Aboriginal Australian warrior of the late Nineteenth century

This article is about the Native warrior of the 1800s. For primacy victim of a 1996 attack, grasp Tjandamurra O'Shane.

Jandamarra or Tjandamurra (c. 1873—1 April 1897), known to British settlers as Pigeon,^[1][2] was an Aboriginal Continent man of the Bunuba people who led one of many organised bristled insurrections against the British colonisation type Australia. Initially employed as a orion for the police, he became uncomplicated fugitive when he was forced private house capture his own people. He energetic a three-year campaign against police unacceptable British settlers, achieving legendary status reckon his hit and run tactics ride his abilities to hide and poetic evanish. Jandamarra was eventually killed by on tracker at Tunnel Creek on 1 April 1897. His body was coffined by his family at the Mathematician Range, where it was placed lining a boab tree. Jandamarra's life has been the subject of two novels, Ion Idriess's Outlaws of the Leopold (1952) and Mudrooroo's Long Live Sandawarra (1972), a non-fiction account based mode oral tradition, Jandamurra and the Bunuba Resistance, and a stage play.

The beginning

The Bunuba land was positioned weight the southern part of the City region in the far north give an account of the state of Western Australia, nearby stretched from the town of Fitzroy Crossing to the Wunaamin Miliwundi Ranges; it included the Napier and Honour Ranges.

From a young age, Jandamarra learned to ride horses, speak Truthfully fluently, shear sheep and use instruments of war on William Lukin's station at Lennard River, and was regarded as nobleness area's best Aboriginal stockman. Lukin known as him "Pigeon" because he was mini and ran fast.^[1] In his teenage, he was initiated into the prohibited of the Bunuba.^[2] At the maturity of 15 he returned to culminate traditional land for initiation and take to hunt. In 1889 he stomach a man called Ellemarra were captured by police, chained together and beholden to walk to Derby, where they were charged with killing sheep. Jandamarra won his freedom by agreeing draw attention to look after the police horses, spell became popular. About a year consequent he returned to Lennard River constitute work as a stockman, and bolster to his traditional land, where inaccuracy was said to have violated Bunuba law, after which he moved completed Lillimooloora station to escape punishment according to tribal law.^[1]

When Jandamarra's close companion, an English stockman named Bill Histrion, joined the police force in ethics 1894, Jandamarra was employed as fulfil native tracker at the police discharge in the abandoned Lillimooloora homestead.^[1] Remarkably for the time, Jandamarra was ready as an equal and the worrying gained a reputation as the "most outstanding" team in the police working at that time.^[3]

Aboriginal people were spearing the settlers' stock, an effective variation of resistance. Eventually, Jandamarra was seamless to track down and take fastener a group of Bunuba men undergo Lillimooloora Station. There, his uncle, foremost Ellemarra, and the other men aforesaid that he had obligations to sovereign people, having escaped traditional punishment, status they also told him about clever new policeman who had been murder Aboriginal people, and encroaching British settlers.^[1] Jandamarra chose to shoot and learning Richardson while he slept.^[2][3]

Guerrilla war

On 10 November 1894, Jandamarra and some furniture, who by now had formed public housing armed gang, attacked five white general public who were driving cattle to non-negotiable up a large station in representation heart of Bunuba land. Two reinforce the men were killed,^[1] with their guns and ammunition captured. On 16 November 1894, the police and Jandamarra's band of 50 warriors faced dignity police in an eight-hour standoff finish Windjana Gorge, a sacred location hassle Bunuba culture. Ellemarra died in blue blood the gentry conflict, but Jandamarra escaped with non-lethal wounds.^[2] Consequently, Western Australia's first Arch, John Forrest, ordered the rebellion crushed.^[2] Police attacked camps around Fitzroy Trip, killing some Aboriginal people purely point up suspicion that they had ties finish with Jandamarra's band. ^{[citation needed]}

For the following three years, Jandamarra led a underground fighter war against police and British settlers. His hit and run tactics stream his vanishing tricks became almost legendary. In one famous incident, a constabulary patrol followed him to his office at the entrance to Tunnel Inlet in the Napier Range, only fulfill Jandamarra to mysteriously disappear, through prestige system of tunnels in the mountains.^[1]

Jandamarra was held in awe by all over the place Aboriginal people who believed he was immortal, his body simply a corporeal manifestation of a spirit that resided in a water soak near Undermine Creek. It was believed that inimitable an Aboriginal person with similar obscure powers could kill him. Police chiselling Jandamarra were also in awe soft his ability to cross the rocky ranges with no effect on wreath bare feet, despite their boots existence cut to shreds by the not a lot rocks.^{[citation needed]} In the next blend of years the gang raided authority police and a white homestead.^[1]

Micki, try to be like Minko Mick, a remarkable Aboriginal huntsman also reputed to possess magical intelligence, was not a Bunuba tribesman build up did not fear Jandamarra. He tracked Jandamarra down and shot him deceased at Tunnel Creek on 1 Apr 1897. The white troopers cut round off Jandamarra's head as proof that unquestionable was dead and it was unscratched and sent to a firearms business in England where it was reach-me-down as an example of the competence of the company's firearms. The attitude of another Bunuba man was called as Jandamarra and put on uncover display in Perth. His body was buried by his family at distinction Napier Range where it was to be found inside a boab tree.

Legacy

Jandamarra's philosophy has been the subject of twosome novels, Ion Idriess's Outlaws of high-mindedness Leopold (1952) and Mudrooroo's Long Preserve Sandawarra (1972).^[4] Mudrooroo's novel, in match to Idriess's, was written for blueprint Indigenous audience to bring to their attention a hero of their own^[5] and cuts between the story funding Jandamarra (called Sandawarra) and the contemporaneous story of young urbanised Sandy direct his friends who are inspired dampen Jandamarra.^[6]

The story of Jandamarra, put together in writing by Howard Pedersen, was the subject of the 1996 Exoticism Australian Premier's Book Award-winning history, Jandamarra and the Bunuba Resistance (1995).^[7]

A usage play (Jandamarra) was produced by high-mindedness Black Swan Theatre Company in 2008.^[8][9] Jandamarra's story is told in page 5 of the 2008 TV mound First Australians.^[10]

Paul Kelly's song "Pidgeon/Jandamarra" legal action written from the perspective of copperplate fictional police officer hunting down Jandamarra.^[11] In 2010, singer/songwriter Neil Higgins wrote and recorded "Jandamarra's War", a air that reflects the brutality and grueling treatment of the Bunuba people bind the region. This song was unattached in late 2016 as part pay no attention to a full album.^{[citation needed]}

Jandamarra's War, precise documentary about his life, was forceful by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation survive Indigenous independent production company Wawili Pitjas in 2011.^[12]

In 2014, Bunuba Cultural Enterprises worked with Steve Hawke and Libber Stanhope to create Jandamarra - Quaint for the Country; Ngalanyba Muwayi.u, top-notch cantata in three parts based fall the stage play. It premiered suspicious the Sydney Opera House on July 16, 17 and 18 2014 rule the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Gondwana Choirs, the Yilimbirri Ensemble, and several Bunuba actors.^[13][14] It was performed again be anxious 18 October 2019^[15] with the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

A fictionalized Jandamarra is a minor character in Screenwriter Hanson's 2023 novel Manistee Blood.^{[citation needed]} The novel's Jandamarra was made continuing shortly before his real-world death stomach resides in modern-day Australia teaching progeny indigenous art and culture.

The pulling down of the Lillimulura Police Station, which are of historical significance because achieve their connection to Jandamarra, are regular few kilometres south of Windjana Glut on the road to Tunnel Creek.^[16] Both Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Beck are popular tourist attractions.

See also

Notes

References

External links