One Story from the Van Diemen's Land (Tasmanian) Colonial Frontier

Volume 38, Supplement, 2009 the AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL of INDIGENOUS EDUCATION CARNE NEEMERRANNER – TELLING HISTORY on the GROUND: ONE STORY from the VAN DIEMEN’S LAND (TASMANIAN) COLONIAL FRONTIER PATSY CAMERON¹ Introduction In 1830 the colonial government of Tasmania & LINN MILLER² instigated a campaign, now known as the “Friendly Missions”, led by George Augustus Robinson and 1 melythina tiakana warrana (Heart of Country) designed to circumambulate the island locating Aboriginal Corporation, 24 Emma Street, West and negotiating with Trouwunnan (Tasmanian Launceston, Tasmania, 7250, Australia Aboriginal) clanspeople in preparation for their 2 School of Philosophy, University of Tasmania, removal from the Tasmanian mainland. By 1835 most Private Bag 1340, Launceston, Tasmania, 7250, of the Trouwunnan population had been banished Australia to Flinders Island where they suffered incarceration, abuse and untimely death. While for present day Abstract Aboriginal Tasmanians, Robinson’s “Friendly Missions” represent a notorious and disgraceful chapter in In the language of the Tebrikunna (Cape Portland) clan, the colonial campaign to rid Van Diemen’s Land Carne Neemerranner is “telling ground”. It is also what (as Tasmania was then called by the British) of its we call the research methodology designed for Meeting original peoples, ironically, his journal records of at Bark Hut, a recent community-engaged Aboriginal his journeys are of profound historical and cultural history project conducted in northeast Tasmania. The significance, representing a valuable compendium project examined, retraced and explored one brief, of spiritual, economic, political, ceremonial, social, but poignant, episode in Tasmania’s colonial contact biographical and geographical information about history – a meeting between the parties of George Tasmania’s original clanspeople and their lands, of Augustus Robinson, colonial agent charged with the vital importance to their descendants. “conciliation” and removal of Trouwunnan (Tasmanian) It goes without saying that the events that lead clanspeople from the Tasmanian mainland, and up to, and surround, the Trouwunnan journeys into that most likely including Mannalargenna, one of exile had profound and lasting effects on present the last Trouwunnan leaders still living in his own day Tasmania’s Aboriginal peoples, and that they are clancountry at the time (1830). While this episode and especially concerned with how stories of those events, encounter has profound connotations for present- their country and their ancestors are told. Most work day Tasmanian Aborigines, its significance has largely to date concerned with Tasmanian Aboriginal history been overlooked by academic historians. Meeting at and conducted within the academy has used N.J.B. Bark Hut was conceived as an opportunity to redress Plomley’s (1966) edited version of Robinson’s journals, this deficit, to allow the story of this event to be told Friendly Mission: The Tasmanian Journals and Papers and to come alive in a dynamic and culturally relevant of George Augustus Robinson, as its primary source. way. This article offers some insight into the meaning However, seldom, if ever, has the opportunity arisen and method of the project from both theoretical and for Aboriginal people themselves to engage with the practical perspectives. text in a way that is relevant and meaningful to them. A vitally important part of their “journey home” involves a re-reading of the orthodox historical account of their removal from ancestral homelands and a re-telling of the history of their land and people. In the languages of the northeast clans of Tasmania (Plomley, 1976, p. 399, 245), Carne Neemerranner is “telling ground”. It is also what we 3 CARNE NEEMERRANNER – TELLING HISTORY on the GROUND Patsy Cameron & Linn Miller Figure 1. Map of Tasmania with research precinct marked (Image courtesy Figure 2. Map of research precinct with daily routes marked (Image of Mey Chin). courtesy of Mey Chin). call the embodied, relational, place-based research Augustus Robinson infamous “Friendly Mission” through methodology of Meeting at Bark Hut, a recent northeast Tasmania. The project will eventually involve Aboriginal history project conducted by the authors surveying a geographical area of approximately 800 of this paper: Aboriginal historian and elder Patsy square kilometres on the northeast coast of Tasmania Cameron assisted by philosopher Linn Miller from – the ancestral homelands of the poorrermairrener, the University of Tasmania. Alongside a number of pairrebeenne, lemoonnerlanner, pinterrairer, other Aboriginal Tasmanians directly descended pyemmairrenerpairrener, plangenmairrerwanener and from northeast clanspeople we set out to physically leenethmairrener clans (Plomley, 1971, p. 21). The retrace and remap a short section of George Augustus Meeting at Bark Hut survey area is bounded by Georges Robinson’s historic expedition – specifically that Bay to the south, the Ringarooma River to the north which in all probability culminated in his meeting and inland west to the Blue Tiers. with Mannalargenna – a meeting and a man of great The pilot fieldwork expedition was conducted consequence to Tasmanian Aboriginal history. Those in October/November 2007. This involved the who participated in Meeting at Bark Hut sought to project team and entourage (researchers, elders, bring the story of this meeting, previously obscured student group, support and documentary film crew) in the academic historical record, to life in a dynamic travelling through the Bay of Fires and Ansons Plain and culturally relevant way, and in doing so to area in northeast Tasmania on the dates coinciding reveal and reassert the socio-cultural and historical with one of Robinson’s foray in that area between significance of the meeting as well as that of the 29 October-1 November 1830. It was on the final people, landscapes and actions it involved. This day of that expedition that Robinson and his eight article offers some insight into Meeting at Bark Hut Trouwunnan guides (Trugannini, Woorrady and and its meaning and method, from both theoretical Pagerly from the South East nation, Tunnerminerwait and practical perspectives. or Peevay from the North West nation, Kickerterpoller and Tanleboneyer from the Oyster Bay nation Timme Meeting at Bark Hut: A project outline and Bullrer from the Coastal Plains nation) made contact with a group of clanspeople, accompanied Meeting at Bark Hut is the pilot of a larger research by a large pack of dogs, sheltering from the rain in a project, Telling Places in Country conducted by a traditional bark hut (Plomley, 1966, pp. 260-61). research team with institutional and/or community Despite its disregard by other researchers, the affiliations with Riawunna Centre and the Community, encounter between this group, of which we believe Place and Heritage Research Unit, University of Mannalargenna was a part, and Robinson’s party Tasmania (Launceston) and funded by The Australian on 1 November 1830 on Anson’s Plain represents a Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies moment of deep significance in both colonial and (AIATSIS). Telling Places in Country retraces, remaps more recent Aboriginal history. It was at this location and reinterprets the historic journeylines of George that Robinson persuaded the group to relinquish 4 Volume 38, Supplement, 2009 the AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL of INDIGENOUS EDUCATION their freedom and leave their homeland under his Land in 1804 expanded rapidly with an influx of protection. This meeting is particularly poignant for transported convicts, free settlers and their livestock. Mannalargenna’s present day descendants. Belief in Violent conflict soon erupted between Trouwunnan his status as primary male progenitor of the current peoples and pastoral settlers encroaching upon the Tasmanian Aboriginal population is firmly held and homelands and hunting grounds of resident clans. widely spread. The ancestral connections, in concert During the 1820s a “Black War” between colonists with the gravity of the circumstances, make this a and Trouwunnans escalated to the extent that in meeting of profound cultural and historical magnitude. November 1828 the colonial government of Van The research project Meeting at Bark Hut was Diemen’s Land declared a state of martial law. It is designed and implemented with this firmly in mind. In perhaps ironic that as a consequence Europeans in both theory (foregrounding the record of Aboriginal the settled districts felt able to lawfully conduct raids experience and activity in the journals of George against clansmen, who reciprocated with violent Augustus Robinson) and practice (action research by incursions, and hostilities increased. Aboriginal participants walking, reading, considering By late 1830 three major activities were taking place and surveying country as well as the appointment to deal with the state of affairs – the long standing of a Project Council of Elders) the project sought to practice whereby groups of men were organised into privilege Aboriginal connections and concerns with armed “roving parties” to conduct forays into the bush both the historic journey and Trouwunna’s northeast “in quest” of the clanspeople continued; Governor country through which it progressed. By doing so the Arthur put plans into action to deploy soldiers, convicts project aimed to provide an appropriate framework to and others in a military operation called the “Line” or support a re-connection with Aboriginal

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