Carne NeemerrannerCarne NeemerrannerThe ‘Telling Ground’ of

Meeting @ Bark Hut

Mannalargenna— George Augustus Robinson—

Bungunna, Pairrebeena Clan ‘Conciliator’ of Aborigines

G.A.Robinson and Aboriginal Guides, Circa 1830

ABORIGINALABORIGINAL GUIDESGUIDESSouth East Nation- Trugannini, Worraddy and Pagerly

North WestNation- Tunnerminnerwait

Oyster Bay Nation- Kickerterpoller and Taneleboneyer

North East Nation- Buller and Timme

Robinson’s Journeylines through North-east Van Diemen’s Land

Oct 1830 - Jan 1831

Telling Places in CountryTelling Places in CountryMeeting @ Bark HutMeeting @ Bark Hut

A Community, Place and Heritage Research Unit projectA Community, Place and Heritage Research Unit projectRiawunna, UTAS, Launceston.Riawunna, UTAS, Launceston.Chief researcher: Patsy Cameron Chief researcher: Patsy Cameron Project manager: Dr Linn MillerProject manager: Dr Linn MillerFunding body: AIATSISFunding body: AIATSIS

Project Purpose:Project Purpose:To retrace, re-mapTo retrace, re-map and re-interpret Robinson’s journeylines through north-east Tasmania

To produce an ethno-cartographic record of those journeylines

PlacescapesPeopleEvents

Aims and ObjectivesAims and ObjectivesTo expand the scope of research derived from Friendly Mission, the Tasmanian journals and papers of George Augustus Robinson.

To extend methodological frameworks previously adopted

To reveal the To reveal the northeast as Aboriginal CountryAboriginal Country

To facilitateTo facilitate the telling of stories by and for Tasmanian Aboriginal people

Project DesignProject DesignNarrative framework—Robinson’s journals

Research focus—Aboriginal: place, people, events

Research team—Collaborative and inclusive

Investigative focus—Re-mapping and re-interpretation

Research mode

—Experiential—Multi-sensual

—Spatial symmetry—being there

—Temporal symmetry—at that time

Project MethodProject MethodForensic reading of texts Forensic reading of texts

Weaving together traces

Testing hypothesesTesting hypotheses

Drawing upon multiple knowledgesDrawing upon multiple knowledges

Exploring, observing and recording.

Meeting @ Bark Hut Research TeamMeeting @ Bark Hut Research TeamAboriginal Chief investigatorProject Council of EldersAboriginal students and local community peopleAcademics (UTAS, UQ, ANU)Support CrewTrekkersFilm & Sound Crew

N J B Plomley (ed). Friendly Mission, the Tasmanian journals and papers of George Augustus

Robinson, (p438 note 38)

‘It must be emphasised that in plotting Robinson’s journey’s the method adopted of working from maps is not really satisfactory and should have the support of study of the country itself. For regions where accurately contoured maps are available the routes shown are probably fairly accurate, but in other parts- and this is one- there is doubt as to the accuracy of the plotting.’

ReconnaissanceReconnaissance

Gauging Project potentialExploring placescapesChecking bearingsMeeting local people and agencies

Carne NeemerrannerCarne Neemerranner isis ‘telling ground’

Relational EmbodiedRelational Embodied investigation in four interconnected dimensions:four interconnected dimensions:

Spatial Temporal Cultural Historical

The SpatialThe Spatial

Connecting threads in place

Walking Country

Seeing Country

Hearing Country

Feeling Country

Oct 28 - Nov 1, 1830• October 28—George Augustus

Robinson and a party of eight Aboriginal guides had travelled south along the coast from Tebrikunna (Cape Portland) & camped opposite Georges Rocks.

• October 29 —Crossed over the Anson’s Bay barway, and trekked south along the Bay of Fires & camped near The Gardens

• October 30—Proceeded on to Georges Bay & camped overnight 2 miles up Georges River

• October 31—Continued on to the coast where the women dived for crayfish at Giants Rock (Sloop Rock). After ascending a tier of hills and alerted by fresh smoke due west, the group proceeded inland.

• November 1—Robinson’s group make contact with Mannalargenna and 8 of his people and 25 to 30 dogs sheltering from rain in a traditional bark hut.

The TemporalThe Temporal

Connecting threads in time

The right daysThe right timeThe right season

Simply 177 years apart!

The CulturalThe CulturalConnecting threads of culture

Sharing with family

Honouring the ancestors

Respecting others

Connecting with country

Reclaiming country

Placement & Placement & DisplacementDisplacementMartial Law = ‘The Line’ or the ‘Great

Army’

Range and threat of roving parties

Displaced clanspeople

Threats and deception

Leaving Country = walk into exile

Clanspeople at bark hutClanspeople at bark hutMannalargenna (North East Nation)

Plerpleroparner (Nation unknown)

Polelerwine (adolescent- Nation unknown)

Tarnebunner (Nation unknown)

Tranlebunner (Penny Royal Creek Nation)

Ghoneyannener (Stoney Creek Nation)

Lucerenmictic wockener (Oyster Bay Nation)

Robinson’s deceit and Robinson’s deceit and coersioncoersion ‘I told them …such a story of the soldiers

killing the blacks…and all said they would accompany me…I took occasion of the alarm and said the soldiers were coming, that some panner black men was killed and that it was time we went. Appeared myself alarmed saying that I should be shot if I stopped and that I was anxious to get back before the soldiers killed all the natives.’