The Aboriginal story of Burke and Wills : forgotten narratives

335 Pages·2013·13.453 MB·English

by  Ian D Clark, Fred Cahir

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This book is the first major study of Aboriginal associations with b
the Burke and Wills expedition of 1860–61. It is the outcome o
of an Australian Research Council project and provides a r
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history of Aboriginal cross-cultural exchanges with the g
expedition, as well as the various relief expeditions. i
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The book offers a reinterpretation of the literature
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surrounding Burke and Wills, using official
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correspondence, expedition journals and diaries, t
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visual art, and anthropological and linguistic
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research – and then complements this with
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references to Aboriginal oral histories and
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social memory. It highlights the interaction of
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expedition members with Aboriginal people
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and their subsequent contribution to Aboriginal
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studies. The book also considers contemporary
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and multi-disciplinary critiques that the expedition k
members were, on the whole, deficient in bush craft, e
especially in light of the expedition’s failure to use
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Aboriginal guides in any systematic way. n
The Aboriginal Story
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Generously illustrated with historical photographs and
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line drawings, The Aboriginal Story of Burke and Wills
is an important resource for Indigenous people, Burke
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and Wills history enthusiasts and the wider community. l
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Forgotten narratives
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Edited by Ian D. Clark and Fred Cahir
Aboriginal_Story_of_Burke_and_Wills_Cover.indd 1 23/04/13 9:07 AM
The Aboriginal Story
of Burke and Wills
Forgotten narratives
Edited by Ian D. Clark and Fred Cahir

The Aboriginal Story
of Burke and Wills
Forgotten narratives
Edited by Ian D. Clark and Fred Cahir
© Ian D. Clark and David A. Cahir 2013 Front cover: (top) ‘Portrait of Dick: the brave and gallant
native guide’. Ludwig Becker. 21 December 1860. The Royal
All rights reserved. Except under the conditions described
Society of Victoria Collection: The State Library of Victoria.
in the Australian Copyright Act 1968 and subsequent
Accession no. H16486. (right, and title page) Detail from:
amendments, no part of this publication may be reproduced,
‘No. 40. Mr. Shirt. Mr. Nogood. Missis Mallee. Natives on the
stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by
Darling. Darling Depot, Jan.12.1861’. Ludwig Becker. The
any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,
Royal Society of Victoria Collection: The State Library of
duplicating or otherwise, without the prior permission of
Victoria. Accession no. H16486. (bottom) ‘Sketch of route
the copyright owner. Contact CSIRO PUBLISHING for all
from Balranald to Scot’s station, roughly drawn by dead
permission requests.
reckoning, 26 Sep. 60’. Ludwig Becker. Watercolour, pen
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication and ink. Ludwig Becker Sketchbook. The Royal Society of
entry Victoria Collection: The State Library of Victoria. Accession
no. H16486.
The Aboriginal story of Burke and Wills : forgotten
narratives / edited by Ian D. Clark and Fred Cahir. Back cover: Detail from: ‘Watpipa the “Old Man”, our guide
on Sep. 24. 60. L. Becker’. Ludwig Becker. Watercolour, pen
9780643108080 (hbk.)
and ink. Ludwig Becker Sketchbook. The Royal Society of
9780643108097 (epdf)
Victoria Collection: The State Library of Victoria. Accession
9780643108103 (epub)
no. H16486.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Front endpaper: Illustration by Kellee Frith from map
Burke and Wills Expedition, (1860–1861) drafted by Frank Leahy (after Valmai Hankel and The Friends
Aboriginal Australians. of the State Library of South Australia 2007 Finding Burke
Explorers – Australia. and Wills).
Australia – Discovery and exploration –
Back endpaper: Illustration by Kellee Frith from map drafted
1851–1900.
by Frank Leahy (after Bonyhady 1991).
Clark, Ian D., 1958–
Illustrations from the State Library of Victoria courtesy of
Cahir, Fred, 1963–
the State Library of Victoria
994
Set in Adobe Lucida 8/12 and Minion Pro
Published by Edited by Adrienne de Kretser, Righting Writing
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Foreword
Few episodes in Australia’s history have Victoria was fortunate in forming a liaison
received as much attention as the Victorian with Professor Ian Clark and Dr Fred Cahir
Exploring Expedition of 1860–61. Over 40 from the University of Ballarat. Their previous
books, hundreds of paintings, several films, work on Aboriginal history and place names
poems, music, numerous public memorials was an essential prerequisite for the task. The
and sculptures have all celebrated or University of Ballarat and the Royal Society of
commemorated the exploits and fate of Victoria were then successful in obtaining an
Burke and Wills. From the contemporary Australian Research Council Linkage Grant to
newspaper campaigns of the 1860s, through undertake the project. As part of the project,
the Commission of Inquiry, Frank Clune in November 2011, the University of Ballarat
and Alan Moorehead to Tim Bonyhady and hosted a symposium at which it became clear
Sarah Murgatroyd, authors in successive that we had raised subjects that were long
generations have sought to explain, and overdue for examination.
in many cases to attribute blame for, the In creating this book Professor Clark and
outcome of that expedition. Dr Cahir have brought together participants
The Burke and Wills Anniversary at the symposium, including members of the
Advisory Committee, established by the project team at the University of Ballarat.
Royal Society of Victoria in 2008, identified The authors include scholars who have made
major deficiencies in the existing histories. extensive and notable contributions to our
Remarkably, no book had been written about understanding of Indigenous people, their
the scientific achievements of the Victoria language and their relationship to the land.
Exploring Expedition. Nor had any in-depth The introduction provided by Aaron
study been made of the interaction between Paterson, a Yandruwandha descendant,
Indigenous people and the expeditioners and sets the scene for the examination of the
their potential and actual contribution to the interactions between the Yandruwandha
expedition. We were determined to rectify people and Burke’s party at Cooper Creek.
this through two sesquicentenary projects. Other records of oral histories also provide
The first project culminated in the insights into the Aboriginal understanding at
publication by CSIRO Publishing of Burke and the time.
Wills: The Scientific Legacy of the Victorian The authors of this book provide linguistic
Exploring Expedition. This notable work has and anthropological evidence which reminds
changed the thinking about the scientific us that, far from being terra nullius, even the
achievements of the expedition. most arid areas were populated by Aboriginal
In its endeavours to ensure that the communities interlinked by language and
Indigenous contribution to the VEE was given protocols and tradition. Although the
proper consideration, the Royal Society of linguistic material gathered by the explorers
v
the aboriginal story oF burke and Wills
was limited, it provides evidence of the path and possessed intellectual tools capable
the expedition took as it moved through the of explaining the presence of strange
areas occupied by different language groups. humans and animals. The geographical
A central theme of this book is the and mythological territory they
contrast between the skills, perceptions and inhabited was familiar to them. It was
knowledge of the Indigenous people and the Europeans who were out of place,
those of the new arrivals, and the extent anxious, aggressive, bristling with arms
to which this affected the outcome of the and ready to use them.
expedition. The very varied backgrounds To the new, brash and confident colony
of the expedition members provide an of Victoria in the 1860s, the country to the
opportunity to consider differing perceptions north represented territory to conquer and
of the Indigenous people, their capability if possible to exploit. The fact that the land
and their communication skills and their was already occupied by Aboriginal peoples
knowledge. The diary notes and reports was apparently not of great significance.
prepared by members of the expedition The Victorian Exploring Expedition was sent
provide material by which the different world forth to cross the continent, equipped with
views of the varied expedition members may specially imported camels and supplied
be gauged. (probably oversupplied) with goods and
Of particular importance were the German stores calculated to make it independent of
scientists Ludwig Becker and Hermann Beckler the country it would traverse, but regrettably
(and for part of the journey Georg Neumayer). underequipped with a real understanding
Steeped in the Humboldtian tradition, they of the task it faced. The instructions to
had particular interest in understanding the the expeditioners did not oblige them to
land and its people. Their carefully illustrated gain an understanding of the world of the
and documented observations were gathered Indigenous people nor to utilise their skills
in spite of Burke, rather than because of him. and knowledge of the country.
As author Peta Jeffries suggests, Becker’s To Burke, the leader, the expedition
background and artistic sensitivity may offered a stage for glory and heroic
have attuned him to the task of bridging the endeavour. The inland was a place to be
divide between the different cultures. Their conquered. In passing through it he would
attitudes may also have been influenced by rely on his supplies and the introduced
Becker’s previous contact with Tasmanian animals which carried them, supplemented
Aborigines and the fact that the Germans by whatever sustenance his firearms could
were themselves aliens in a British colony. bring.
It is inescapable that this book is As the authors of this book make clear,
concerned not only with the Indigenous the Aboriginal skills in communication,
people and the explorers but with the land in tracking and in navigation which were
itself, and the different attitudes to the recognised and utilised by other explorers,
land held by the different cultures. To the both before and after the Burke and Wills
Aboriginal people their country was their expedition, were apparently not recognised
dwelling place. Through their skills in by Burke. On the contrary, he perceived
navigation, hunting and gathering, honed the presence of the Indigenous people as
over millennia, their country provided their a hindrance and potentially a threat to the
sustenance and was integral to their being. survival of his party and the success of his
As Professor Harry Allen says in Chapter 7: mission. Reliance on pack animals and the
Aboriginal people living in the areas supplies they carried resulted in constant
traversed by the explorers were at anxiety. Any loss of supplies or animals or
home. They were surrounded by kin injury to a member of the party was a threat
vi
ForeWord
to the survival of the expeditioners, whose Australia’s early history. The Burke and Wills
supply lines were frail or non-existent. expedition is a notable example, in part
In particular, the members of the party because the expedition covered so much
who travelled to the Cooper and the Gulf had territory and in part because its leadership
little appreciation or understanding of the was even less attuned to the capability of
capabilities of the Indigenous peoples. As a Indigenous people than most expeditions.
consequence, when the supplies they carried However, in our assessment of Burke we
were exhausted and their animals failed, might reflect that he had been in the colony
several of the men died. for only a short time and that we as a nation,
Perhaps also because the margin between 150 years later, still have difficulties in
survival and death was so fine, we cannot reconciling differing perceptions of our land
help but feel that even a slightly greater and of its traditional owners.
respect for the knowledge and capability This publication of this book is a
of the local Aboriginal people might have milestone in an ongoing project. It will
tipped the balance. contribute to our understanding of our past
The contrasting perceptions of the land and present relationship with this harsh yet
as provider, the land as a resource to be fragile land and the people it sustained for
exploited and the land as threat run through countless millennia.
Dr Peter Thorne
Vice-President, The Royal Society of Victoria
Chair, Burke and Wills Commemoration
Committee
vii
Contents
Foreword Peter Thorne V
List of contributors X
Acknowledgements XI
Introduction: a Yandruwandha perspective Aaron Paterson XIII
Responding to Yandruwandha: a contemporary Howitt’s experience Richie Howitt XVII
Chapter 1 The Aboriginal legacy of the Burke and Wills Expedition:
an introduction
Ian D. Clark and Fred Cahir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Chapter 2 The members of the Victorian Exploring Expedition and their
prior experience of Aboriginal peoples
Ian D. Clark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Chapter 3 ‘Exploring is a killing game only to those who do not know
anything about it’: William Lockhart Morton and other
contemporary views about the Victorian Exploring
Expedition and its fate
Ian D. Clark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Chapter 4 The use and abuse of Aboriginal ecological knowledge
Philip A. Clarke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Chapter 5 The Aboriginal contribution to the expedition, observed
through Germanic eyes
David Dodd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
appendix 5.1: Extracts from the 1861 Anniversary Address of the Royal Society of Victoria delivered by the
President, His Excellency Sir Henry Barkly KCB on 8 April 1861 109
appendix 5.2: English translation of Beckler H (1867) Corroberri: Ein Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Musik bei den
australischen Ureinwohnern Globus 13, 82–84 111
Chapter 6 Language notes connected to the journey of the expedition as
far as the Cooper
Luise Hercus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Chapter 7 Burke and Wills and the Aboriginal people of the Corner Country
Harry Allen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Chapter 8 ‘Devil been walk about tonight – not devil belonging to
blackfellow, but white man devil Methink Burke and Wills cry
out tonight “What for whitefellow not send horses and grub?”’
An examination of Aboriginal oral traditions of colonial explorers
Fred Cahir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Contents
Chapter 9 How did Burke die?
Darrell Lewis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Chapter 10 Telling and retelling national narratives
Deirdre Slattery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Chapter 11 The influence of Aboriginal country on artist and naturalist
Ludwig Becker of the Victorian Exploring Expedition:
Mootwingee, 1860–61
Peta Jeffries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Chapter 12 If I belong here … how did that come to be?
Paul Lambeth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Chapter 13 Alfred Howitt and the erasure of Aboriginal history
Leigh Boucher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Chapter 14 Remembering Edwin J Welch: surveyor to Howitt’s
Contingent Exploration Party
Frank Leahy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Chapter 15 ‘We have received news from the blacks’: Aboriginal
messengers and their reports of the Burke relief
expedition (1861–62) led by John McKinlay
Fred Cahir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Chapter 16 William Landsborough’s expedition of 1862 from Carpentaria
to Victoria in search of Burke and Wills: exploration with native
police troopers and Aboriginal guides
Peta Jeffries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Chapter 17 ‘I suppose this will end in our having to live like the blacks for a
few months’: reinterpreting the history of Burke and Wills
Ian D. Clark and Fred Cahir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Index 305
ix