Topics: Culture

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1810 - South West - view

"an extraordinary sort of dance"

1811 - West - view

nulla nulla

1812 - North West - view

This is the first comprehensive effort in the colony. It records Aboriginal names in Browne’s handwriting and language

1813 - North West - view

Lawson comes into “Forest Land”, he finds “several Camps of Native Hutts”

1814 - West - view

annual feast

1815 - West - view

Aboriginal rule

1816 - North West - view

night-time ceremonial corroboree

1816 - North West - view

The pencil sketch of “Ba La Watam Ba of the Coal River” (Hunter River)

1817 - North West - view

While the “natives” are somewhat friendly, they seem too busy exploiting fire to harvest game

1817 - North West - view

Mt Wareng and Mt Yengo , two ancient peaks sacred to Aboriginal people

1818 - South Coastal - view

‘King of the Georges River’

1818 - North West - view

“upgraded to old king”

1818 - North West - view

southern branch natives preparing spears for a ceremonial battle

1818 - North West - view

Branch Natives gather in large numbers and bestow a leadership role to a senior women

1818 - North West - view

A “native corroboree” is held at full moon

1818 - North West - view

"Carauberee"

1818 - North West - view

Appin Massacre

1820 - North Coastal - view

Macquarie gives the Russians freedom to investigate the local Koori conditions, social life and dealings with colonial officials. Those whom they see along the north side of the harbour are “extremely lean and quite black in colour … They subsist on a mixed diet of shell fish and fish, forest products, and exchange their fish for British goods. They hunt and the women fish or gather bush food, then they withdraw into the bush at night. They sleep by fires and never lack a fire, embers even burn in the noon day heat”. Mikhailov writes of Bungaree’s family “Sometimes they ornament their head with bird’s bones or fish bones, or the tail of a dog or kangaroo teeth; and sometimes they plait their hair, smearing it with gummy sap of a plant so that it resembles rope ends. They stain the face and body with red earth … When a youth reaches man’s estate [ie manhood], two of his front teeth are knocked out. As for the girls, in early youth they have two joints of the little finger of the left hand cut off”.   Since the men in Bungaree’s group were often absent from Kirribili, Mikhailov concentrated in his painting on the women and children. Volendens,Gulanba Duby, Gouroungan, Ga-ouen-ren, Matora. Male figures drawn are Boongaree, Bourinoan, Movat, Salmanda, Boin (Bowen) and Toubi (Toby).

1820 - North West - view

kangaroo and possum skin cloaks

1821 - North West - view

Bungaree and his Tribe entertained us with a Karaburie