A Concise History of Australia

7/17/2019 A Concise History of Australia

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A Concise History o

Australiahird dton

MCE

' ..

. ... B. UNVERTY RE


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MBR RY PSSCmbidge, New York, Melbourne, Mdid Cpe Town Sngpoe Sao Plo Delh

Cmbdge Universiy Press4 Wllmstow Rod Po Melbourne, VIC 3207 Asli

Pubshed in he nted Ses o Amec b Cmbdge nvesty Pess New York

www.cmbdge.orgInomion on his le: www.cmbrdgeorg/9780F5608

Sr Mcnye 009st publshed 999Second edon 004

Repined 005 006, 2008Thrd edon 009

Cove desgn b Dvid Toms esgnTypese by Ap

Pned in Chn by Prnpls

A catalogue record for this publication is available rom the British Library

National Librar o Australia Cataloguing in Publication dataMcntyre, St, 194-

A cocse hso o Asr Sr Mcnyre3' ed

980F5608 (hb.)978052735933 (pb.)

Incldes index.Biblogrphy

Aborgn Auslins Hisoy.Repbcnsm - Asr

Ausrl - Hisory

Astl Polcs nd govenmentAusl - Envronmen condons

IL " . I (3)99

: C] f 1 / O IBN 97805608 hdbckSB 978052735933 ppebceprdo d cmmn fo edcn prpses

The Astn opright Act 1968 (the Ac) lows mmm o

bi,

one chpe o 0% o the pges o hs wo whichever s the gretei o be epoduced nd/o commnced by ny edconl nstion

o ts edcton pposes povded ht he edctonl nston

f (or he bod th dminises ) hs gven emneon noice to'i

Copght Agency Lmed (CAL) nder he Act.

or detls o he CAL lcence or edcion insitons conc

ju- )'0

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epd d ommnc oe ppses

cep s pemted unde he Ac (o emple delng o thepposes o study resech ccism or evew no p o ths pblcon

my be repoduced stored n retevl ssem commncted ortnsmited n n om o b n mens who po wen permsson.

Al nquiies should be mde o he publishe he ddress bove.

Cmbrdge nvesy ress hs no esponsbl or he pessence occcy o URLs o eenl or hrdpt erne webses eerred o n

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Fo my daughtes

M A RY A N D J E S S E

his is also hei hisoy


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ist f illstratis

Ackwledgemets

Bginning

CONTENS

2 wco c 6-92

3 Cocion 93-2

4 mancipaion 22-

In al o pog

6 aional conucion 9-93

Sacc 94-94

Goln ag 946-94

9 Rinning Aalia 92

Wa n?

Srces f qtatis

Gide t frter readig

dex

page

6

3

5 3

6

22

2

243

32

39

326

3 3 9


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USRAOS

2 Aborgne n canoe

2.2 An Aborgnal woan

L A S

2 3 Te acenon of Capan Cook

3 Two Aborgnal warror

3 2 R Rebellon

3 3 Bngaree

4 Volence on e froner

4.2 Goernor Arr Procaaon o e Aborgne

43 George Robnon Concaon of e Aborgne of Van

Deen Lan

44 Aborgne n Syney, 3 9

4 Colona reempon

4.6 Colonal Arcay. A grop of gger

2 Aborgna cereony

.3 Searer

.4 ew fro oe

. Te bon bng, Meborne,

6 Te Mare Srke

62 enry Lawon6.3 n Baron an Alfre Deakn

6.4 ae yol

7. Bly ge

72 An proe wellng n e Depreon

page 24

2

26

40

4

63

64

66

6

7

77

7

9

3

9

24

27 3 7

4

7


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llustatins

.3 Aborigina Day of Mourning 9 3

.4 Dougla MacArur an Jon Curin

. Kokoa Track

. Bonegla gran recepon cenre 949

.2 Ben Ciley Cleen Alee an V a

.3 Rober Menie pay ribue o Queen liabe

.4 oka Peroa in Soie cuoy 94

. Te riup of e uperarke

.6 Syney eenager 96

. Aboriginal cilren orern Terrory

. Te urf lifeaer

.9 ynon Baine Jonon an arol ol9 . Macol Fraer

9.2 Bob awke

9.3 Paul Keang

9.4 Te ariie ipue

9. Cilren oerboar

9.6 Sae e Franklin Rier

9. Qana in Aboriginal liery9. Jon owar

M A S

. Auraia e an rer cie an own

. 2 Suna an Saul

. 3 Aborigina Aurala owing ocaion of group

2 . Auralia an e region

4. an eporaion

. Bounare of ae an errorie

l

94

195

24

26

2 3

2

222

22

22

23

232244

247

26

266

2

2

2294

XIV

2

2 2


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ACKNOWEGEMENTS

A cocie hior i ecerl depede o ver lrge bod ohorcl chorhp d Arli hior wl ee he exeo m reice o her work Geore Bolo Ver BrgmJo Dmo Prici Grmhw Joh Hir Jl Roe Joh MoroPeer Nchoo Tim Rowe d Prick Woe ided he prepr-o o he orgi edio We Geerg Joho Rche d

Kim Tore provided reerch ce; D Bell helped whilro Ro Brec Gbrele Mrph Mrie Wh de Wro igheed m cdemic die he Hior Depr-me he iver o Mebore oered m bece d heAr Reerch Coc provided gr h pid or hem m grel o Phlp McGe he commog edor oCmbrdge ver Pre Ari or perdig me o wrie

he book d Je Mckee wih whom beg m dergrd-e die or edg i mphecl. wo revo o he work hve moded ome o he er-

ier chper d lrgel rewre Chper Nie We Geerigheped me o gher ddiol merl d beeed rom hedvce o A Ako Peer Beihr Ncho Brow AdBrowM Mche Ce Greme Dvio Pl HmioMrl ke Khre Mm Peer Mheo Se Sclmeror Simic Peer Sperr d To Tlor b h edio mrked lo b he iece o m oher ried d colege hve ered rom de hve gh d pogrde whoereerch hve perved; he chce o hre m ere whdergrde Hrvrd beg preprg he pree ediow vble


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Acknwledgeents X

A coce io io wie o ieio edehiee oou d chllege The locl ede look ohe mili dmk The ovee ede o e ohe dh lile miii wh hem. A ive o comoed o edd e i ulke o exli Aul o hoe wo do obg ome io kowledge o i; olcl o me wl be o lece o hoe wo hve o ecoueed em beoe. I hveedevoued o ume lile d o i bodbu icue iwhch e dei ubodied o he ccec eue

Th i e dou Secili wil cuie e ex ocuio o e coce Thoe wo ee og bou c

u cue wl ke he mou o eo ccoded em idex o mhe Suc weighg o ooo ievbe dI m we m emhe e ideed dicve o m owudedig d icliio M uoe howeve beeo ee ve h ex wh i comoe hve lce he o o d how he coue o geeedcuio I ve ied o e Au o wii he lge

hio o wc i om d o dw ou como wohe o e wod Tee eo e me o eve eovee ede who mgh hve ee Aui lm o glmedhe u o o cou o eevio bu d e-que eoed cue I wg I hve i mid hevio who ecoue he ldce d locl uge bu d heicoecig logic dcul o decie. I hoe h eve o coecwh he ee d he wi moe emic ccou o ow

cme o be.I dedced e edio o e book o m wo dughe

bo Egld ied Aui d ow divided beweeMeboue d Vcouve wo oo oe hd ei he l heedgogue d l log wee ucg hm ei iee dcoce Bo he d ubeque I ged bee uded-g o hi excge wel ubec beod Aul ho

om m wie M

Su McieSeembe 2008


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500.

kometres

Crs

Mel o

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'

. Ta;a&

nceson

Mauai H,Fnkln HbaDeeR, Pot Arthur

Map l Australia: the main rivers, cities and towns


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I

Beginnings

How d whe did Ai beg? Oe erio o he co- oigi erio gh o geeo o choo chidred e dow i lee d r memoil d iee wold he h Ari hio commeced he ed o heeigheeh cer Ae eel cerie o Eroe ogig i

he ohe oce he Egh lee J me Cook iedhe ee co i 1770, med New Soh We d cimedoeio i he me o hi moch Wihi we e heBrh goeme diched exedio o ee New SohWle O 26 Jr 1 788 commde Arh Phli medgoeme oer he ee h he co The hod o-ce roo ciii oci d coced elo who cme horeom he elee eel o he i lee chored i Sde H-

bor ered he w or ler mmg bod d ree whoed o oe he coe exlored d eed oeed dbded i

Th or o eeg d bogh o le b Endeavu,he me gie o Cook d h d he qi ribed ohoe who olowed hm. The choicler o he i lee ecordedhow dg oded he oe ceed ce o he

wooded loe o Sde Coe d eeced her r hbioThe were decibig he de o ciiio The od o xeo wood Egih eel o ode ec boke he lece o ime widee


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A Cncise Histy f Australia

The newcome brogh wh hem lveock pn nd ooThe o bogh me ooki hioned fom he objecveioni o he Enighenmen nd coreponding beie nhm cpc he mol cen d en d o evngel

c Chin nd he cqiive ich o he mrke Thoe wo hinkng nd cg mde poibe he ebihmen of Eo-pen domnion over he e o he word Th ccomplhme nrn hped he ndernding o ecoomic eorce nvigionrde bon oo og nhropoog d ho

Hior eved he new dve o conrol nd ode he nrlword o ndend nd even diec even A new wene of

geogph nd chonolog o pce nd ime xed nd merbe encoged n ndendg o hio brnch ofknowledge ndependen o he ndpo o he oberve whle he me ime dicoed n inien proce o mpovemen ndprogre h egimed he epcemen o he old b he newSeen h he ho o Arl formed e chper n BihEropen nd wold hor

Th veron o Al' begnnng emphied i ngeneThe pln nd nim even he hmn hbin conondedexing xonome; he wee boh old nd ew The monoremend mpl wrmbooded niml h reprodced b egg ocrried he opring in poch eemed o be pmive orenne of he plcen mmm nd he me ime benveron o ne Hence he peme o he erl New SohWe jdge nd hmeer Bron ield

Kangaroo KangaooTou Spiri of Auralia!Ta reee fro uer failureFrom perfec eoaionAn warran e creaionOf i f par of e arWic woul ee an aerbr

n hi veron of Arln ho he novel of he pce i w New Holnd beore becme New Soh Wle w o-ened b chng dein o impeil oigin Colonil horook Bh nd Eopen chievemen i pon o depre


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Beginnings 3

Behd the de moitio o the fthet fote of ettle-met of the Bth Emie w the ihetce of tittio c-tom d execttio A l ofce who i 803 wtched tem of coict oked to ct tht w k to it xle

i the omig d hi of othe b comfoted hmelf with the io of ecod Rome ig fom coitio ofBdtti elte m d t

Th ettlemet w bdoed d the ofce eted eet-l to Egd bt othe ted d ewoked h tcitiohee beqet ioe thoght of Atl ot mee m-ttio bt tikig ot ew The beleed tht the t id-

cotet offeed the chce to ee behid the Old Wold eiof oet ilege d co With the tito the mid-dle of the ieteeth cet fom el ettlemet to fee defgoeg commite the emhi hifted fom coloiimitto to tio exemetto Wth the gold h dettlemet d b gowth md ted fom deedec toelffcec d fom hito tht woked ot the meilegc to oe of efdcoe

Dig the ieteeth cet d wel ito the tweteth theetmet of coloil tioim eed the deie to mk A-ti of fom Biti d Eoe The the t imei tiewee eeed ee tht w of ditigihig the chld fom theet ot meig t lce oe the ide of Ati de-titio fo lcome fom ee t of the wod which eedthe mtict tttde tht fomed the c oig decde of the

twetieth cet d fthe demied the fodtiol g-cce of 7 88 .

he blg of oig ted Al hto to toof joe d il hed b d cotg ght tothe eet. Bt ch mdgg w too coeet t fled totf the eed fo emotio ttchmet d t eft eed theickig of cocece he dee fo bidg tiol t tht

wold coect the eole to the d w ftted b the feeig ofootlee of oelt withot deth he logig fo beloggto idgeo clte w dee b the ogl toA hito of coloitio elded to elitio of o


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A Concise Histoy of Austalia

By the end o the twenteth centy t was no longe possle tomantan the cton o Astala as tea nul/ius a and that ntlts settlement n 1788 acked hman hataton, law, goenmento hstoy. An altenate egnnng was appaent. Astala o,athe, the eae andmass o Sahl, a age sand contnent thatextended nothwads nto Papa New Gnea and emaced thepesent sand o Tasmana was the ste o an eale way o lethat had eoled oe many mlenna. The gowng ecogntono ths asty extended Astaan hstoy spoke to latetwentethcenty sensty. t eeaed soca ogansaton, ecoogca pactces, langages, at oms and spta ees o geat antqty

and chness. By emacng the Aognal past, nonAognalAstaans attached themseles to the conty.

They dd so, howee, not smpy ot o a dese o econclatonand hamony t ecase they wee chalenged y the Aognapesence. The edscoey o ths onge hstoy occed aongsdethe eal o ndgenos ogansaton and cte, the one pocesseedng nto the othe and yet each possessng ts own dynamc.

Fo the Aogna and Toes Stat sande peopes, the Eopeannason was a tamatc eent wth lastng conseqences o themode o e, heath, welae and ey dentty. Bt thes was alsoa stoy o sa the sa o the cstoms and pactcesand o the stoes and songs thogh whch they wee mantaned.Whle the shang o the clte dew attenton to the saand enttlements, they wee elctant to sende contol o t

Fo nonAognal scholas, een the most sympathetc, t ths

ecame necessay to nd new tems on whch the stdes colde condcted Anthopoogsts wee no longe ae to assme theycold take p esdence among a local commnty, osee ts ways,ecod ts testmony and speak on ts eha. Achaeoogsts coldnot excaate stes wthot egad to Aognal sensttes, andmsems had to ge p collectons o ateacts and hman emansEen as eseaches pshed ack the eaest known date o the

Aogna pesence n Astala, they wee oced to accommodatethese constants. The second eson o Astalan hstoy, the onethat egns not at 8 8 CE t at east 50,000 and possy 60,000o moe yeas eoe the pesent, s at once moe contoesa,moe apdy changng and moe compelng.


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Beginnings 5

t s contoesia not smy because o ssues o cutal ownesh bt becase o the ntelecta and emotonal chalenges toses. Een t s emssbe to aoate othe cltes s tossbe to comehend them The olde hstoy notced Aboignes ony as a tagc and distbing esence ictims o the ionaw o ogess. The atn tem Ab igines means ltealy thosewho wee hee om the begnning ts esistence desite attemtsto nd othe moe secc designations sch as ae sed o aboigna eoes in othe ats o the wod attests to thei abidingesence.

The emnants o ths Abogna way o e wee theeoe ieced

togethe and tted into the jgsaw uzze o ehstoy to dscose ahieachy o eoles at dieent stages o comlexty sohisticatonand caacity. Abogna taditons wee o nteest o the lightthey shed on this ehstoy o n the absence o wtten ecodschonology and eectie oitical authoty the Abognas weedeemed to lack a hstoy o the own. Denied agency n the eentsthat began n 788 they wee no moe than objects o hstoy.

t s ecisely that dea o histoy that s now cast nto doubt bythe new undestandng o the Austalan ast. n the contyshghest cot ond that the alcaton o the doctne o tea nullius when the Btsh goenment clamed soeeignty eended ona dscminatoy dengaton o ndgenous inhabitants Seakingx months late beoe an Aboiginal audence the ime mnstewent uthe. We took the taditional lands and smashed the oiginal way o le Pau eatng stated. We boght the diseases. The

alcohol. We committed the mudes. We took the chiden omthei mothes. We actsed dscmnation and exclson.

eating cted these ast wongs n a st o econclaton insstng thee s nothing to ea o lose n the ecogniton o hstoicaltuth. et oe the olowng decade eey one o his statementswas contested. Hs successo John Howad dsmissed the ecommendatons o the Reconciation Councl. Howads goenment

eected the ndings o an ocial nquy into the Stolen Geneatons o Aboigina chlden taken om thei aents and estctedthe oeation o nate tite. Othes hae nssted that the ognanhabtants o this county wee a mitie eole ncaable o seos esstance and that the Btish settlement o Astaia was the


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6 A Cncise Histy f Austalia

las oln o a Eops ncons wh h Nw Wod. Thqson o naional ogns has n bn so cly consd.

Th isandconnn o Asaia so h scinss l s omdas h ga spconnn o Panga bok p in h mo pas.Fs Laasa n h noh spaad om Gondwana n h soh.Thn wha wod bcom nda Aca Soh Amica and NwZaand bok om Gondwana and dd noh and asi phaps 5 mion yas ago Asaia and Nw Gina ddh sam n naly hy soppd sho o h sandchan haxnds om ndochna down o Tmo. Alhogh h ocans osand l wh piods o wamh and cold his as landa was

aways sondd by wa. Th dp chann ha oday spaasSohEas Asa om h nohws coas o Asalia naowda ms o as l as kiloms b n cosd. Th saalways spaad Sahl h coninna sh ha ncompassd Asala Tasmana and Nw Gina om Snda h achiplago haook in Maaya Smaa Bono and Jaa. Th spaaon camo b known as h Walac in a h ninnhcny sc

ns who showd ha i was a pmann oologca diid hadmacad h Easian spcs om hos o Asaia and NwGina.

Asala was hs soad. was aso makably gologicaysab. Th was i o h bckling and oding o h ahscs ha lswh podcd high monan angs o dp s.Togh wih h lai absnc o gacaon and h nqncyo ocanc aciy his an od a landmass ch n min

a dposs b shalow in soi coing. Wahng and osonlachd h sol o nns. Th makabl disy o plansand animas ha old and oishd in hs nonmn hado adap o majo cimaic changs. Rainoss xpandd and conacd nland aks ld and mpid canos w lss dablhan hbos.

Whn h las ic ag ndd som 1 yas ago and h

psn sholn omd Asaia xndd 3 kloms omh nohn opcs o h sohn laids and kilomsom as o ws. Mch was aid pan and mch o h an ha lon h in o monains nning down h asn saboad owdno h Pacic Ocan. Mo han any oh landmass his onwas makd by h nqncy and niably o ain. Sciniss


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Beginnings

t

Map . 2 Suna an Sau

hae ecenly denied he E No Osclaion ndex o measue aclmaic phenomenon ha occus when he ade winds ha ow

om he eas acoss he Pacc Ocean ai. Wih ha aue wamwae accumuaes o he Souh Ameican coas and ngs ecesoms o he Amecas; conesely, he code wae on his sideo he Pacic educes eapoaon and coud omaon and huscauses poonged dough in easen Ausala. The E Nio cyclelass om wo o egh yeas and clmaoogiss can deec in


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A onise History of Astraia

ecods gong back to the eay nneteenth centy. t is pobabethat it has opeated o mch onge, and shaped the eotion othe Astaan enonment.

The nata histoans who mae at the ch desity o thissingla enionment nd n t an ingenios anthopomophsm.The pants best sted to sch ccmstances sent down deep ootsto seach o moiste, sed naow leaes and togh bak to minmise eapoaton and oss o tal id, and scatteed seeds capableo egeneaton ae ying o ong peods on the dy eath. Theywee gal n the eking ot o ntents and podiga in theiepodcton Some o them, sc as the stands o ecalypts that

spead a be hae nde the hot sn, actiey enisted the assistanceo the condtons by stewng the gond wth incendiay matealto bn o compettos and stimate the own egeneation. n thepyohstoy o Astaia, the ast and sleepng contnent s econged as an aena n which the gm tees timphed by kndling aey otex.

Sch es wold hae been ignted peodicaly by ightning

stikes o othe natal cases, bt by this time thee was anothencenday agent hmans. The acqsition o contol oe eby Hoo sapiens poded potection, heat, lght and powe thedomestc heath became ste and symbol o hman socety. t mghtwe hae been the sght o comns o smoke sing on the nothwest shoe o Sah that attacted peope on isand extemites oSnda to coss the nteening sea . We do not know when ths passage occed, why o een how. t was pobably achieed by bamboo ats, as the eslt o popaton pesse and at a time whenthe Tmo Sea was low. The most ecent lowpoint, metesbeow pesent sea ee, occed abot 1, yeas ago; bt theedence o occpaton beoe then is clea The same lowpointocced abot , yeas ago, pobaby too ealy. n betweenthese two appoxmate dates, the sea eceded to some 6 metes lessthan today abot , yeas ago and dd not egan ts pesent

ee nti the ast ce age ended n the ast , yeasThe achaeoogca edence o hman pesence n Astala

emans statingly cose to the imits o elabe dating Aiamoe than , yeas ago is now genealy accepted; thee aestong agments o 6, yeas, and a stil onge pesence


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Beginning

canno be rued out. Furhermore a mounting body of evidencesuggess a raid occuation of ustraia with human habitationextending from the lush troics of he norh to the icy rigours of hesouth he rich coasa waterlands and he harsh interior Wheneverthe rst foorin fel on usralian soi i marked a new achievement by Hoo apien mariime migration ou of the fricanEuroeansian andmass into a new and.

T u is of cous a my own popl Riaung a scnfom ga Danawa wo cam fom islan of Baalu fa acoss sa Ou spiis un o Baalu wn w i Danawa cam ins cano wi is wo siss following monng sa wic gui

m o sos of Ylangbaa on asn coas of Anm LanTy wal fa acoss couny following ain clous Wn ywan wa y plung i igging sc ino goun an fswa follow Fom m w lan nams of all caus on lan an y aug us all ou Law

he Djankawa sory od by Wandjuk Marika is only one of manyboriginal sories Ohers tel of differen origins of ancestors coming from he and or from he sky and of he muabiiy of humanswih oher ife forms. his sory is of origins hat begin wih a journey of the signs tha ed the ancestors to heir desinaion and ofhe bouny of the land ha susained hem.

Such creation stories are o be found for oher eoles as with hebooks of Genesis and Exodus in the Od estamen bu hey bearlighly on the consciousness of those who si read hem. ncesralevents as recorded in stories songs and riuas have a aricu

lar signicance in borigina ives for they exress a aricularyclose relaionshi to he and. he events hat occurred during heDreamime or he Dreaming boh English terms are used as inexac translaions of ha used by he rrernte eoe of Centra ustraia atyerre creaed the hills and creeks lans and animasand imrined heir sirit on he ace

he reservation and racce of his knowedge hus afms he

cusodianshi of he and. Here is how a Northern erritory manPaddy Jaajarri Stewar exlains its imortance:

My fas ganfa aug m rs, an af a wil my faaug m sam way as is fa ol uupa [Daming an nmy fa is lling sam soy abou wa s fa ol im an now


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A onie Hitory of Astraia

s acing ow o li on sa kin of ukurrpa an follow way wa y granfar i an n ac wa y far ian n I going o ac y grancirn sa way as y faraug

Wn y far was ali is is wa aug . a aug raiional ways lik raiional signs in boy or a of kangarooDraing as wa w cal arlu Draing) an agl Draing. aug ow o sing song for big cronis Pop wo ar ra ous in a clos faily y a o a sa sor of ukurrpa Draingan o sing songs in sa way as w o our acions lik ancing anpainings on our boy or sis or ings an is is wa y faraug My Draing is kangaroo Draing agl Draingan bugrigar Draing so I a r kins of Draing in y ukurrpa

an I a o ang ono i is is wa y far aug an is iswa I a o ac y sons an y son as o ac is sons saway as y far aug an as way i will go on fro granparnso sons an folow a ukurrpa oon knows wn i will n

Paddy Jaajari Sewa ecorded his esmony y aerecoden hs own language n 9 9 . He evokes he coninuiy of Dreamngfom grandfahe and faher o son and gandson down he gen-

eraons and acoss he assage of me ye he nssence on heoigaion o eserve and ansm hs hee jukurras aess ohe coosve osslies of secuar change. He goes on o aver hahe manenance of he Dreaming has o e eay sc so hahs famly wl no lose lke a ae o how i away o gve away o ohe famies'. he oveay of new echnology on cusom-ary knowedge heghens he conas eween a nding adionand a fagle dsosae as. he hsory ha is ecorded on aer

lke oher documens such as land les can e os or suendeedo ohers. he hisoy ha is ived and renewed whin he ies ofhe famiy remans you own.

he oignal eoe who occued Sahu encouneed radcalydieen condiions fom hose hey ef in Sunda. he asence ofedaors for hee wee few canivoous comeios hee gavehem an enomous iniia advanage hey sread over an exraor-

dnary ange of ecooges oical nohen foess asmananglacaed highlands he dry nerio and had o adjus o majo clmac changes Ove hundeds o generaons hey adaed o hesedferen changng envionmens and n urn hey eaned how omanuae hem o augmen he food suy. s hunegaherers


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Beginnings

hey lved off he land with a precise and nimae knowledge of isresorces and seasonal paerns They organsed socaly n exendedfamles wih specc righs and specc responsiblies for speccconry and rles o regate heir neracion wh ohers

Hnergaherer is boh a echnical term and something more Irefers o a mode of materal ife; signes a stage n hman hisoryFory hosand years ago when srala was poplaed by hner-gaherers every hman socey in every part of the word prac-tsed hnergaherng Sbseqeny agricltre repaced hner-gaherng in Erope mch of sia frica and he mericas gri-cltre enabled greaer prodcivy ssaned hgher poplaton

denses gave rse o owns and he ameniies of rban fe s became possble o prodce more than a sbsisence weah coldbe accmaed and alow a dvsion of labor Sch speciaisation fosered technoogcal improvemen commerce and ndsry;i sppored armies rlers and breacras who cod conrol argepolica nits with a corresponding extension of capaciy

When Brish and other Eropean nvesgaors rst enconteredhe stralan borgnes hey ed hem into a adder of hmanprogress on which he hnergaherer socey occpied he lowesrng The nneteenhcenry hsoran James Bonwck who wroeexensvey of borgna hsory emphassed he rcadan vrteof her way of fe b aways assmed ha hey were doomed oyed to Eropean ways or him as for most of his conemporariesthe ndigenos peope represented a prmive aniqy hat lackedthe capacy to change as he p t hey knew no past they waned

no fre.More recen nerpreatons sgges oherwse Prehistorans

(hogh he perssence of his erm indcaes hat he new sensbiity s incompee) are strck by the remarkabe longevty andadapably of hnergaherer socetes Demographers sggesha hey maintaned a hghly sccessfl eqlbrm of poplaionand resorces Economiss have fond ha hey prodced srplses

raded made technoogical advances al wh far ess effor hanagrcralss. Lngss are strck by he dversy and sophsticaton of heir langages nhropoogss discern compex relgionstha gded sch people's lves and movemens encoded ecologcawsdom assred genec varey and manained socal coheson


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2 A onise History of Astraia

rrnt

500m

hsrug Kringgsi

inwrung_

Map Aboigna Auraia owing locaion of groupnon n i ioy D. R oron (.), TheEnlopeda of Aborgnal A utrala Canbra AuraianIniu of Aboiginal an Tor Sai Ian Sui anAulig 994 ) T io warn a i ap inica only gnral ocaion of largr grouping of pop wic ayncu alr group uc a clan iac or iniiuaanguag n a goup Bounari a no inn o bac For or infoaion abou goup of popl in a

paricula gon conac lan lan council T api no uiab for u in nai l an or lan clai.

Wh her egaaran soca and pocarucure farung rad-ng neworks and above a her rch sprua and cuura fe heceebraed Fench anhropoogs Caude LvSrauss descrbed heusraan borgnes as neecua arsocras.

hese reappasas overurn he rgd herarchy of hsorcaprogress hough sequena sages from prmve o modern andenabe us o apprecae he sophscaon of a cvsaon of greaeongevy han any oher n word hsory. Ye here remans hechaenge o expan he apparen ncapacy of he bogna


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Beginnings 3

stalans to wthstand the nvasion of Fo al ts advan-tages and ts caacty to meet chaenges ove moe than foty m-lennia the indgenos olaton cold not mantain soveregntywhen confonted by Brtish settlers t was by no means alone n

ths ncaacty of corse other hntegatherer societes as wel asagriclta ones and even those with moe extensve commercial instttons sccmbed to Eoean conest n the seven-teenth eighteenth and nineteenth centes The stralan exe-ence oints the artica vlnerablty of an soated civlisatonto extena aggesson.

The boigines wee not wholy ct off from external contact

The native dog the dingo eached straa some yeas ago twas the st and ony domestcated anima Traders from SothEastsa wee vstng the nothern coast before Eoean settlementbinging ottey coth and metal toos. Sch externa inenceswere fa less signicant howeve than internal ocesses of changewroght by the bogines themselves. Thei aiva had almostcetainy hastened the extinction of eaier megafana Thei se ofe to brn off ndergrowth and encorage new aste fo the

emaining masials as we as thei systematc havesting of sta-e ants had altered the andscae. Ther technologcal nnovatonacceleated with the deveoment of new toos the dgging stick andthe satla shng net and canoe boomerang and woomera netand sea hafted axe and seciased stone mlements The con-stction of weirs and channels to ta ees sorted oatonsof seveal hndred in semiemanent hosing.

The evidence of this inventveness is conrmed by the absence ofmany sch tems fom the island of Tasmana whch was seaatedfom the manland some years ago whle the disaearanceof boginal commnties on the smale Flndes and Kangaooislands attests to the fagiity of remote settements. The ntens-caton of the hntergathere economy obaby soted largernmbers we do not know the olation histoy bt ecent esti-

mates sggest ehas threeartes of a milion eoe ived herein .The way of lfe held the oation at a leve determned by

the food that was avalable at the tmes of geatest scacty bt itwas far fom a constant stggle fo sbsistence. The hntng of


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A onise History of Astraia

game shing snaring and harvesing of foodsffs were part of aneaorae sysem of environmenal management and this essentialactivity was nderaken along wih oher activiies to provide shelerand clothing renew equipment condc rade and commnicaion

mainain aw and order and pracise ceremony and riual. heorigina way of life is seen as affording a large amont of eisuretime for cultral and aristic pursits ut sch a disincion etweenwork and leisre separates domains of life tha were conjoined.Equaly artistic expression enered into he most centra forms ofmaerial practice and original religion encompassed al aspecsof ife t is his organic characer of eief and social pracice ha

aracts so many presenday admirers of a Dreamime wisdom: acosmology tha prescried he necessary knowledge of a people andsauraed heir every acion wih spiriua signicance.

Did the deep respec for radition sie more radical ransformaions hat might have alowed he origina peope to resist theinvasion of 88? he passage of time and temporal change socentra in Western hoght do not have hat stats in originalonoogy f he land is primary and pace immtae hen hisory

cannot have he same deerminae roe For he Europeans whoook possession of he land hisory exercised a powerf forwardmomenm of consan change and improvemen. For he orig-inas he pattern of evens was rhythmica as we as inear heDreamime was not a ime ut a se of aiding events. In a socieymade up of smal grops whose memers set heir fee carefuy inthe fooseps of those who had gone efore change coud only e

incremenal.I wold cerainy appear hat heir economy and forms of organi-

sation se imits on the capaciy o concnrate resorces or mont aconcered resisance. he asic ni was he exended famiy inkedy inermarriage eief and angage ino arger terrioria grops.

Eropeans descried such grops as ries hat term hasnow faen ino disfavo and the preferred designation is peope

thus he Eora peope of presenday Sydney or he Wajk peopeof presentday Perh. hese peopes in trn interaced wih neigh-orng peoples hrogh rade aiance and anagonism here weresome 2 50 disinct angage grops t mos originas wold haveeen mliinga. hey came ogether in enarged nmers from


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Beginning 5

time to time fo ceemonia occasions that were constrained in sizeand dation y the availaility of food. Cros and heds woldhave elaxed those constaints and alowed geater density of sette-ment larger concentations of wealth and ower; t originas

did not domesticate animals aart from the dingo and they did notactise agictre.

The faile to do so was not for want of ecedent. The movementof hmans into ahl occred when staia was continos withNew Ginea and the two conties wee stil joined y a neck ofland nea Cae York to 8000 years ago By that time igs wereket and gardens cleared to gow tao in the Highlands of New

Ginea. The originals of the Cae York egion contined to hntfo their meat and gather thei lant food The reference it canony have een a choice etween aternatives since the Cae Yorkoiginals ossessed sch New Ginean items as drms amooies and otigger canoes might e exained y diffeences ofsoil and egiona climate.

For the est of straia the environment roaly made thenecessary investment in agriclta odction and storage neco-

nomic. Unless the El Nio henomenon is a recent one the eiodiclack of ainfal over the eastern twothirds of the continent madedeendence on cros too risky. The originals were moie e-stick farmers athe than sedentay slashandrn agictalists;they tended their ants as they visited them fed thei animas onoen gassland rathe than y hand and kiled their meat on theange instead of in the en. They tacked the erratic sorces of

their iveihood with simlied athe than elaoate shelters anda otae toolkit that met thei needs. This was an ingenios andcosey caiated resonse to a niqe environmenta chalenge.


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2

Newcomers, c. 1 600-1 79 2

The stories of the Deaming tel of eginnings that ae oth specicand genera They narrate particlar events that occurred in paticula paces t those events ae not xed chronologically since theyspan the past and the present to carry an endring meaning rchaeologists and prehistorians seek a different sort of pecision yet theirhypotheses and conjectres can provide only road approximationsfor the rst hman haitation in ustraia By contrast the storyof the second settlement is known in minte paticuaity It con-sisted of 0 peope who had sailed in eleven vessels to New SothWales from the southern Engish nava town of Portsmoth viaTenerife Rio de Janeiro and Cape Town on a maathon voyage ofjst over eight months; thityone died during the voyage The sr-vivos eached the noth shore of Botany Bay on 8 Januay 88

ut landed kilometres to the north in a cove of Pot Jacksoneight days later On a space cleared in the wooded sope that isnow cental Sydney the British ag was hoisted as the commanderCaptain rthu Phillip took foma possession of the new coony

We have his account of the voyage and settlement as wel asother pulished accounts and the ofcia instructions dispatcheslogs jounals diaies and ettes of those who accompanied him

We know the names of evey person their status and dties thestoes they ought with them and the livestock plants and seedseven the ooks that they roght ashoe to estalish the colony.We can plot the actions of the colonists with an ampitde of detaileyond almost al other similar ventures for this was a late episode


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Newoer 7

n Euopean expansion and he mos powefu o f al he Europeansaes brough an accumulaed ogansaonal capaciy o Fuhermore he selemen a New Souh Waes was he bdgeheadfo Bish occupaion of he whole of usala he anding a

Sydney Cove he fomaive momen of a new naon ha wouldafewards eenac is oigns n he celebraion of 6 January asusala Day.

Ye n he making of he anniversary as wel as he unendngseam of wrng on he foundaon of European usraia hereis consan dispuaion. On he cenenary of Brish selemen in1888 radica naonalss aacked he ofcial ceebaions for san

isng he pas of he convics who made up he majoriy of Php'spay Ffy yeas aer borgnal cics boycoed he eenacmenof he landng and decaed Januay a Day of Poes and Moun-ng. Duing he bicenenary n 9 88 he ocal oganises arrangeda passage up Sydney Harbou of ships fom around he wod npefeence o he unofcia oila ha reaced he voyage fromPosmouh bu hs dd no assuage he borgna poeses wholung a copy of a new bcenennial hsoy ino he waes of Sydney

Cove. s wih pubc riual so wh he scholay inerpreaon ofBish selemen s inaon pupose efcacy and consequencesare all debaed moe vigoousy now han ever befoe Was pa ofa arger mpeia design o an mpovisaion? Was usaia meano be a dumpinggound fo convcs or a saegic and mercanlebase? Dd begn wh an ndescrbabe hopelessness and con-fuson' as he counys mos emnen hsoran pu i o was

a pace of order and edempion? Was i an invasion or peacefuloccupaon despoaon o mprovemen a pace of exie or hopeesangemen o aachmen? he accumulaion of reseach bringsmoe exac knowedge of he fomave evens whie he passage ofime weakens ou connecion wh hem and alows a muplcyof meaning o be found in hem. Wh he end of he age of European empe and evva of he ndgenous pesence he soy of he

second seemen of usaia is no cearer han he s.

he expansion of Euope began wih nena conques rom eayn he second milennum of he Chsan ea waors wee subdu-ng barbarian and nde peoples n he borde egons ceaing new


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1 8 A onise History of Astraia

settements and eheasing the methods that alowed movementnoh into he Baic east ove the Uas wes ino he Atantic andsoth down he Afican coas and acoss o East Asia. These excsions gaheed pace fom he fteenth centy onwads bt iniiay

involved ony imied nmbes Acqisition by ade and conqeswas he obec and Eopean advenes absobed he knowedge(compass and gnpowde) echniqes (cossbow and pintingpess) and podcts (poao and omao) of ohe civiisaions

n Asia whee he opeans enconteed iteae socieies withhighy deveoped economies they esabished gaisons and adingcenes fo he acqisiion of spices cofee ea and exties. In the

Ameicas hey eaped windfa gains of pecios bion and inthe Caibbean hey woked sga and tobacco pantations wihsave abo shipped fom Afica. Ony in Noth Ameica and heempeate egions of Soth Ameica did they see in signicannmbes: as late as 1 800 jst 4 pe cent of Eopeans lived aboad.

Thee wee nonopean empies hose of the Manchs inChna the Moghs in India he Oomans and Safavids Atecs andIncas bt none of hem wihsood he gowh of opean powe.

hey wee bi on age conigos eitoies with a coheenniy he Eopean ones wee fang newoks hown acossoceans moe mobie and enepising. Spain Potga Hoandance and Bitain he pincipal maitime saes on he Atanticfinge of the Eopean peninsa josed and competed wih eachothe sping fthe gowth and innovaion Ye he same ivayimposed a gowing cos Bitain and ance which emeged ding

he eigheenth ceny as the wo eading opean powes axedhei sengh as hey fogh epeaedy on sea and and. om heSeven Yeas Wa ( 1 7 5 3 ) Bitain emeged victoios wih contoof Noh Ameica and India In the foowing ond of hosiitiesance took sevea of he West Indian isands and Biain os mostof Noth Ameica o is own coonists in he Wa of Ameican Independence ( 1 483 ) . By then ance was on he vege of evoion

and Biain sained nde he emoseess demands fo evene andives needed o sstain is impeia gaison sate.he Biish oss of its Ameian coonies a the end of the eigh

teenh ceny signaed a new phase of empie. Bian ned ofnecessiy away fom he Aanic o the as and seement of


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Newces c. 19

Austaia was pat of its expansion in Asia and the Pacic The sameeese aso encouaged a econsideation of how the empie shoudbe conducted Afte the concusion of the Napoeonic Was in 1 8 1 5 thee was a shift fom the expensie miitay effot needed to po

tect tade monopoies with its accompanying buden of domestictaxation towads sefsustaining economic deeopment and feetade he tansition was ess maked in India whee the cost ofexpading the empie was tansfeed fom the Bitish taxpaye tothe oca peasant than in settecoonies such as Canada AustaiaNew Zeaand and South Afica

These coonies of settement ike the fome Bitish coonies in the

United States and the Ibeian coonies in Agentina and Uuguaymak out a distinctie zone of Euopean expansion. Thee was itteeffot in them to maintain the existing ode to ente into commecia eations with thei inhabitants o ecuit them as abou;instead these ands wee ceaed and setted as fesh eds of Euopean endeaou. Thei tempeate cimates wee sufcienty simia to suppot Euopean iestock pastue and cops; thei ocabiota wee ess diese and ess esistant to the weeds and pests

the Euopeans bought with them; thei indigenous inhabitantswee decimated by impoted diseases Befoe the nineteenth centuythe sette coonies payed a mino economic oe in the Euopeanimpeia system; theeafte as agescae industiaisation ceateda mass maket fo the pimay poducts of thei igin soi theybecame the weathiest and most apidy gowing egions outsideEuope.

An account of the coonia settement of Austaia that eies onthe ogic of economic and ecoogica impeiaism eaes too muchunexpained The impication that the Austaian Aboigines simpydisappeaed with the adent of Euopean pathogens is as unpesuasie as the suggestion that the Maoi poided no effectie esistanceto the Pakeha in New Zeaand It equied a substantia Euopeaneffot to subdue the indigenous peopes of the egions of settement and no ess an effot to justify thei expopiation Notionsof poidence and destiny dignied images of the natie based onutua diffeene and aia infeioity The Bitish cam to hePacic with thei sense of supeioity as the inheitos of Westenciiity and beaes of Chistian eeation enhanced by the futhe


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2 A oncs Hsory of Ausrala

advantags of scintic knowdg industia pogss and ibty.Th ast of ths might sm an uniky caim fo a coony thatbgan with convicts but was no ss inuntia fo that. A Biton'sfdom was basd on obdinc to th Cown und a systm of

constitutiona govnmnt that safguadd th subjct's ights. Thxamp of th Amican coonis and th pubican doctins po-caimd th as w as in Fanc svd as a sautay mind ofth consquncs of vioating such ights.

Th stt socitis spawnd by uop w thus xtnsions andnw bginnings. Thy appid and adaptd tchnoogis with podigious suts cutivatd pincips as w as pants and snt thm

back to wh thy had com fom with nhancd potncy. Yt vnin th Unitd Stats and th fom Spanish and Potugus coonisof Cnta and South Amica that thw off thi tutag to fogth distinctiv fatus of th dmocatic nationstat th stt-citizns maind tid to thi oigins. Th nw pubics dndthmsvs as whit bothhoods. Howv much thy mphasisdthi diffnc fom thi mtopoitan cousins whatv thi conscious and unconscious adaptation to oca ways thy maind

stangd fom th indignous pops. Th nation that aos onth gassands of Austaia ik thos on th Noth Amican painand th Agntin pampas was a co socity insistnt on its pacin th uopan diaspoa.

Th Bitish w aggads in th Pacic. Th Spanish Potugusand Dutch pcdd thm into th achipago that xtnds down

its wstn fing. Spain aon hd th astn xtmity fom thStait of Magan up to Cafonia. Btwn ths two sids of thPacic basin sttchd 5, kiomts of wat dottd with thousands of vocanic o coa isands fw of sufcint siz o wath toattact Euopan attntion. Thy had aady bn navigatd andsttd in a sis of movmnts that bgan with th human occupation of Sahu mo than yas ai and cuminatd atth bginning of th ast minnium with th occupation of EastIsand in th ast and Nw Zaand in th south. Ths pop ofth sa pactisd agcutu kpt domstc anias and sustaind amosaic of poitis. In 56 th Spanish dispatchd an xpdition insach of god to th Soomon Isands but that ndd in massacand countmassac. n 5 9 5 and 65 thy patd th vntu


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wcomrs c 2

i th Solomos ad Vauatu whih Pdro d Quios amd aAustalia dl siritu Sato with th sam rsult. I 1 0 his ollagu Torrs saild wst though th strait that sarats Australiafrom Nw Gua

Mawhl th Portugus had ushd south fom Idia as fa asTimor ad ossibl to th Austalia oast Aftr thm am thDuth who i th svtth tu stablishd a tradig miri th ast Idis. Th out fom Hollad to Batavia took thirshis oud th Ca of Good Ho ad th ast with th rvailig wids aross th Idia Oa bfo th tud orth forJava Giv th difult of stablishig logtud ma of thr

vssls outd th wstr oast of Austalia somtims withfatal osus th loatio stud ad rtrival of th otts of Duth wrks maks Wstr Australia a tr of mariarhaolog B th middl of th svtth tur th Duthhad mad th wstr half of Australia whih th alld NwHollad ad trad som fragmts of oast furthr ast I 1 0Wllm Jas saild ast through th Torrs Strat ad uwittiglalog th orthast orr of Australa I 42 Abl Tasma lda ditio that hatd th south art of th islad owamd aftr him ad th ast sid of Nw Zalad.

Whth ths shors wr art of a sigl lad mass rmadular. It was aart ol that th grat south lad was sarat from th Atati ad that it straddld th Idia ad Paioas Ths loatio otius to rat utait. Si 788th gat mass of th Austalia oulato has alwas livd o th

astr saboard faig th Pai ad its islads hav draw thmas trads ad missioaris admistrators ad advturs. Austalias ommol rgard thmslvs alog with th Nw Zaladrs as art of Oaa ad th hav likd to thk th joa sal rlato with th most owrful of all glishsakigouts o th othr sid of that oa; h th hav mbradits formulatio of th Pai rim. Yt for thos who liv i Wstr

Australia Idosia is th most romat ighbour th hstoialls wth Idia South Afria ad v Maurtius mor sigiat.As th bala of rgoal owr has shftd so Australas iasigl lam th ar art of Asa ad rgad thi arlr rs ith Pa as a romat tlud toial islads far movdfom th busiss hub of th Asa tigrs.


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CHNA

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A oncise Histoy of Astaia

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Map Aralia an h rgion

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NEW ZEALAND

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A Concise History of Australia