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Posted at 17/11/11 - 04:21 PM

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what does reconciliation mean

blackfellas and whitefellas working together to make community and now and again they may become friends

From the Port Phillip Patriot, December 22 1842
The Goulburn Protectorate.—

-Billy Hamilton, a headman of the Goulburn tribe, well known to many residents in Melbourne, is on his way to
town, handcuffed, and in custody, charged with firing at Mr. Le Soueff, the Sub-Protector. Billy
says the charge is ' plenty gammon,' and that he only discharged the gun to frighten Mr. Le Soueff.

The Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser (NSW : 1843 - 1893), Thursday 25 August 1881, page National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article819440

A Commercial Blackfellow.

One of the strangest sights to be seen in any inland Australian town is to be met with in Corowa, Murray River.

It consists of a native blackfellow driving his wife and the other ladies of his family and children in his own American waggon.

They are all dressed in European clothes of quite as good quality as the labouring men in the bush usually wear. The waggon is a very good one, and the horse,though not of much value, is in fair condition, and the harness is in good repair and well looked after.

The owner of the turnout is a middle-aged man known throughout the country side as Tommy M'Crae, an expert fisherman, who, by the exercise of his calling, has saved sufficient money to purchase the horse and vehicle, and live in a somewhat civilised fashion.

The only thing that speaks of the Australian aboriginal is the pack of mongrel curs that follow the vehicle.

This instance shows that the native blacks are not incapable of civilisation,for this man has become an owner of property by his own unaided exertions.

The secret of his success is that he never drinks intoxicating liquors,

The M'Crae family are all singularly adept at card playing, and it is said that few Europeans are a match for them at cribbage and euchre. They dearly love to have a small stake on the game, playing for love being, in their opinion a mere waste of time.

Like other business men, Mr. M'Crae receive

letters, to which he sends replies, a white friend acting as his secretary, for he can 'neither read nor write.

He is somewhat of an artist, and the sketch books which he fills in his moments of leisure are much sought after, and their sale forms no inconsiderable portion of his income.

The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1956) Monday 19 May 1879

' It may not be generally known, but it nevertheless is the fact," says the Warrambool Guardian. "that some months ago an offer was made by a resident in this district to go in search of the Kellys, and had that offer been accepted, it might have been un- necessary to have broutht black trackers all the way from Queensland to amuse them- selves about Benalla at the expense of the Victorian public. About five months or so past, and shortly after the first ineffectual attempts of the police to discover the where- abouts of the Mansfield murderers, Mr M William Goodall, the superintendent of the aboriginal station at Framlingham, wrote to the Acting Chief Secretary, offering to take four of tlie blacks under his charge and three or four others from Coranderrk who were acquainted with the country around Mansfield and Greta, and track out the fugitives, supposing them to be then concealed in the ranges. It was Mr Goodall's inten- tion to have used his men merely to discover the vvhereabouts of the Kellys, to get on their track in fact, and then leave the police to follow it up and that, he maintains, is only to be done by going to look for them, and not waiting outside until the outlaws chose to show themselves again. The offer was, however, declined by Sir Bryan O'Loghlen - the answer returned to Mr Goodall being that his services were not required at present."

Place Names.--Their Origin.

A correspondent inquires as to the meaning of the name
"Koriella," and suggests the publication of a list of place names, to
gether with their origin and mean ing.

According to R. B. Smyth in volume 2 of "The Aborigines of Victoria," page 105, "Koriella"
is the native name of the Goulburn River. The origin of a number of
place names in the Alexandra district have been recorded by Mr. J.
G. Saxton, who for many years was in charge of original plans at
the Lands Department. He issued a small book about twenty years
ago, giving a list of Victorian place names and their origin. From Mr.
Saxton's book, and other publica tions which we have consulted, we
take the following particulars :

Alexandra.-Named in honor of
Alexandra, Princess of Wales.

Thornton.--D. Thornton, 1848.

Eildon.-Eildon Hills, Scotland.

Enoch's Point. - After Enoch
Hall, an early digger.

Tiggerty. - Native, Taggarty.
Natives used to gather a blue pig
ment or clay on its banks, with
which to stain their bodies.

Rnffy.-Wm. Jas. Ruffy, pioneer.

Molesworth. - Named by Suveyor Pinniger, after Sir Wm.
Moleswortlh, M. P. Enigland.

Cathkin.-After Cathkin Braes,
near Carinnunuctk, Lanarkshire,Scotland.

Koriella.---Native name of Coulburn River.

Kanumbra.--'the name of a local
pastoral station or run owned by
late I). L. Stoddlart.

Yarck.-Name of an old cattle
station, which at one time occupied
that locality. There is a native word
"Yaruk"meaning the long river.

Yea,-After Colonel Lacy Yea,who distinguished himself in Crimean war.

Darlingford.-Sir Charles Darling, Covernor of Victoria.

Jamieson.-Archibald and Robert Jamieson, pioneers.

U,T. Creek. - Ultima Thule,Latin for boundary.

Acheron.-Classical name. The river of woe, one of the rivers of hades.

Rubicon. - This name is mentioned in ancient geography.

It was a small river which separated Italy from Cisalpine Gaul.

By leading an army across this river,contrary to the prohibition of the
civil government at Rome, Caesar precipitated the civil war which
made him supreme ; hence to pass,or cross, the Rubicon is to take the
irrevocable decisive step by which one is committed to a hazardous enterprise

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Culture

we would welcome any stories about indigenous culture

Galaxy Dreaming : Star Totem

the waaring story

In the evening our dreaming appears above us

the clouds of dust is the drifting smoke

and the twinkling stars are the fires of the old people that have gone before us

and when my time comes there may be a place by the fire for me

Bunjil

Bunjil, the maker of the earth,trees,animals, and man. Bunjil, they say, had a wife named Boi Boi,but he never saw her face. She, however, bore him two children,one a son named Binbeal, the other a daughter named Karakarook.To Binbeal is committed the sovereignty of the heavens, and to Karakarook the incidental occurrences on earth ; while great Bunjil stalks like a "big one gentleman"in the clouds, on the earth,always carrying a "big one sword."

The Australian's next Deity is Pallian, brother of Bunjil.Pallian made all seas, rivers, creeks, and waters ; also all the fish in the ocean, seas, rivers, &c. He governs the waters; was always in the waters, walking, bathing, and going over the seas.

Creation of Man.

Bunjil one day cut, with his large knife,two pieces of bark, mixed up a lot of clay, and made two blackmen, one very black and the other not quite black more like dirty red brick. He was from morning till night making them ; it was not bright day then, but the sun was like blood all day. He began to make man at the feet, then made legs, and so on to the head. He then made the other in like manner, and, smoothing them both over with his hand from the feet to the head, he put on one's head curly hair and named him Kookinberrook ; on the other straight hair and named him Berrookboorn. After finishing the two men, Bunjil looked on them, was pleased, and danced round them. He then lay on each of them, blowing into their nostrils, mouth, and navel, and the two men began to move. He bade them get up, which they did (young men, not like pickaninnies); he told them their names ; he showed his brother Pallian the two men he had made.

Creation of Woman

The next day Pallian was in a creek paddling and beating in the water, in which he used to indulge. After some time the water got thick like mud, so that he could scarcely move ; he plucked off a small bough from a tree that hung over the creek, and looked through the bough at the water, and said," name you." He beat harder and harder, and saw near him come up four hands, then two heads, and so on, till breasts, and two human figures complete appeared. Pallian exclaimed," like my brother Bunjil, me make two Bagrooks." He beat again the waters, and the two lubras came above the water and fell on the land, but they could not move ; he carried one and then the other to his brother Bunjil, who breathed into their nostrils, mouth, and navel, and Bunjil gave them names to one Kunewarra, to the other Kuurrook. They gave each koolin a woman. Bunjil put a spear in each koolin's hand, and Karakarook, daughter to Bunjil, put in each woman’s hand a kannan (woman's stick). Bunjil, Pallian, and Karakarook go out with them some days, showing them how to get their food. The two men were taught to spear kangaroos,emus, &c., and the two women to get gum, roots, bandicoots,grubs, &c. One morning, when they awoke, they " no see Bunjil,Pallian, and Karakarook" "they had gone up above." The blacks say that all this took place " very far, far away “to the N.W., not where " now blackfellows all about here sit down," alluding to their belief that man and woman were first created in other countries. All agree (I mean different tribes) in stating that that country was "far, far away," beyond what they know to the N.W., over seas.

simon wonga headman of the wurundjeri 1880s.

Wonga was also one of the first Indigenous leaders to try and regain the land settlers had taken. In 1859, Wonga took a small group of Taungurong men from the Goulburn River to see William Thomas, acting as their interpreter and mediator. In a letter to Redmond Barry, Thomas quotes Wonga:

I bring my friends, the Goulburn Blacks, they want a block of land in their country where they may sit down plant corn potatoes etc etc, and work like white man.

– Simon Wonga

william barak became the headman after simon wonga

The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848-1954), Friday 13 June 1890, page 7
National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8611389
THE "ROYAL" MARRIAGE IN
GIPPSLAND.
HEALESVILLE,
The aboriginals at Coranderrk: yesterday had a feast in honour of the marnage of King Barak, who arrived with his now Queen from Sale the previous evening The aboriginal station was decorated for the
occasion, a triumphal arch handsomely decorated with ferns and flowers, and on which was emblazoned the vvords ' Welcome home our King," being erected over the principal entrance. Mr Shaw, the superintendant,
invited a number of residents of Healesville to Coranderrk for the afternoon, all of whom brought, presents of various descriptions to the Queen, which were presented to her in her comfortable castle'cottage Many useful articles, varying from an ordinary tin bucket to a silver cruet stand, were also presented to the aboriginals on the station. A sumptuous feast of tea, cakes, and buns, of which all, both black and white, partook, was laid out in the large room adjoining the superintendent's quarters,after which Mr Shaw proposed the health
ot King Barak and the Queen. Barak!.,who speaks english well, in responding, disclaimed the title of King, and said he did because all his people were dead, and he alone was left out the Yarra tribe.

During the evening the blacks held a corroboree, and all made merry by singing and dancing for several
hours Mrs Bon, who is well known for her constant and kindly interest in theblacks,sent a nice wedding cake tor the occasion.

Wurundjeri balluk Anne Borate was the sister of William Barak Their mother was Tootorie and father Bebejan.jpg