Abstract
Warriors in the history wars’ do battle over the accuracy and portrayal of Aboriginal history in Tasmania, but for the descendants of the traditional people this contested field is also the site of our families’ stories. This paper juxtaposes, via the woven narrative of Woretemoeteryenner, a personal perspective against the history wars sterile dissection of official records. Woretemoeteryenner’s story serves as a personalising frame for Tasmanian colonial history. Born before the beginning of European colonisation, by the end of her life fewer than 50 traditional Tasmanians remained. Her story also shines a light on the lived experiences of that small group of Aboriginal women who form the link between the traditional people and present Tasmanian Aboriginal communities. Most critically, Woretemoeteryenner’s life is a personal story of a life lived through these now disputed and debated times.
Highlights
Warriors in the history wars’ do battle over the accuracy and portrayal of Aboriginal history in Tasmania, but for the descendants of the traditional people this contested field is the site of our families’ stories
Our respectful burial or cremation of our reclaimed stolen ancestors’ remains he derides as ‘vandalism’ (2002, 417-423) and our Aboriginality, he declares ‘invented’, largely to claim more generous welfare benefits (2002, 432-436). While disparaging of both the past and present Aboriginal population, Windschuttle’s argument is not about our people. What is under his intense scrutiny is how the historical record and archival materials of the time are read and analysed by contemporary historical scholars
While Windschuttle engages in lengthy analysis of the historical records, we wonder about the people themselves
Summary
There is no discernible record of Woretemoeteryenner’s life from 1820 until 1825 Her abandonment by George Briggs occurred during this period and his sale of her, for one guinea, to John Thomas likely occurred during this time (Plomley 1966; Felton 1984). The journey began in 1825 and the group of sealers and Aboriginal women spent some time at King George’s Sound in Western Australia They sailed on to St Paul’s Island but were unable to land because of bad weather. According to Taylor’s record (CSO1/121/3067, #91) he, Woretemoeteryenner and the other women waited from May to December to no avail, before taking passage to Mauritius. The sheer numbers of colonists overwhelmed the increasingly sick and dispirited Aborigines and drove the remaining bands to new and unfamiliar territories
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