Billibellary

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Billibellary (* around 1799 ; † August 10, 1846 ) was a songwriter and influential Ngurungaeta (tribal leader or elder ) of the Aborigines of the Wurundjeri- Willams clan during the first years of the European settlement of Melbourne . He was also known by the names Jika Jika , Jacky Jacky and Jaga Jaga . He has been described as a shrewd and diplomatic leader, powerfully built, influential, and with a reputation well beyond his clan.

Clan territories

Billibellary's family lived on the north banks of the Yarra River from Yarra Bend Park to Merri Creek . His brother Burrenupton lived on the south bank of the Yarra, upstream on Gardiner Creek . Bebejan , also known as Jerrum Jerrum, who was also the father of William Barak , lived on the Yarra River from Heidelberg (Victoria) to Mount Baw Baw. Mooney Mooney, a Ngurungaeta of the Baluk-Willam clan, inhabited land from the southeast of the Yarra River to Dandenong, Cranbourne and the alluvial land near Western Port.

The old Ninggalobin, Ngurungaeta of the Mount Macedon clan, was along with Billibellary the keeper of the Mount William Stone Hatchet Quarry , the source of the prized green hard rock for the making and cutting of hatchets, which over a wide area as far as New South Wales and Adelaide were traded. The quarry had been in use for 1500 years and covered an area of ​​18 hectares with shafts several meters deep. In February 2008 the place was added to the National Heritage List because of its cultural and archaeological value.

Ninggalobin, Poleorong and Billibellary were the leading songwriters and chief Wurundjeri leaders in the Melbourne area. Initiation rites were disrupted by the European settlement of the country. As a measure, these three men gathered at southern Yarra and introduced young William Barak to Aboriginal knowledge. As a result, Barak was presented with the symbols of masculinity: strips of possum skin wrapped around his biceps; the gombert, a necklace of reed grass, and a branjep, the apron that men wore to cover their genitals. At the end of the ceremony, Barak presented his uncle Billibellary with a possum skin coat.

Contract with batman

When John Batman examined the Yarra River and its foothills, he met Billibellary, one of eight "elders" (tribal elders) of the Ngurungaeta. They allegedly signed a treaty with Batman on June 8, 1835 known as Batman's Treaty : the meeting took place on the bank of a small creek, probably on Merri Creek . Goods were exchanged when the contract documents were signed. For a purchase price that included tomahawks, knives, scissors, flannel jackets, red shirts, and an annual tribute for similar items, Batman received approximately 200,000 acres (2,000 square kilometers) of land around the Yarra River and Corio Bay. The total value of the goods is estimated at £ 100 in today's value. In return, the voivurrung offered woven baskets, examples of their weapons, and two treasured possum cloaks. After the contract was signed, a celebration was held with the Parramatta Aborigines, where Batman's people danced a corroboree .

The treaty was significant as it is the first and only document for European settlers to negotiate their presence and occupation of Aboriginal land . The contract was immediately annulled by the colonial government in Sydney. Governor Richard Bourke's 1835 proclamation introduced the doctrine of Terra Nullius on which British colonization was based: it affirmed the concept that there were no landowners prior to British settlement and, accordingly, that Aboriginal land could not sell or assign; Individuals could only acquire it by having it allocated from the Crown.

Collision of cultures

In gratitude for two months of caring for an injury to his son Simon Wonga in 1840, Billibellary named his newborn daughter Susannah in honor of Susannah Thomas, wife of Assistant Protector William Thomas .

In January 1840, William Thomas promised the assembled Kulin clans government food rations until they established a self-sufficient community, but Chief Protector George Augustus Robinson refused to release the goods to the government. When Thomas feared for his wife and children, he spoke to Billibellary and explained why the rations were not coming and asked for protection for his family. Although Billibellary was not on Clan's territory at the time, his authority was unchallenged. Susannah Thomas distributed whatever supplies she could do without, and Billibellary ordered the clan to split into smaller groups to forage.

At the behest of Charles La Trobe , the Native Police Corps was established in 1842 in the hope of "civilizing" the Aboriginal men. As an Elder of the Wurundjeri, Billibellary's cooperation on the proposal was essential to its success. After consulting, he supported the initiative and joined the corps himself. He wore the uniform and enjoyed the status of parading around the camp, but was careful about the active duties of a police officer in order to avoid conflict with his duties as Wurundjeri ngurungaeta. Police membership did not prevent troops from attending tribal ceremonies, gatherings, and rituals.

After about a year, Billibellary left the Native Police Corps after finding out that it was being used to capture and even kill Aboriginal people. He did his best to undermine the corps, so that eventually many Aborigines deserted; few stayed longer than three or four years.

In 1845 a school was built on the banks of Merri Creek to educate and "civilize" the Wurundjeri children. The school was well attended for the first or second year, mainly thanks to the support of Billibellary, who sent his own children there. However, conflicts arose over the curriculum, which was European in character, even though the Aborigines wanted their rites and ceremonies to be taught as well. When Billibellary died in 1846, the number of students fell; others developed into disruptors.

death

Billibellary died on August 10, 1846 of pneumonia, a disease that killed many of his people in the period after their first contact with Europeans. Billibellary was buried at the confluence of Merri Creek and Yarra near the Dights Falls. His death was mourned by Thomas, who had developed a deep friendship and mutual respect for him across cultural boundaries: “May it be said about this chief and his tribe what can hardly be said about any other tribe in this part of the colony, that he never shed the white man's blood and that no white man shed their blood. I have lost in this man a valuable advisor on Aboriginal affairs. "

After his death, his son Simon Wonga became Ngurungaeta (leader) of the Wurundjeri Willam clan.

literature

  • Isabel Ellender and Peter Christiansen, People of the Merri Merri. The Wurundjeri in Colonial Days , Merri Creek Management Committee, 2001 ISBN 0957772807
  • Richard Broome, Aboriginal Victorians: A History Since 1800 , Allen & Unwin, 2005, ISBN 1741145694 , ISBN 9781741145694

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Isabel Ellender and Peter Christiansen, page 35, People of the Merri Merri. The Wurundjeri in Colonial Days , Merri Creek Management Committee, 2001 ISBN 0957772807
  2. ^ A b Isabel Ellender and Peter Christiansen, pp. 18-23 People of the Merri Merri. The Wurundjeri in Colonial Days , Merri Creek Management Committee, 2001 ISBN 0957772807
  3. ↑ Isabel McBryde, Kulin Greenstone Quarries: The Social Contexts of Production and Distribution for the Mt William Site , in World Archeology , Vol. 16, No. 2, Mines and Quarries (Oct., 1984), pages 267-285 Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. Accessed November 3, 2008
  4. ^ Isabel Ellender and Peter Christiansen, p. 44, People of the Merri Merri. The Wurundjeri in Colonial Days , Merri Creek Management Committee, 2001 ISBN 0957772807
  5. ↑ Gary Presland, Aboriginal Melbourne. The lost land of the Kulin people , Harriland Press, 1985. 2001 edition. ISBN 0-9577004-2-3
  6. ^ National Heritage List, Mount William Stone Hatchet Quarry , Australian Government, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts . Accessed November 3, 2008
  7. ↑ Isabel Ellender and Peter Christiansen, p. 52, People of the Merri Merri. The Wurundjeri in Colonial Days , Merri Creek Management Committee, 2001 ISBN 0957772807
  8. ↑ Canberra, The Deed , Batmania. Accessed November 3, 2008
  9. ↑ Carolyn Web, History should have no divide , The Age , June 3, 2005. Accessed November 3, 2008
  10. ^ Richard Broome, pp. 10-14, Aboriginal Victorians: A History Since 1800 , Allen & Unwin, 2005, ISBN 1741145694 , ISBN 9781741145694
  11. ↑ National Archives of Australia, Governor Bourke's Proclamation 1835 (UK) ( Memento of the original from July 25, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Accessed November 3, 2008  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.foundingdocs.gov.au
  12. ↑ Isabel Ellender and Peter Christiansen, pp. 32-33 People of the Merri Merri. The Wurundjeri in Colonial Days , Merri Creek Management Committee, 2001 ISBN 0957772807
  13. ↑ Isabel Ellender and Peter Christiansen, pp. 68-69 People of the Merri Merri. The Wurundjeri in Colonial Days , Merri Creek Management Committee, 2001 ISBN 0957772807
  14. ^ Isabel Ellender and Peter Christiansen, page 88, People of the Merri Merri. The Wurundjeri in Colonial Days , Merri Creek Management Committee, 2001 ISBN 0957772807
  15. ^ Shirley W. Wiencke, When the Wattles Bloom Again: The Life and Times of William Barak, Last Chief of the Yarra Yarra Tribe , Published by SW Wiencke, 1984, ISBN 0959054901 , ISBN 9780959054903
  16. ↑ Isabel Ellender and Peter Christiansen, pp. 94-97 People of the Merri Merri. The Wurundjeri in Colonial Days , Merri Creek Management Committee, 2001 ISBN 0957772807
  17. ↑ Isabel Ellender and Peter Christiansen, pp. 106-107 People of the Merri Merri. The Wurundjeri in Colonial Days , Merri Creek Management Committee, 2001 ISBN 0957772807
  18. ^ Richard Broome, p. 33, Aboriginal Victorians: A History Since 1800 , Allen & Unwin, 2005, ISBN 1741145694 , ISBN 9781741145694
  19. ↑ Isabel Ellender and Peter Christiansen, p. 112 People of the Merri Merri. The Wurundjeri in Colonial Days , Merri Creek Management Committee, 2001 ISBN 0957772807
personal data
SURNAME Billibellary
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Jika Jika; Jacky Jacky; Jaga Jag
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Aboriginal leader and songwriter
DATE OF BIRTH 18th century or 19th century
DATE OF DEATH August 10, 1846