A Different Mode of War? Aboriginal Guerilla Tacticss in Defining the Black Warr of Southern Queensland 1843-1855

Abstract

Frontier violence is now an accepted chapter of Australian history. Indigenous resistance underlies this story, yet it has barely been examined as a military phenomenon (Connor 2004). Our understanding of military strategies Indigenous groups employed, and their broader objectives in undertaking resistance remains vague, being more often assumed than proven. Building on Laurie’s and Cilento’s contentions (1959) that an alliance of Aboriginal groups staged a fairly successful ‘Black War’ in southern Queensland during the 1840s and 1850s, the author seeks evidence for a historically definable (1843-1855) conflict during this period, complete with a record of Indigenous declaration, victories, coordination, leadership and planning. As the Australian situation continues to present elements which have proved difficult to reconcile with existing paradigms for military history, this study applies definitions from guerilla and terrorist conflict (e.g. Eckley 2001, Kilcullen 2009) to explain key features of the southern Queensland “Black War.” It also compares this to similar frontier engagements in other parts of Australia. The author concludes that Australian “resistance” wars followed their own distinctive pattern – achieving coordinated response through inter-tribal gatherings and sophisticated signaling; relying heavily on economic sabotage and targeted payback killings; and guided by self-depreciating “loner-leaders” much more wily and reticent than their equivalents in other parts of the world. The author also argues that contrary to the claims of military historians such as Dennis (1995), there is ample evidence for tactical innovation. He notes a move away from pitched battles to ambush affrays; the development of full-time guerilla bands; and use of new materials such as iron and glass.