The Wathawurrung People's Encounters with Outside Forces 1797-1849: A History of Conciliation and Conflict David (Fred) Cahir, Diploma in TESOL, Bachelor of Arts (Hist.), Graduate Diploma of Education, Preliminary Master of Arts (Hist.) A Thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts by research. School of Behavioural and Social Sciences and Humanities University of Ballarat P.O Box 663 Gear Avenue, Mt Helen Ballarat, Victoria 3353 Australia October 2001 Statement of Authorship Except where explicit reference is made in the text of the thesis, this thesis contains no material published elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from a thesis by which 1 have qualified for or been awarded another degree or diploma. No other person's work has been relied upon or used without due acknowledgment in the main text and bibliography of the thesis. October 2001 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my wife and children for waiting patiently over the past seven years until this thesis was finished before they could enjoy my company again. Sandy supported this thesis not only by providing critical academic feedback but also by doing the lions share of essential housework and propping up my fragile intellectual ego at crucial moments. My supervisors, Dr Janice Newton and Dr Ian Clark, have been exemplary role models, colleagues, friends and mentors. I cannot speak highly enough of them. I am indebted to many people for assisting me in my sojourn. My special thanks go to Tim Hogan from the State Library of Victoria, Dr Margaret Zeegers from the University of Ballarat English Language Centre and Ann Beggs Sunter from the University of Ballarat. I also thank the Lord for his provision. TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE 1 INTRODUCTION 3 Lamenting and Rationalising 10 National Memory Loss 11 The Revisionist Period 12 CHAPTER ONE PRE-PASTORAL CONTACT 21 Exploratory Parties 22 Sealers and Whalers 32 Convict Settlements 42 Shipwrecks, Maroons and Merchants 50 CHAPTER TWO INITIAL RESPONSES AND REACTIONS TO PASTORALISM 1835 - 1849 55 First Encounters 55 The Most Friendly Feeling Exists 61 Amicable Arrangements 66 CHAPTER THREE WORK ON THE FRONTIER: 1835-1849 77 Permanent Working Relationships.. .Free Egress 91 'Unmolested range' 93 'Very difficult to get them to leave us' 101 CHAPTER FOUR CULTURAL INTERCHANGE AND COOPERATION 108 ' Speak something of the native language' 117 Skins, Stories and Tails 122 CHAPTER FIVE DISPOSESSION AND ITS OFFSPRING: VIOLENCE AND AVOIDANCE, 1835-1849 130 'Unfortunate Transactions' 132 Considerable Apprehension and General Discontent 141 'So Wary and Vigilant' 150 'Nothing but fear had any effect on them' 154 Denying Access to Traditional Food Resources 158 Horse Whippings and Charging on Horseback 160 Violating Aboriginal Skeletal Remains 162 Sexual Abuse of Aboriginal Women 163 UNIVERSITY OF BALLARAT I IRRARV Destruction of Domestic Dogs 166 CHAPTER SIX MISSIONARIES: 1836-1849 170 'The Day of Small and Feeble Things Must Not Be Despised' 171 CHAPTER SEVEN THE ABORIGINAL PROTECTORATE SYSTEM 202 The Port Phillip Aboriginal Protectors Take to the Field 204 CONCLUSION 225 SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY 229 MAPS, TABLES AND ILLUSTRATIONS Wathawurrung Language Areas and Clans (Map) 3 Table of Wathawurrung Language Areas and Clans (Table) 4 'The Lady Nelson Entering Port Phillip' 24 'Sealers at Western Port' 31 'Killing Seals in Cavern' 34 'Shooting the Harpoon at a Whale' 39 'Port Phillip in Bass Strait' 43 'A Violent Encounter' 46 'Lattice Weir and Eel Trap' 59 'Natives Diving into a Pool' 59 'Batman Meeting with Buckley' 61 'Natives Crouching Emu' 63 "The Enterprise and John Fawkner's Hut on the Yarra' 66 'Captain Lonsdale's House' 68 'Unlucky Digger that Never Returned' 82 'Native Encampment on the Banks of the Yarra' 82 'Kangaroo Stalking' 88 'Aborigines in a Bark Canoe' 90 'Going to Work' 98 'Squatter's Tiger' 99 'Bush Mailman' 100 'Captain Lonsdale's House' 109 'Australian Shepherds Hut' Ill 'The Pipe Light' 114 'The Newly Arrived' 116 'The Barter' 123 'Family Group with their Tools and Weapons' 124 'The Avengers' 136 'The Marauders' 146 'The Colonised' 148 'Billy and Sarah of the Ballarat Group' 151 'Native Women Getting Tambourine Roots' 159 'Tullamarine and Jin Jin Escape' 175 'Group from Geelong' 187 'Geelonginl840' 189 'Geelong' 194 'A Good Time Coming' 195 'The Lord's Prayer' 199 'Aboriginal Black Troopers' 211 PREFACE One of the difficulties in writing a regional history such as this thesis was the sensitivity surrounding the appropriate choice of terminology and spelling conventions. Conflicts have arisen between conforming to the standardisations of the History Discipline and a desire to accommodate the wishes of the indigenous communities in the geographical area of this study. The absence of trained linguists in the white community during the initial colonisation period has resulted in a considerable divergence of opinion over the nomenclature and spelling derivatives surrounding the indigenous people living in what is now known as the Geelong-Ballarat region. The first white chroniclers referred to the Wathawurrung by a myriad of different names (over 100 different names were recorded by Clark for the people in this study area) including: Watowrong, Wartowrong, Woto wrong, Watourong, Wodowrow. Throughout the text ofthis work 1 have applied the term Wathawurrung' to all indigenous groups in primary documents that involve the known language area of the Wathawurrung. Where there is some doubt as to which tribe is being referred to 1 have included other language groups that the writer may have also been referring to. In Chapter One of this thesis 1 have used many references relating to the Wathawurrang's neighbours, the Boonwurrung, as the historical records clearly demonstrate the Wathawurrung were at amity with them and co-existed along their borders extensively. Little reference is made to other neighbouring tribes such as the Woiwurrung and the Gulidjan as a state of enmity appeared to have existed between these tribes at the time of colonisation. The issue of alliances and tensions between the Wathawurrung people and their neighbours is examined throughout the text. Clark's exhaustive survey of the literature1 has resulted in a great deal of much needed nomenclature standardisation in this area and subsequently 1 have, except where indicated, used Clark as a reference point for spatial distribution, clan nomenclature, tribal boundaries and spelling thereof. Subsequently, Clark's reconstruction of tribal boundaries has been preferred to 1 See Clark, I. D. (1990). Aboriginal languages and clans. Melbourne, Monash University. 1 Tmdale's as Clark clearly demonstrates the deficiencies inherent in some of Tindale's interpretations of the Victorian data.3 I have chosen to reject some nineteenth century grammar conventions such as the use of full stops or hyphens when writing the names of indigenous people as 1 was concerned that readers would find this style disconcerting. Other commonly used nineteenth century place names such as 'Port Phillip District' and 'Van Diemen's Land' are retained throughout the thesis and are appropriately footnoted with explanation for the reader. Similarly, maps delineating boundaries between the tribal groups in the study area along with significant sites related to the text are interspersed throughout, as are white and indigenous pieces of art, which support and validate the discussion in this study. The reports, journals and letters of George Augustus Robinson, the Chief Protector of Aborigines in the Port Phillip District of NSW, now Victoria, were particularly valuable to this thesis as were the Historical Records of Victoria volumes and numerous manuscripts held at the Dixon and La Trobe libraries. 2 See Tindale, N. (1974). Aboriginal Tribes of Australia. Berkeley, University of California. 3 See Clark, I. D. (1998). 'That's mv country belonging to me'. Aboriginal land tenure and dispossession in 19th century Western Victoria. Melbourne, Heritage Matters. 2 INTRODUCTION The Wathawurrung, the subject of this thesis, are the indigenous people whose land included the cities now known as Ballarat and Geelong. The estates of the Wathawurrung clans were associated with four major rivers: the Moorabool, Woady Yaloak, Barwon and the Werribee. Fiery Creek and the upper reaches of Mt Emu Creek were considered the western boundaries of the Wathawurrung and the towns of Derrinallum, Cressy, Winchelsea, Birregurra and Aireys Inlet fall within the traditional western cusp of their estates. The northern boundaries would incorporate the towns of Bacchus Marsh, Myrniong, Learmonth and Beaufort and signifying their boundaries to the east was the mouth of the Werribee River, the Bellarine peninsula and part of the Cape Otway coastline. Dr Ian Clark's 1998 reconstruction of Wathawurrung language areas and clans. In 'That's my country belonging to me'. Heritage Matters. Clarendon. 1998. 3 No. Clan Name Approximate Location 1 Barere barerebalug 'Colac' and 'Mt Bute' stations 2 Beerekwart balug MtEmu 3 Bengalut balug Indented Head 4 Berrejin balug Unknown 5 Borogundidj Yarrowee River 6 Burrumbeet balug Lakes Burrumbeet and Learmonth 6a Keyeet balug Mt Buninyong 7 Caningum balug Carngham 8 Caminje balug 'Emu Hill' station, Linton's Creek 9 Corac balug 'Commeralghip' station, and Kuruc-a-ruc Creek 10 Corrin corrinjer balug Carranballac 11 Gerarlture West of Lake Modewarre 12 Marpeang balug Blackwood, Myrniong and Bacchus Marsh 13 Mear balug Unknown 14 Moijerre balug Mt. Emu Creek 15 Moner balug Trawalla' station, Mount Emu Creek 16 Monmart Unknown 17 Neerer balug Between Geelong and the You Yangs 18 Pakeheneek balug Mt Widderin 19 Peerickelmoon balug Near Mt Misery 20 Tooloora balug Mt Warrenheip, Lai Lai Creek, Moorabool R. 21 Woodealloke balug Wardy Yalloak River 22 Wada wurrung balug Barrabool Hills 23 Wongerrer balug Head of Wardy Yalloak River 24 Worinyaloke balug West side of Little River 25 Yaawangi You Yang Hills 'Wathawurrung clans' in Clark, I,.ibid. The history of inter-racial relations between the Wathawurrung and the British colonizers, as will be shown, was unique.