7.1 Tasmanian Aborigines and Trugannini
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This article is from the soc.culture.australian FAQ, by Stephen Wales with numerous contributions by others.
7.1 Tasmanian Aborigines and Trugannini
The "tradition" view [AD]:
The last hundred survivors of the Tasmanian aborigines were
rounded up in an operation known as the "black line" about the
1850s. They were all moved to a settlement on Flinders Island at
a place called Wybalenna. They were forced to adopt "christian"
society clothing/behaviour.. They gradually died out from the
european diseases until, when there were only about 30 left they
were moved to Oyster Cove in southern Tasmania. They gradually
died out.
The last male survivor was William Lanney. He was murdered
during a boat trip across a river. He was thrown from the boat
and his hands cut off as he tried to return to the boat. After
he was buried grave robbers removed his head to sell to British
Scientists.
The last female survivor was Trucaninni (or Truganinni) who was
also known as Lallah Rookh. She died in about 1878. There are
unconfirmed reports of two elderly ladies living on Kangaroo
Island (i think) South Australia until about the 1890s.
There are NO full blood aborigines alive today. A fair few
aborigines live on Cape Barren Island, just south of Flinders
Island (in Bass strait between Tasmania and Victoria). Racism
on the islands is rife IMHO.
White sealers often stole aboriginal women for their sex slaves,
and half-castes were generally descended from these situations.
The women were known as " gins" and were roughly treated.
An interesting facet of this story is that in 1984, the Tasmanian
Museum discovered an Edison Cylindrical Phonograph record in it's
coffers which had recordings of a half-caste lady (who claimed
she was full blooded). She was singing traditional aboriginal
songs. The recording was made in 1902. A very stirring feeling
listening to this 90 year old recording of a vanished culture and
it makes me feel very ashamed to be a white Tasmanian.
[XXX Can someone write a paragraph about how there really
are Tasmanian aboriginals left? AN]
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