Lands and Pioneer Legends

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three rivers, beginning with the Georgina in the west, crossing the. Diamantina and its ... A search reveals shattered fragments of clay ovens, and the sun glints off ... J. Scale in Kilometres. Lake Eyre. Mooraberrie. Costello appropriated land. ..... Australia, settled in 1829, was 3300 kilometres distant; St Vincent's. Gulf (1836) ...
FRONTIER LANDS AND PIONEER LEGENDS

' ... an original and perceptive contribution to the history of Aboriginal-settler relations on the Australian frontier. Required . reading for anyone concerned with issues about Aboriginal rights in the past, present and future.' Geoffrey Bolton, Murdoch University

J\nother timely interrogation of the standard pioneer texts . . . Watson compares Aboriginal and pioneer histories to ask: Surely it is time for origin stories which can be truly shared by all those who live in this land?' Peter Read, author of The Lost Children

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~ .g-,~ LJc ~-..-perience so deep as to make one catch the breath ... The goose crying went on until near sunrise, and I saw lines of feather-decorated men marching through the shallow claypan waters and waving their lighted firesticks in an earnest prayer for 'plenty goose' to come and nest upon the waters of the creeks and waters that had their course through the rich channel country. There was more to the rite than an abundance of food for mere eating's sake. If the gods favoured the tribe it was believed they would send geese and other V\1.ldfowl, and with all this would come a spirit of regeneration for the tribe and its neighbours. 20

The geese arrived in their thousands, first mating and then nesting among every nearby waterhole, swamp and lagoon. Old residents claimed it was one of the biggest flocks seen for the previous thirty years. But the aftermath was unpleasant, and it illustrated the profound difference in environmental impact produced by the dissimilar lifestyles of British settlers and Karuwali and neighbouring communities. Instead of being revered and killed only when needed for food as was the tribal custom, the geese were trampled underfoot by the cattle and horses, dying in their thousands. For months afterwards, a sticky mess of blood, egg yolk and albumen clung to the boots of workers and the chests and legs of stock.

Not only were spiritual attitudes to land different among white and black but the two societies had very different ideas about power-or, more correctly, about the basis upon which power was constructed. In human societies everywhere, power-that is, the ability to exercise authority and influence over others-relies on ownership of some thing or some quality which is of great value in a particular society. Exactly what is this thing or quality is determined by environmental and social constraints. Among white Channel Country residents, power came from control over the means of production, that is, the land, sheep and cattle. Among Channel Country blacks, including the Karuwali, power came from control over knowledge. Knowledge and power were linl..'t v.1thin which questions about identity were asked or answered, much as somebody from London might legitimately claim to be English, British or Cockney; or to come from London, the UK, or the Old Dart. 23 But note that the severe malnutrition which existed in the area must have been a further factor inhibiting fertility. 24 Evans, Saunders and Cronin, Exclusion, exploitation and extennination p. 99. 25 ibid. 26 W. Hume, Letter to the Home Secretary. QSA, CoV139-CoVl 44, 1898. 27 J. McNamara, Letter to Inspector Brannelly, QSA CoV139-CoV144, 1898. 28 Reside, Letter to Inspector Brannelly. 29 W. Fadden, Letter to Inspect or Brannelly; QSA Col/13 9-Col/144, 1898. 30 Walsh, Letter to Inspector Brannelly. 31 A. Meston, Western Aborigines at Durandur, Report to the Home Secretary. QSA Col/139-Col/l 44, 1900. 32 Thorpe, Letter submitted to the Select Committee on Aborigines Bill. 33 Evans, Saunders and Cronin, Exclusion, exploitation and extermination, p. 388. 34 ibid. p. 97. 35 Meston, Western Aborigines at Durandur. 36 H . Meston, Letter to Home Secretary. QSA Col/139-Col/144, June, 1902. 37 Evans, Saunders and Cronin, Exclusion, exploitation and extennination, p. 59. 38 ibid. p. 6 l. 39 W. Cowan , European-Aboriginal relations in early Queensland 1859-97, BA thesis, University of Queensland, 1950. 40 D. Huggonson, 'Cecil "Ngaka" Ebsworth: Wangkumara man of the Corner Country', Royal Historical Socief)l of Queensland, vol. 14, 1990, pp. JI 3-16. 41 K. W illey. The Drovers, Macmillan, Melbourne, 1982. 42 This is the usual explanation for Maconochie's death. However, Duncan-Kemp claims that it occurred because the whites were camped on sacred ground. 43 Farwell, Land of mirage, p. 132. 44 C. Robinson, Souvenir book of the Min Min Festival, Bmilia Shire Council, Boulia, 1976. 45 Perry. Pioneering: the life of the Hon. R.M. Collins, M.L.C., p. 180.

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Frontier Lands and Pioneer Legends

46 47 48 49 50

L. Hercus, 'Glimpses of the Karangura', Records of the South Australian Museum , vol. 25, 199 1, pp. 139-59. Farwell, Land of mirage, pp. 159-6 l.

ibid. Durack, Kings in grass castles, p. 153. N. Watton, 'Where rivers feed a creek', Australian Shooters Journal, July 1989, pp. 34- 5. 5 1 Durack, Kings in grass castles. p. 154. 52 Robinson, Souvenir book of the Min Min Festival. 53 W Bucknell, 'Leichhardt's lost expedition', ScienceefMan , vol. 2, 1899, pp. 190-1. 54 Farwell, Land of mirage, p. 143.

CHAPTER 8 I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16

A. Meston, Letter to Home Secretary, QSA, 27 June 1900, CoV1 39-CoV144. J. Forrest, Letter from the Pastoral Inspector of the Queensland National Bank to the H ome Secretary, QSA, CoVl 39-CoVl 44, 1900. C. Rowley. The destruction of Aboriginal sociery, Australian National University Press, 1970, p. 183. Much of the information on Barambalv'Cherbourg is drawn from the PhD thesis :'\. dumping ground: Barambah Aboriginal settlement 1900-1940' by T Blake. Rosser, Drcamtime nightmares, 1985. Perhaps this explains Moses' continued presence in the area. L. Hercu s, "'Taffy" Njira' in D. Horton (ed.), The Encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia , Aboriginal Studies, Press, Canberra, 1994. Fadden, Letter to Inspector Brannelly. 1898. H . Goodall, Invasion to embas~y: land in Aboriginal politics in New South Wiles 1770- 1972, Allen & Unwin in association with Black Boots, Sydney. 1996. A. Meston, Geographical history of Queensland, Government Printer, Brisbane, 1895, p. 83. I. Horowitz, 'Genocide and the reconstruction of social theory', Armenian R eview, vol. 37, 1984, pp. 1-21. The Queenslander, editorials: I, 8, 15, 22, 29 May; 5, 12, 19, 26 June; 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 July 1880. Qucenslander, Letters to the editor: 8, 15, 22, 29 May; 12, 19 June; 10, 17 July; 7 August 1880. A reference to Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, in which the most contemptible thief is the one who robbed helpless young children. This letter was included in the first of Lukin's editorials. A. Vogan The black police: a story of modern Australia, Hutchinson and Company. London, 1890. Letter from A. Vogan to Mr Earp, Fryer Library UQFL 41258 1, 4 February 1913.

CHAPTER 9 J. Hirst, Images of Australia, p. 206.

128

Bibliography

Barnett, P. 1988, A policeman's progress, Boolarong Press, Brisbane. Basedow, H. 1925, The Australian Aboriginal, EW Preece and Sons, Adelaide. Berndt, R.M. and C. H. 1954, Arnhem Land, its history and its people, Cheshire, Melbourne. - -1977, The world of the first Australians, 2nd edn, Ure Smith, Sydney Blainey, G. 1995, 'Racists and racism', Courier Mail, 25 May Blake, T 1992, 1\ dumping ground: Barambah Aboriginal settlement 19001940', PhD thesis, University of Queensland. Breen, J.G. 1971, l\.boriginal languages of Western Queensland', Linguistic Communications, vol. 5, pp. 1-88. Bucknell, W 1899, 'Leichhardt's lost expedition', Science of Man , vol. 2, pp. 190-1. Butlin, N.G. 1983, Our original aggression, Allen & Unwin, Sydney. Cochrane, P. 1996, 'From billy tea to gum leaves, old Australia fears it is under siege', Australian, 10 October. Costello, M. 1930, Life of John Costello, Dymocks Book Arcade Ltd, Sydney. Costentino, A. 1977, The paintings of Charles Bird King 1785-1862, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington. Cowan, W 1950, European-Aboriginal relations in early Queensland, 1859-97, BA thesis, University of Queensland, Brisbane. Cryle, D. 1989, The press in colonial Queensland, University of Queensland Press. Brisbane. Curr, E. 1886-87, The Australian race: its origins, languages, customs, vols :~ ­ Government Press, Melbourne. Davis, J. 1863, Tracks of McKinlay across Australia , Sampson, Low, Son & C London. Duncan-Kemp, A. 1934, Our sandhill country, Angus & Robertson_ :--C.:-~ --1953, Letters to Dr Winterbotharn, Anthropology Museum. L.-~~ Queensland, Brisbane, and John Oxley Library (no Acq U:•o:uon -1962, Our Channel Country, Angus & Robertson, Sydne:· - 1 964, "Where strange paths go down, WR. Smith & Pare:sc:- _j it::~.-... - -1968, "Where strange gods call, WR. Smith & Pate=.. &Durack, M. 1976, Kings in grass castles, 6th edn. '.'\e'"i\" ~ --1983, Sons in the saddle, Constable, London.. Elkin, A.P. 1955, Letter to Dr W interbotharn. .-\m.h: of Queensland, Brisbane.

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Evans, R. 1965, 'European-Aboriginal Relations in Queensland 1880-1910', BA thesis, University of Queensland. Evans, R., Saunders, K. and Cronin, K. 1975, Exclusion, exploitation and extermination: race relations in colonial Queensland, Australia and New Zealand Book Company. Sydney. Eyre, E.J. 1845, Journals of expedition s of discovery into Central Australia and overland from Adelaide to King George's Sound in the years 1840-41, T. & W Boone, London. Fadden, W 1898, Letter to Inspector Brannelly, Queensland State Archives, Co!/139-Co!/144. Farwell, G. 1983, Land of mirage: by camel through the inland, Angus & Robertson, Sydney. Fisher, H. 1900, Letter to Archibald Meston , Protector of Aborigines, Queensland State Archives, Co!/139-Co!/I 44. Fitzgerald, R. 1986, A history of Queensland: from the Dreaming to 1915, University of Queensland Press, Brisbane. Forrest, J. 1900, Letter from the Pastoral Inspector of the Queensland National Bank to the Home Secretary. Queensland State Archives, Co!/139-Co!/144. Gilbert, K. 1978, Living Black: blacks talk to Kevin Gilbert Penguin Books, Ringwood. Goodall, H. 1996, Invasion to embasry: land in Aboriginal politics i11 New South Wiles 1770-1 972, Allen & Unwin in association with Black Books, Sydney. Grey. G. 1841, journals of two expeditions of discovery in n01th-westem and western Australia during the years 1837, '38 and '39 , T. & W Boone, London. Hercus, L. 1991 , 'Glimpses of the Karangura', Records of the South Australian Museum, vol. 25 , pp. 139-59. - -1994, '"Taffy" Njra', in D. Horton (ed. ) The Enryclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia, Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra. Hirst, J.B. 1992, 'The pioneer legend', in G. Whitlock and D. Carter (eds), Images of Australia, University of Queensland Press, Brisbane. Hodgkinson, W 1877, North-west explorations, Parliamentary Paper, Brisbane. HorO\vitz, I. 1984, 'Genocide and the reconstruction of social theory: observations on the exclusivity of collective death', Annenian Review, vol. 37, pp. 1-21. Huggonson, D. 1990, 'Cecil "Ngaka" Ebsworth: Wangkumara man of the Corner Country', R f!Yal Historical Society of Queensland, vol. 14, pp. 113-16. Hurne, W 1898, Letter to the Home Secretary. Queensland State Archives, Col/ 139-Co!/144. James, L. 1994, The rise and fall of the British Empire, Abacus, London. Keyes, E. 188 1, The venereal diseases, Sampson, Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, London. Kowald, M. and Johnston , WR. 1992, 16u can't make it rain: the story of the North Australian Pastoral Company 1877-199 1, Boolarong Publications, Brisbane. Lang, G.S. 1865, 171e Aborigines of Australia in their original condition and in their relations with the white man, Wilson & Mackinnon, Melbourne. Lourandos, H. 1988, 'Paleopolitics: resource intensification in Aboriginal Aus-

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tralia and Papua New Guinea' in T Ingold D. Riches and J. Woodburn, Hunters and gatherers I: hist01y, evolution and social change, Berg, New York. Manne, R. l 996, 'Forget the guilt, remember the shame', Australian , 8 July McBryde, I. 1988, 'Goods from another country: exchange networks and the people of the Lake Eyre Basin', in D.J. Mulvaney & J. Peter White, Australians to 1788, Fairfax Syme & Weldon Associates, Sydney McKellar, H. 1984, Matya-Nundu; a history of the Aboriginal people C?f South-West Queensland, Cunnamulla Australian Native Association, Cunnamulla.

McNamara, J. 1898, Letter to Inspector Brannelly, Queensland State Archives, Col/139-Col/144. McPheat, W. 1964, The life and work of John Flynn, unpublished PhD thesis, Department of History, University of Queensland. Malezer, L., Foley, M. and Richards, P. 1979, Bryond the Act, Foundation for Aboriginal and Islander Research Action Ltd, Brisbane. Maynard, M. 1985, 'Projects of melancholy', in I. and T Donaldson (eds), Seeing the first Australians, George Allen & Unwin, Sydney Meston, A. 1895, Geographical History of Queensland, Government Printer, Brisbane. - 1900, Letter to Home Secret ary, 27 June, Queensland State Archives, Col/139- Col/144. - 1 900a, Aboriginals west of the Warrego, Report to the Home Secretary, Queensland State Archives, Col/139-Col/144. - l 900b, Western Aborigines at Durandur, Report to the Home Secretary Queensland State Archives, Col/139-Col/l 44. - 1 901, Letter to Home Secretary, July, Queensland State Archives, Col/139Col/144. Meston, H. l 902a, Letter to Home Secretary, June, Queensland State Archives, Col/139-Col/144. - - l 902b, Letter to Home Secretary, July, Queensland State Archives, Col/139Col/144. - - l 902c, Letter to Home Secretary from Whitula, 20 December. - -1903 , Letter to Home Secretary from Whitula, January Queensland State Archives, Col/139-Col/l 44. Morash, C. 1955, V\iliting the Irish famine, Clarendon Press, Oxford. Perry, H. l 923, Pioneering: the life of the Hon. R .M. Collins, M.L. C., Watson, Ferguson and Co. Ltd, Brisbane. Purcell, R.H. 1892, Letter to the Colonial Secretary, Queensland Stat e ArchiYeS. Col/A717. Queenslander 1880, Editorials commissioned by Gresley Lukin, 1, 8, 15, 22. 29 May; 5, 12, 19, 26 June; 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 July. - -1880, Letters to the editor, 8 , 15, 22, 29 May; 12 , 19 June; 10. 1; jt::y: 7 August. Reside, R. 1898, Letter to Inspector Brannelly. Queensland Sta1e ..\..L..;...'1.'e'!; Col/139-Col/l 44. Reynolds, H. 1982, 77ie other side of the frontier: Aboriginal resistance to~:: E:..-:r-= invasion of Australia, Penguin Books, Ringwood. --1 987, Frontier: Aborigines, settlers and land, Allen & Um,in, , -d_-:e-.:

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Frontier Lands and Pioneer Legends

Robinson, C. I 976, Souvenir book of the Min Min Festival, Boulia Shire Council, Boulia. Rosser, B. 1985, Dreamtime nightmares: biographies of Aborigines under the Queensland Aborigines Act, Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, Canberra. Roth, WE. 1897, Ethnological studies among the north-west-central Queensland Aborigines, Government Printer, Brisbane. Rowley, C. 1970, The destruction of Aboriginal Socie~, Australian National University Press, Canberra. Rutledge, M. 1972, 'Dowling, Vincent James (1835-1903)', in B. Nairn, G. Searle and R. Ward (eds), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 4, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne. Sahlins, M. 1974, Stone age economics, Butler & Tanner, London. - -1975, 'Notes on the original affluent society, Discussions Part II', in R. Lee and I. de Vore (eds), Man the hunter, Aldine Publishing Company, Chicago. de Satge, 0. I 90 l, Pages from the journal of a Queensland squatter, Hurst and Blackett Ltd, London. Shoesmith, D. 1972, 'Nature's law: the venereal disease debate, Melbourne, 19 18-19', ANU Historical Journal, vol. 9, pp. 20-22. Smith, W Robenson 1894, The religion of the Semites, 2nd ed., A. & C. Black, London. Stanner, W. 1979, White man got 110 dreaming: essays 1938-1973, Australian National University Press, Canberra. Stevens, E 1974, Aborigines in the Northern Territory cattle industry, Australian National University Press, Canberra. Swain, T 1993, A place for strangers, University of Cambridge Press, Cambridge. Thorpe, R. 1898, Letter submitted to the Select Committee on Aborigines Bill, South Australian Parliamentary Papers, vol. 77, pp. 113-1 4. Tindale, N.B. 1974, Aboriginal tribes of Australia, University of California Press, Berkeley. Tonkinson, R. 1978, 11ze Mardu Aborigines: living the dream in Australia's desert, H olt, Rinehart and Winston Inc., Fort Worth. Vogan, A.J. 1890, The black police; a story of modem Australia, Hutchinson and Company. London. --1913, Letter to Mr Earp, Fryer Library UQFL 2/258 1, February. --undated, The case for the Aborigines, unpublished manuscript, Hayes Collection , 2/2579, University of Queensland, Brisbane. de Waal Malefijt, A. 1968, Religion and culture: an introduction to the anthropology of religion, The Macmillan Company. London. Walsh, P. 1898, Letter to Inspector Brannelly, Queensland State Archives, CoV139-CoVI44. Watson, P. 1983, This precious foliage: a study of tlze Aboriginal psychoactive drug pituri, Oceania Monograph 26, Oceania Publications, University of Sydney Press, Sydney. Watton, N. 1989, 'Where rivers feed a creek', Australian Shooters Journal, July, pp. 34-5. Westgarth, W 1863, ' Introduction', in J. Davis, Tracks of McKinlay across Australia, Sampson, Low, Son & Co., London. Willey. K. 1982, The Drovers, Macmillan, Melbourne. Wright, J. 1981, The cry for the dead, Oxford University Press, Melbourne.

132

Index

abduction 59, 106, 109-10 Aboriginal Law 32, 74 animal behaviour 34 Aramac 22, 23 Archer, Charles 87 Ardoch Station 102 B.D. Morehead and Co. 21 Bedgee 64, 66 blacks see tribal people/blacks Blainey. Geoffrey 90 Bogie 36, 52 Boontamurra clan 44 Soulia 92 Boxer 67 Breen, J.G. 3 Brisbane 13, 14 British settlers ix, 1, 12- 14, 19, 27- 9, 55, 56, 57, 59, 75-6, 87, 88, 90, 94, 96, 107; see also whites Buchanan , Nat 27 Carandotta 23 cattle farming 14 ceremonies 7 4, 85 Channel Country 1-3, 16, 19, 20, 21, 49, 55 exploration of 26 hardships in 2 7 population in 79-80 Chumbee 64 circumcision 4 7, 48 Clarke, John 65 Collins, Robert 5, 14-15, 19- 21 , 43, 76, 98-9 colonialism 116- 17 colonisation 62-3 Coman brothers 17

confrontation between blacks and whites 16, 19, 26, 28, 44, 58- 60, 74-5 , 83, 87, 96 Cook, Captain James 12 Cooper Creek 16 corroborees 50, 75, 85 Costello John 5, 15- 19, 43, 60, 76, 100 exploration and 16-17, 26 land claims of 1 7 crime 52-3, 63-4 cruelty 108-12 Curr, E.M . 84-5, 87, 91 Darwinism see social Darwinism Davis, Laura 3 1 Dawson River Valley 19 depression, the 7 de Satge, Oscar 5, 14- 15, 2 1-3, 42-3, 76, 80 de Satge, Ruby 75 diseases 62, 90-4, 104 drought 23, 27, 34, 94 Duncan, William 25, 30--1, 32- 3, 35- 6, 101 , 109, 118 Duncan-Kemp, Alice 5, 25, 35-6, 86 Durack, Long Michael 28 Durack, Mary 5, 25, 26-7, 76 Durack, Patrick ('Patsy) 5, 17, 26. 27, 29, 89 Durack, 'Stumpy Michael 26 Elkin, A.P. 29, 46 Emanuel, Samuel 27 Emanuel, Solomon 28 ethnic cleansing 61 exchange 74 explorers records 76

133

Frontier Lands and Pioneer Legends Farrars Creek 3, 17, 98, 100 fire 56 fishing 56, 5 7, 8 1 food 56--7 , 101 food shortages 27, 95-6 Forrest, Hon. William 21 Fraser, Malcolm 11 9 fraud 20, 24-5 gender 11 7-18 geography 11 , 12 George 45 graves 82 Hirst, J. 7 Hodgkinson, WO. 76-83 homes 55-6, 82 Horrigan, Jack 26 horticulture 73 Hume, W 92 hunter/gatherers 72-5, 11 8 ignorance 118 , 119 Ingram, Sir William 21, 112, 119 initiation 52-3, 56, 59 Irish Catholics 2 7 isolation 27, 28, 30, 40 James, Lawrence 116 Karuwali belief system of 32 homes of 55-6 as labourers 34-5 land use and 55-68 rights to land of 33 as stockmen 34 as teachers 34 territory of 2 1-2 see also blacks K.arwardi movement 66-7 Keyes, Professor E.L. 90 killing of blacks and whites 19, 29, 59, 60, 61-2, 64, 68, 96-100, 107 , 110-11 Kimberley district 28 Kimurni 45, 52, 65, 66, 67, 120 kinship 85, 104 knowledge 51-2 Kombi 64 Kooridala clan 35, 46 Kooroongoora 62- 6, 68

Kurranggara movement 67 Lake Nash 17 land appropriation of 2 1, 22 , 55-68, 11 5 British possession of 3, 5, 11 , 12 grants of 13, 14 ownership of 33, 43 , 61 , 75, 83 seizure of 75 speculation 19-20 use of 55- 68, 8 1- 2, 85 Landsborough, Will 27 languages 36 legal system 11 Lourandos, Harry 73 Lukin, Gresley 109- 12 McBryde, Isabel 74 Mcilwraith, Sir Thomas 21, 119 McKinlay. John 76-83 Mabo 71, 74 Malkuri 47 malnutrition 94, 95 map grazing 20, 28 Marrula 3 Mary Ann 36, 39, 52 Meston, Archibald 101 , 102 , 103, 105, 109 Meston, Harold 94-5, 104, 109 millenarianism 62-3, 66-7 Millimurro 46--7 Milson, James 22 Mitaka 3, 46 Moochambilla clan 36 Moonta 65 Mooraberrie 17, 25, 28, 33 Morney Plains 20 Moses 30, 36, 37-8, 52, 65, 66, 68, 120 murder see killing of blacks and whites Murray. Les 76 Natchawiree 46 nationalism 7, 63 Native Mounted Police (NMP) 94, 97- 8, 100, 106, 109, 110, 111 , 112 , I 15 nature, control over 6--7, 48-9 North Australian Pastoral Company (NAP) 5, 21

134

Index nuljiri 64 Oondoolaya 46 opium 102-3 Ord River 28 pastoral settlement 19, 20, 21, 22, 23-4, 71 Paterson, A.B. (' Banjo) 7- 8 Peak Downs 22 Pharmaleechie 4 7, 48 Pioneer Legend, th e 6-8, 23 , 26-7, 40, 75- 6, 113-20 pituri 57, 74, 79, 82, 85 police see Native Mounted Police population numbers 42- 3, 79- 80 , 105 , 115 Port Curtis 13 power 51- 2, 53, 115 Purcell, B.H. 91-2, 109 Quest , Edward 91 reconciliation 7 1 refugees 46, 101, 102, 103-5 religion 3 1-2, 63 reserves 103, 104 resource management 73-4 Reynolds, Henry 74- 5 Sandeman, Gordon 22 settlement 94 sexuality 65-6, 88- 9 sheep farming 13, 14 Smit h, Robertson 31-2 social Darwinism I 08 social organisation 11 , 12, 44 Springvale 20, 23 squatters 13 Stanner, W:E.H . 66 starvation 94-5, 103-4, 106 stock black attacks on 87 effect of 13, 14 , 58, 82- 3, 87, 94 killing of 60 Stockman Maggie 65 storytelling 30 Sydney 12 Thorpe, R. 89, 92, 109 Tindale, Norman 3, 105 totems 48-50

treatment of blacks 101-2, 103, 108- 12 t ribal Law 33-4, 52, 53, 63-4 tribal people/blacks abduction of 59, 106, 109- 10 abuse of 88- 9 communication techniques of 38-9 confrontations with 16, 19, 44, 58- 60, 74-5, 83, 87, 96 costumes of 45 culture of 45 , 73, 80-1 descriptions of 42, 44 dispossession of 75- 6, 115- 16 forced removals of 102- 5 humanity of 4 1-2 institutionalisation of 68, 102 kidnapping of 28- 9 killing of 19, 29, 59, 60, 61-2, 64, 68, 96-100, 107, 110-11 as labourers 10 1 naming of 43-4 offering help to whites 26 ownership of land and 29 population numbers of 42-3, 79-80, 105, 115 as servants 43-4 skills of 29, 36, 44 social structure of 44, 84-5 treatment of 101-2, 103, 108-1 2 violence and 44, 59- 60 , 74-5 tribes ix, 84 Uldagardinyah 45 unemployment 7 venereal diseases 90-4 violence 16, 44, 59- 60, 74- 5 , 83, 96, 106, 110 Vogan, A. 89, 109, 112 Wagendi 62 wages 10 1 Wakaje clan 36 Warner, Captain 2 l water 49 Westgarth, William 83-4 white settlement 11 8 white women 31, 11 7 whites, killing of 60, 96, 107 Whitula 20, 104 Wik debate 116

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Frontier Lands and Pioneer Legends

Winterbotham, Dr 29 women 31, 117 Wongkumara 91 Wood, Judy 35

Worgali 45 Wright, Judith 22 Yammacoona 35, 47, 63

136

Eo~tier

Lands and Pioneer Legends presents reports from the frontier, the memoirs of five pioneering families who in th e-1860s 'opened up' part of the Ch annel Country in southwest Queensland, an area of spinifex and sandhill country the size of Belgium. The writers of these memoirs had much in common: the three male writers were contemporaries; two families were blood relatives; each owned sequentially one or more of the properties owned by other members of the five. And yet a careful reading of these first-hand accoun ts of life on the pastoral frontier reveal startling differen ces in how the pioneering experience is portrayed. Some present a conventional picture: brave and enterprising pioneers struggling against nature, their hard work in harsh conditions benefitting those who came after. But in some, darker elem ents come to the surface ... ·which version is the more valid? Here is Australia's remembered past at its most accessibl~: intriguing characters, both white and black, and a topical issue enlivened by a fresh approach. Pamela Lukin Watson is a descendant of one of the original pioneering families about which she writes in this b ook. A pharmacist and anthropologist, she has written extensively about Aboriginal and Pacific Island communities. Her longstanding interest in Australia's fascinating history has led her to reflect on how that history is m ade and used. Cover design: Steven Dunbar Cover illustration : Shut the Bloody Gate' from the series The Desert Paintings, by Christopher McLeod, 107 x 107 cm, gouache on canvas. With the permission of Mr and Mrs M. & S. Donovan.

ISBN L- 8b448-49S- O

II UNWIN

AUSTRALIAN HISTORY

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Frontier Lands and Pioneer Legends: About the Author

Pamela Lukin Watson Born in Brisbane (Qld) in 1927, Pamela was a pharmacist before moving overseas in the 1950s. During her time in New York City she became interested in the art of non-Western cultures, and when she returned to Australia in 1970 she focussed on Aboriginal and Papuan art. Returning to study in mid-life, art was overtaken by interest in people and their societies and she completed a BA (Anthropology). Her pharmacy background informed her postgraduate research: her Honours thesis cast a new light on pituri (and why the Mulligan River product was so highly prized) and her doctoral work looked at the societal contexts of betel nut and Western drugs. Like many Australians, she had been unaware of the grim aspects of our colonial past, but the pituri work had drawn her attention to discrepancies within and between the historical narratives. She returned to the Channel Country as a research topic. Starting with the richly-detailed books by Alice Duncan-Kemp and broadening out to other pastoral and historical records, Dr. Watson described contact history and its aftermath in Frontier Lands and Pioneer Legends, and addressed the topic of genocide in Passed away?: The fate of the Karuwali, a chapter in the Dirk Moses book Genocide and Settler Society.