Hello,
June 10 in 1838, was a terrible day in human history. Fifty years
after the British penal colony was established, European settlers to
Northern New South Wales, Australia cruelly and heartlessly tortured
and murdered, twenty-eight Aboriginal men, women and children. The
next day their bodies were burnt. This event became known as the
Myall Creek massacre.
The European settlers had been encroaching on the Aboriginal
population in that half century. The native population, which had
been living here for thousands of years, was being driving off of its
land and devastated by diseases. The Europeans generally saw them as
an inferior and doomed race.
While the government in the areas was generally sympathetic to the
Aboriginals, they had little ability to control the European settlers
who were living on the frontiers. Even the Europeans who were
sympathetic to the plight of the Aboriginals tended to maintain a
certain cultural superiority, and failed to learn the languages or
culture of these native peoples.
On the frontier European settlers were living in intimate contact with
the native populations. There was a lot of mingling, both friendly
and not between the two races.
On that infamous day a gang of ten or a dozen stockmen herded a group
of Weraerai people into a workmen’s hut, bound their hands together
and began their cruelty and slaughter. Twenty-eight women, children
and older men were dragged by a road from the hut and were hacked and
slashed to death. The following day, the murderers returned seeking
the younger men. They incinerating the bodies of their victims.
To the credit of the government authorities, when the massacre was
reported to Governor Sir George Gipps in Sydney, he commissioned the
Magistrate to conduct a rigorous investigation and to round up all the
suspects. Ten men were arrested and tried. Seven were convicted and
hanged on December 18, 1838. The trial and sentences demonstrated
some attempt to bring about justice
Unfortunately, public opinion among the white settlers was not
flattering. There was an attempt to set an Aboriginal Protection
Society. However, it was short lived, as it was a very unpopular
sentiment. An editorial in the Sydney Herald at the time expressed a
common attitude that was to prevail for decades: "Shoot them dead, if
you can".
The publicity that followed the trials expressed disgust at the facts
that were revealed. This disgust caused a brief hiatus on public
attacks on Aboriginals in the press. Instead, the attacks were aimed
at Gov. Gipps, who, it was said, contributed to public ill feeling
against Aboriginals by not ordering stronger measures against them.
Public opinion did not blame the perpetrators of the masacre, instead
they blamed the fact that the Aboriginal peoples were in the way of
their settlement of Austalia.
The fact that some of the murderers were condemned is fortunate, and
is a small victory in the race relations between European settlers and
Australian Aboriginals. However, these convictions and executions did
not stop the slaughter. And, it certainly did not stop the racism.
Massacres The murderous attacks on Aborigines, including the use of
arsenic and other poisoning, by European settlers continued on the
frontiers until well into the twentieth century. But there were no
more convictions as a code of silence grew up around the brutal
treatment of Aboriginal people.
The message that was intended by the Colonial government by these
trials and hangings was that Aboriginal people could not be treated in
this way. That, the Native population were indeed humans with
protected rights. However, the message that was received by the
majority of the settlers was that if you did kill Aboriginal people,
‘don't tell the authorities’. You should cover up any evidence of
your misdeeds. The results of this unfortunate set of events was that
nearly all further massacres went unrecorded.
After this event, the general population of European settlers
continued to hate and hurt the native populations, despite of
government sanctions. This created a legacy of private unreported
lynchings that continued into the twentieth century.
Today, there are plaques at Myall Creek marking the tragic event.
They are in English, with a summary in the Gamilaraay language and
illustrations by an Aboriginal artist. The dedication of this
memorial was an attempt at reconciliation. The descendants of the
perpetrators and the descendants of the few survivors of the massacre
were present.
"This is the history of every one of us. We are all heirs and
survivors, beneficiaries and victims of its injustices and
misunderstandings. We too want reconciliation and healing."
Perhaps forgiveness can actually be achieved a century and half later.
But, at the time, this event demonstrated that the average European
Colonist did not view the natives as worthy of equal human rights.
Further reading:
Bridge Over Myall Creek
http://www.abc.net.au/austory/transcripts/s332825.htm
The Story of The Myall Creek Massacre by Ted Stubbins
http://www.myallcreekmemorial.com.au/History.html
Insights Magazine: Descendants gather for healing.
http://insights.uca.org.au/2000/july/myall.htm
Aboriginal massacre commemorated as Myall Creek railings lead march to
Stadium Australia
http://www.awakening.org.au/media/2k0605aboriginal.htm
Keywords Used:
1838 myall creek massacre
http://search.dogpile.com/texis/search?q=1838%20Myall%20Creek%20massacre&geo=no&fs=web&top=1
I hope this is what you needed.
pba |
