Culture Contact and Conflict After the Rufus River Massacre
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Culture contact and conflict after the Rufus River massacre An analysis of documentary evidence regarding European/Aboriginal relations on the central Murray River 1842–1890 ‘Ruins at Moorundie’ c. 1910, first Aboriginal depot on the Murray Source: Artist unknown, State Library of South Australia Megan Tutty Department of Archaeology College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Flinders University A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Archaeology and Heritage Management i Declaration I certify that this thesis does not incorporate without acknowledgment any material previously submitted for a degree or diploma in any university; and that to the best of my knowledge and belief it does not contain any material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the text. Megan Tutty 9th December 2019 ii Abstract Studies of cross-cultural contact in colonial Australia and, more particularly, the violent nature of much of that contact, are now legion. Yet despite growing attention to this field of enquiry, there are still significant temporal and spatial gaps in our analyses of Indigenous/settler relations on the Australian frontier. The situation in South Australian remains one that is perhaps least understood, particularly those circumstances on the central/upper Murray following the Rufus River massacre in 1841. This research is a contribution towards addressing that gap. Using methodological classification and analysis of primary documents, this thesis seeks to characterise the nature of cultural interactions during a transformative period which saw a considerable decline in the Indigenous population. Careful scrutiny of historic texts and maps, and subsequent comparison with present day sources, reveals the likely locales of contact, particularly the ration depots that operated between Moorunde and Lake Littra. It provides a summary of quantitative ration distribution data and other population records made by government officials. Additionally, it identifies instances of violent conflict that were reported in press accounts and the public record. In concluding, this research finds that Aboriginal people on the central/upper Murray responded to European colonisation in a variety of ways. Much of the cross-cultural contact that took place revolved around exchange and labour. It was not typified by the violence that was integral to the period of initial contact prior to 1842, and continuing overt violence is therefore unlikely to have been a significant cause of population decline. Depot sites most likely to yield further information include Moorunde, Overland Corner and Lake Littra; Blanchetown and Morgan sites have undergone considerable change and disturbance. Future investigation of pastoral stations, particularly outstations, as areas of potentially heightened contact, is recommended. iii Acknowledgements The completion of this thesis would not have been possible without the support of a number of people. In the first instance I would like to thank the River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation (RMMAC) for their approval to undertake this research. I am also very grateful to my primary supervisor Associate Professor Heather Burke for her productive feedback and guidance and Associate Professor Amy Roberts for conducting community consultation on my behalf. My sincere thanks go to the staff at State Records of South Australia, particularly Tamara Wenham and Andrew Wilson who patiently assisted in the search for relevant archival information. I’d also like to thank Tess Mitsoulis of Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation for persevering with the FOI approvals necessary for the project. Finally, I’d like to thank my sister Ellen for her editorial assistance, Edan and Patrick for their patience, and especially my partner Dave for his encouragement and support. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration ......................................................................................................................................... ii Abstract .............................................................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................... iv LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES .................................................................................................................. viii 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Overview and rationale ........................................................................................................... 1 1.2. Research aims.......................................................................................................................... 3 1.3. Scope, study area and limitations ........................................................................................... 4 1.4. Significance .............................................................................................................................. 5 2. Historical context ................................................................................................................... 7 2.1. Pre-colonial occupation of the central Murray region ........................................................... 7 2.2. Initial contact, overlanding and conflict .................................................................................. 8 2.3. Early colonial administration on the Murray ........................................................................ 10 2.4. Rations distribution ............................................................................................................... 14 2.5. Colonial governance post 1860 ............................................................................................. 16 2.6. Early pastoralism ................................................................................................................... 17 2.7. Police presence on the Murray ............................................................................................. 21 2.8. Education and institutions beyond the Murray .................................................................... 24 3. Theoretical context .............................................................................................................. 27 3.1. Contact archaeology and its challenges ................................................................................ 27 3.2. Finding conflict in the archaeological record ........................................................................ 30 v 4. Research approach .............................................................................................................. 35 4.1. Analysis of the documentary record ..................................................................................... 35 4.2. Compilation of population data ............................................................................................ 37 4.3. Development of spatial data ................................................................................................. 39 5. Documentary evidence ........................................................................................................ 40 5.1. Rations, labour and exchange ............................................................................................... 40 Ration distribution in the 1840s and 1850s .................................................................................. 40 Changing nature of distribution—1860s to 1900 ......................................................................... 55 Aid, assistance and labour: Aboriginal contribution to European settlement ............................. 59 5.2. Other forms of governance ................................................................................................... 64 Separation and removal through education and marriage .......................................................... 64 Indigenous mobility, vagrancy and access to the landscape ........................................................ 68 The transgression of European law ............................................................................................... 73 5.3. Health and population .......................................................................................................... 75 Quantitative population data ........................................................................................................ 75 Colonial attitudes to population decline and Indigenous health ................................................. 79 Illness and medical aid .................................................................................................................. 83 5.4. Physical violence ................................................................................................................... 86 The shooting of Wi-mārd-eră in 1848 ........................................................................................... 88 The murder of Aboriginal man ‘Stephen’ in 1855......................................................................... 90 Conflict at Moorna in 1853 ........................................................................................................... 92 The shooting of Wiyerm by police in 1846 ..................................................................................