
*
The Lia Pootah People Home Page*
Historian dismisses Tasmanian aboriginal genocide "myth" (contains edited transcript of
2002 ABC radio interviews by Peter McCutcheon with historian and author
Keith Windschuttle and historian and author
Henry Reynolds)
*
"Native Fiction" a sympathetic
New Criterion review of Keith Windschuttle's book casting doubt on a supposed Tasmanian genocide.
*
Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (
ANTaR)
* [
1]
Reconciliation Australia*
1984 Review of Tom Haydon's documentary "The Last Tasmanian" (1978)
*
"Tension in Tasmania over who is an Aborigine" Article from
The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper by Richard Flanagan
*
A history from the Australian
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission.
*
Transcript of current affairs television program Sunday with Keith Windschuttle, Prof. Henry Reynolds, Prof. Cassandra Pybus, Prof. Lyndall Ryan, and others
