The document discusses how Aboriginal relationships with the land changed significantly after white settlement in Gippsland, Australia in the mid-1800s. It estimates the local Aboriginal population declined from around 1800-3000 people to just 96 surviving members within 14 years, due to factors like disease, displacement, violence, and alcohol introduced by European settlers. Aboriginal people faced conflict with settlers as they resisted the loss of their lands and ways of life. Many Aboriginal people were eventually moved to missions like Lake Tyers for protection or concentration.

2.  Questions:
 We have looked at Aboriginal relationships with
the land.
 Did these remain the same once European settlers
arrived?
 How did they change?
 Why did they change?
 How are the different today?

3.  Significant changes occurred in the way that
Aborigines in the Gippsland area lived after
white settlement.
 In order to understand and describe these, it
is important to try and put ourselves in the
position of what it would have been like to be
an Aborigine in Gippsland in the mid 1800’s.
 In order to do this, this account is not
necessarily the politically correct version of
events usually told.

4.  13 September 1843 – Gippsland Pronounced a
district. Named after NSW Governor Gipps who
commissioned the first detailed exploration of
the area by Paul Strzelecki.
 Reports at this time by Crown Land’s
Commissioner James Tyers estimate 1800 (may
have been 3000) local aborigines.
 His 1857 (14 years later) estimated there were 96
surviving members of this tribe.
 Common historical explanations:
 Disease, displacement, tribal warfare, alcohol.

5.  1861 – Lake Tyers Mission established to ‘look after’
remaining Aborigines in area.
 Residents provided with rations but allowed to continue
hunting practices within mission.
 Children received religious education as well as sewing
and cooking for girls, and trades, like carpentry for boys.
 1880’s – Gippsland lakes become popular with tourists –
often visiting the mission.
 Residents make and seel artefacts to promote economic
independace.
 1917 – concentration policy. All remaining aborigines in
Gippsland moved to Lake Tyers.
 1971 – 4000 acres at Lake Tyers returned to local
Aboriginal population.

6.  Was there tribal warfare?
 Yes. Some. Mainly due to breaking down of traditional
tribal boundaries.
 Conflict between blacks and whites?
 Kurnai people may have been more fierce and
resisted more strongly than Port Phillip Bay tribes.
 Resisted by spearing sheep and cattle and
occasionally attacking homes.
 Common view of local Aborigines as ‘pests’. Treated
the same way a wild animal that had been killing
stock would.

7.  “No wild beast of the forest was ever hunted down
with such unsparing perseverance as they are. Men,
women, and children are shot whenever they can be
met with. Some excuse might be found for shooting
the men by those who are daily getting their cattle
speared, but what they can urge in their excuse who
shoot the women and children I cannot conceive. I
have protested against it at every station I have been
in Gippsland, but these things are kept very secret as
the penalty would certainly be hanging”.
 Henry Merryck

8. "if I caught a black actually killing my sheep, I
would shot him with as little remorse as I would
a wild dog".

9.  Angus Mcmillan was the most prominent explorer of Gippsland in
the mid 1800’s
 In 1840 he published a letter in the Melbourne ‘Argus’ describing
an event where his exploring party came across a group of
Aborigines who had captured a white woman.
 No evidence of this woman was ever found. There were very few
women in Gippsland at the time.
 McMillan later led an expedition to locate the women.
 In 1847 McMillan claimed he had found the body of the woman.
 For 7 years, local settlers had an excuse, and even a ‘duty’ to
murder any aborigine they cam across.
 The irony is, that while settlers were raping local aboriginal
women, the possibility that a white woman had ben captured
convinced them they had a noble cause.

10.  In 1843, Ronald Macalister – a prominent
settler was killed by a group of Aborigines.
Evidence suggests another settler shot a
group of aboriginal men while drunk, and
that Macalister was shot in a revenge attack.
 An official report describes that the local
population was ‘completely dispersed’.
 What do you think this means?

11.  “every scotchman with a horse and gun
gathered” – likely led by Angus McMillan.
 A large camp of aborigines at Warrigal
Creek, near 90 mile beach was surrounded and
fired upon.
 Some escaped or jumped into the
waterhole, but were shot as soon as they
surfaced.
 A 12 year old boy, who had ben shot in the
face, was captured and forced to lead the party
to other camps to find any who had escaped.
 100-150 aborigines were killed.

12.  James Tyers, the first commissioner of
Gippsland, never once referred specifically to a
white man who had killed a black man.
 Example. In 1844 after some cattle had been
speared, Tyers writes:
“Mr McMillan and other pursed them and came up
with them on the Ranges - Blacks poised their
spears - party fired - not known if any blacks were
killed. Number of blacks said to be 200."
 What do you think happened?

13.  Early settlers had many laws to govern their
society.
 However, in the example mentioned above, 2
magistrates were present!
 Local black population not considered part of
the new society.
 “Terra Nullius” view still very common.

14.  Consider the Aboriginal relationship with the
land before white settlement – we have looked
at this in detail.
 Would the way they imagined their role in 1880
be different?
 Are any of the land management techniques we
looked at still being used by this population?
Discuss.
 What new actions might these people be doing?
 How might this affect the way they see their
role?

15.  Go back to the story you wrote about your
brother becoming a DJ.
 Try to imagine the feelings you may have
had.
 Edit the story. Change the events to make it
an account of an early aborigine during
European settlement.
 Try and keep the emotions in the story the
same.