Lutruwita

The Aboriginal people arrived in Tasmania (then connected to mainland Australia) over 60,000 years ago, living as distinct nations with unique languages and deep connection to the land and sea.

They thrived through hunting (land & sea mammals), gathering, and sophisticated use of stone tools, basketry, and bark canoes, moving seasonally between inland forests and coasts. 

In all this time they made no impact on the land, due to their sustainable way of life, so there is nothing left behind by them. Their knowledge was passed down by story telling so there are not even any books or drawings to refer to.

When the British colonists started to arrive in 1803, the Aborigine people assumed that they would share the land, but this was not the case.

The British settlement rapidly expanded, destroying food sources and displacing Aboriginal people for sheep grazing. 

The British had no regard for the indigenous people, treating them as in-human savages:

1st December 1826 “ We make no pompous display of Philanthropy. The Government must remove the natives…if not, they will be hunted down like wild beasts and destroyed”

Pictured below: Thomas Bock (1790 - 1855) Resistance Leader.

“The Invasion of Lutruwita began when the British sailed up timtumili minanya (the River Derwent) in 1803. A year later the massacre of Mumirimina people at Risdon Cove set the foundation for relations between our Ancestors and the British.

They killed our men, took our land and enslaved our women and children. Brutality, disease and the loss of hunting grounds devastated aboriginal society.

Our ancestors fought to defend their Country - it became a war of survival.

Aboriginal guerrilla fighters attacked homesteads and livestock, creating havoc that threathened the colony. Roving parties hunted and captured or killed our Ancestors.

With the Black War escalating Governor Arthur declared martial law in 1828, giving impunity to kill aborigines in the settled districts. In 1830 he implemented a military operation known as the Black Line.

We were never defeated - but we could not win.”

The aborigine people fought back in the 1820s-30s, called ‘The Black War’, intense conflict erupted as Aboriginal people resisted invasion, leading to mass killings, kidnappings, and frontier violence, described by some as genocide.

A failed military operation, the "Black Line," attempted to drive all Aboriginal people off their land, but instead pushed many to surrender.

Most survivors were forcibly relocated to Flinders Island (Wybalenna) and later Oyster Cove, where disease, poor conditions, and trauma caused immense suffering and death. 

To end the warfare, Governor Arthur appointed George Augustus Robinson to remove all Aborigines living in the Country. To do this he resorted to deception and force.

Robinson negotiated a treaty with Aborigines in the North East. He promised them compensation for the loss of their land in the form of protection, provision of food, clothing and shelter, and the return of large areas of land, after a brief stay on the Furneaux Islands. 

To me this sounds absurd, the British having absolutely no understanding of how the Aboriginal people lived. To think that they would want or need pathetic handouts such as this when they had been thriving for centuries.

But, of course, the treaty was never honoured anyway. Instead, freedom was replaced by a life of exile in an impoverished mission at Wybalenna on Flinders Island. Many died from poor respiratory disease, poor nutrition, despair and homesickness.

Proclamation Board:

“Proclamation Boards explaining British law and equal justice were nailed to trees and given to our Ancestors during the height of the Black War hostilities.

Although the Proclamation Boards showed our Ancestors and colonists to be equal, justice was one sided. Aboriginal men were hanged or jailed for crimes against colonists, but no white man was charged for crimes against our Ancestors.”

Wybalenna

" What was thrust upon the natives was not a true Christianity but the garbled verbiage of fools" NJB Plomley, 1987

At Wybalenna the British ideals of civilisation and Christianity were imposed and traditional practices forbidden. Children were removed from their parents. This formed a template for Aboriginal reserves and missions throughout Australia.

White clay pipes, marbles and glass tools demonstrates adaptability, our Ancestors resisted attempts to make them like white people by going bush to continue traditional practices such as ceremonial dancing, wearing ochre and hunting

Wybalenna closed in 1847 and the forty seven survivors were transferred to Oyster Cove, south of Hobart, an abandoned prison considered too unhealthy for convicts.

No longer considered a threat, they were treated as curiosities and left to die in poverty.

The "Last" Myth: Truganini, who died in 1876, was considered the last full-blooded Tasmanian Aboriginal, but this was a colonial narrative; her lineage and many others survived.

For her story see the link below:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truganini

Furneaux Islands: Many Aboriginal women married sealers, forming strong, resilient communities on islands like Cape Barren, maintaining culture and traditions.

Continued Struggle: Tasmanian Aboriginal people have actively campaigned for rights, recognition, and cultural preservation, with vibrant communities today. 

Today

The Tasmanian Aboriginal people are recognised as the traditional and continuing custodians of Lutruwita, with cultures, stories, and languages being revitalised and celebrated through art, ceremonies, and community efforts. 

But I guess nothing can revive a culture and way of life that has been wiped out.

It's hard to comprehend the cruelty wreaked upon the Indigenous people. But then the white 'Victorians' treated their their own people, the 'criminals/convicts' with hatred and severe punishment.

Nations are still at war, all over the world, inflicting fear and genocide.

Environmental Impact

Today, most of the dominant 'cultures' around the world continue to strive for an 'un-natural' life and we are slowly destroying the very home that can sustain us.

To think that the Aboriginal tribes were there for thousands of years without making a mark on the land, and yet look what we have done in such a short time.

Its time to wake up and realise that our planet is dying & do something, rather than keep talking.

It is good to see, at least, that in Tasmania they do seem to be making efforts to preserve their beautiful natural environment.

Good news for Tassie

This is the sound of healthy, thriving frog population. You can't see them in this video but you can hear them. They sound a bit like sheep bleeting.

Amphibians are extremely susceptible to pollution & frog species are often the first to go if water courses contain high levels of chemicals.

Bad news for England

22 years ago, when Archie was a baby, we relocated frogs & tadpoles from our garden pond to a nearby stream, full of tadpoles in Spring.

Now - you rarely see tadpoles anymore.

I noticed, in Australia, there are a lot more flies and you still see 'bug squash ' on windscreens etc.

This summer, spending most of my time outdoors, it really did seem that insect levels have decreased...........that they are decreasing.........a worrying sign.........there are hardly any bugs on our windscreens & headlights.

It sounds hard, but it is really beneficial for us humans too, to use less chemicals and have less stuff.

People love to spot wildlife & take pictures, going on tours, cruises, penguin spotting, whale watching.......if we want this to continue we need to help them out and keep the land & sea free of our lotions & potions.

It feels extremely freeing to do without so many products & better financially too!