Trugernanner
| Truganini | |
|---|---|
 Trugernanner in 1866. |
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| Born | circa 1812 Bruny Island, Australia |
| Died | 8 May 1876 Hobart, Australia |
| Other names | Truganini, Trucanini, Trucaninny, and Lalla Rooke |
| Known for | Last surviving Tasmanian Aborigine |
| Relatives | Very close to Ouray Ouray, if not her daughter.[1] |
Trugernanner (circa 1812–8 May 1876), often referred to as Truganini, was a woman widely considered to be the last "full blood" Palawa (Tasmanian Aborigine).
There are a number of other transcriptions (or spellings) of her Palawa language name, including: Trugannini, Trucanini, Trucaminni,[2] and Trucaninny. Trugernanner was also widely known by the nickname Lalla Rooke.[3]
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[edit] Early life
Trugernanner was born circa 1812[4] on Bruny Island, south of the Tasmanian capital Hobart, and separated from the Tasmanian mainland by the D'Entrecasteaux Channel.[1] She was a daughter of Mangana, Chief of the Bruny Island people. Her name was the word her tribe used to describe the grey saltbush Atriplex cinerea.[5] Before she was 18, her mother had been killed by whalers, her first fiance had died while saving her from abduction, and in 1828, her two sisters, Lowhenunhue and Maggerleede, had been abducted and taken to Kangaroo Island, off South Australia and sold as slaves. Trugernanner married Woorrady, although he died when she was still in her 20s.
When Lieutenant-Governor George Arthur arrived in Van Diemen's Land in 1824, he implemented two policies to deal with the growing conflict between settlers and the Aborigines. First, bounties were awarded for the capture of Aboriginal adults and children, and secondly an effort was made to establish friendly relations with Aborigines in order to lure them into camps. The campaign began on Bruny Island where there had been fewer hostilities than in other parts of Tasmania.
In 1830, George Augustus Robinson, the Protector of Aborigines, moved Trugernanner and Woorrady to Flinders Island with the last surviving Tasmanian Aborigines, numbering approximately 100. The stated aim of isolation was to save them[citation needed], but many of the group died from influenza and other diseases. Trugernanner also helped Robinson with a settlement for mainland Aborigines at Port Phillip in 1838.[6] After about 2 years of living in and around Melbourne they became outlaws, stealing from settlers around Dandenong before heading to Bass River and then Cape Paterson where members of their group murdered two whalers at Watsons hut then shot and injured other settlers around the area. A long pursuit followed where those responsible for the murders were captured, sent for trial then hanged in Melbourne. A gunshot wound to Trugernanner's head was treated by Dr. Hugh Anderson of Bass River before she and her party were sent to stand trial in Melbourne, resulting in her being sent back to Flinders Island. In 1856, the few surviving Tasmanian Aborigines on Flinders Island, including Trugernanner, were moved to a settlement at Oyster Cove, south of Hobart.[7][8]
[edit] Final years and legacy
According to a report in The Times she later married a Tasmanian known as "King Billy" who died in March 1871.[9] By 1873, Trugernanner was the sole survivor of the Oyster Cove group, and was again moved to Hobart. She died three years later, having requested that her ashes be scattered in the D'Entrecasteaux Channel; she was, however, buried at the former Female Factory at Cascades, a suburb of Hobart. Within two years, her skeleton was exhumed by the Royal Society of Tasmania and later placed on display.[10] Only in April 1976, approaching the centenary of her death, Trugernanner's remains were finally cremated and scattered according to her wishes.[11][12]
Trugernanner is considered to be the last full-blood speaker of a Tasmanian language.[13] Fanny Cochrane Smith, who spoke one of the Tasmanian languages, outlived her, however. A woman of mixed descent, she lived into the twentieth century, and recorded songs in her native language.[14][15]
In 1997 the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter, England, returned Trugernanner's necklace and bracelet to Tasmania. In 2002, some of her hair and skin were found in the collection of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and returned to Tasmania for burial.[16]
[edit] Cultural references
- British folk rock band Fairport Convention recorded a song titled "Lalla Rookh" telling her story on their 1995 album "Old New Borrowed Blue". The song was written by then band member Martin Allcock.
- "Truganini" is the name of a song by Midnight Oil; this song spoke partly of Trugernanner herself but also of what Midnight Oil saw as Australia's environmental and social problems.
- Truganina, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne, is possibly named after her.
- In the roman à clef Doctor Wooreddy's Prescription for Enduring the Ending of the World, one of the main characters is Trugernanna, a somewhat-fictional portrayal of Trugernanner.
- A steamer called 'Truganini' sailed in the South Seas in 1886, visiting Papua New Guinea.[17]
- A racehorse named 'Truganini' ran in Britain in the early 20th century[18]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Flannery, T.F. (1994) The Future Eaters: An ecological history of the Australasian lands and people Chatswood: New South Wales ISBN 0-8021-3943-4
- ^ "A ROYAL LADY - Trucaminni, or Lalla Rookh, the last Tasmanian aboriginal, has died..." The Times, Thursday, 6 July 1876; pg. 6; Issue 28674; col D
- ^ "A ROYAL LADY - Trucaminni, or Lalla Rookh, the last Tasmanian aboriginal,..." The Times, Thursday, 6 July 1876; pg. 6; Issue 28674; col D
- ^ Australian Dictionary of Biography (Online edition) http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A060326b.htm
- ^ Ellis, V. R. 1981. Trucanini: Queen or Traitor. Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies. pp 3
- ^ The Andersons of Western Port Horton & Morris
- ^ Brief account of Oyster Cove settlement: http://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/O/Oyster%20Cove.htm
- ^ According to The Times newspaper, quoting a report issued by the Colonial Office, by 1861 the number of survivors at Oyster Cove was then 14:“...14 persons, all adults, aborigines of Tasmania, who are the sole surviving remnant of ten tribes. Nine of these persons are women and five are men. There are among them four married couples, and four of the men and five of the women are under 45 years of age, but no children have been born to them for years. It is considered difficult to account for this...Besides these 14 persons there is a native woman who is married to a white man, and who has a son, a fine healthy-looking child...” The article, headed ‘Decay of Race’, adds that though the survivors enjoyed generally good health and still made hunting trips to the bush during the season(after first asking “leave to go”), they were now “fed, housed and clothed at public expense” and “much addicted to drinking”. The Times, Tuesday, 5 Feb 1861; pg. 10; Issue 23848; col A
- ^ "A ROYAL LADY - Trucaminni, or Lalla Rookh, the last Tasmanian aboriginal, has died of paralysis, aged 73. She was Queen Consort to King Billy, who died in March 1871, and had been under the care of Mrs Dandridge, who was allowed £80 annually by the Government for maintenance." The Times, Thursday, 6 July 1876; pg. 6; Issue 28674; col D
- ^ Antje Kühnast: 'In the interest of science and the colony'. Truganini und die Legende von den aussterbenden Rassen. In: Entfremdete Körper. Rassismus als Leichenschändung [Alienated Bodies. Racism and the desecration of corpses]. Ed by W. D. Hund. Bielefeld: Transcript 2009, pp. 205 - 250..
- ^ 'The Last Wish: Truganini's ashes scattered in the D'Entrecasteaux Channel', Aboriginal News,vol. 3, no. 2, 1976
- ^ http://www.dpac.tas.gov.au/divisions/cdd/women/leadership/significant_tasmanian_women/significant_tasmanian_women_-_research_listing/truganini
- ^ By Terry Crowley, Nick Thieberger. Field linguistics: a beginner's guide. http://books.google.com/books?id=mX8xvuCT1xgC&lpg=PP1&dq=Crowley%2C%20Field%20Linguistics&pg=PA2#v=onepage&q=tasmanian&f=false.
- ^ "Fanny Cochrane Smith". Australian Dictionary of Biography. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A110661b.htm. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
- ^ "Fanny Cochrane Smith". Department of Premier and Cabinet. http://www.dpac.tas.gov.au/divisions/cdd/women/leadership/significant_tasmanian_women/significant_tasmanian_women_-_research_listing/fanny_cochrane_smith. Retrieved 2010-06-30. "She is probably best known for her cylinder recordings of Aboriginal songs, recorded in 1899, which are the only audio recordings of an indigenous Tasmanian language."
- ^ Barkham, P. and Finlayson, A. (2002-05-31). "Museum returns sacred samples". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,725125,00.html. Retrieved 2006-07-11.
- ^ The Times, Saturday, 24 April 1886; pg. 4; Issue 31742; col E
- ^ The Times, Thursday, 22 October 1908; pg. 13; Issue 38784; col A
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Trugernanner |
- Truganini (1812-1876) National Library of Australia, Trove, People and Organisation record for Truganini
- Images of Truganini in State Library of Tasmania collection
- Truganini
- Great Australian Women: Truganinni
- Companion to Tasmanian History: Truganini
- (Essay) The Representation of Trucanini
- (Article) Truganini's Funeral
- (Radio Feature) Truganini - Bushranger
- Australian Dictionary of Biography (Online edition)
- Companion to Tasmanian History: Oyster Cove
