The South Australian Museum has a new publication called Mapping Family - A guide for Aboriginal family history researchers to names, genealogies and data cards recorded during the Harvard and Adelaide Universities 1938–1939 expeditions in South Australia.
The Acknowledgements state
Mapping Family is the result of a twelve-month project prepared by the Aboriginal Family History Unit, South Australian Museum funded by a Stolen Generations Community Reparations Scheme grant awarded in 2017 by the Government of South Australia, Department of the Premier and Cabinet, Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation. The project team is grateful for assistance from The Hon. Dr Diana Laidlaw AM, Eve Chaloupka, Ann Guy, Ali Abdullah-Highfold, Norman Barnett Tindale and family, the Aboriginal families and for the support of Genealogy SA.
Mapping Family is available here.
Wednesday, 26 June 2019
Monday, 24 June 2019
SLQ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family History
The State Library of Queensland has a genealogy aid titled "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Family History" available here.
This contains some items worth mentioning.
1. Cherbourg Tindale Sheet 30 - This page appears complete and the information on it is mostly legible. Mainly Embrey and Cobbo families.
2. A Card for Jack Craigie with some family details. Again mostly legible.
3. Details of the family of Lena French and Bruce Walker from Cherbourg Tindale Sheet 13.
Further information on Cherbourg Tindale Sheet 13.
Correspondence from Maryborough District, Goomeri Station dated 16. 9.1941
Exempt Aboriginals residing in the Goomeri Police division, who are eligible for endowment include :-
Bruce Walker and his wife Lena Walker with three children under 16 years of age residing at Kinbombi. Walker holds Certificate of Exemption No.76 dated 23/11/39.
On even date I assisted Mrs Walker to complete and application for Child Endowment and she will be forwarding same to the Deputy Commissioner for Child Endowment, Brisbane in the course of a few days. Walker has been employed at timber work in this division at Daddamarine Creek via Goomeri during the past six months. Until a month ago he was employed by George Dowse of Daddamarine Creek, and since then he has been unemployed, but he now intends prospecting for gold near Kinbombi. I am of the opinion this family can be safely depended upon to utilise the endowment for the benefit of the children.
Marriage of Bruce Walker and Lena French
Married at Barambah on 7.10.1922 (Registered 1922/C/3299)
List of aborigines photographed by Dr. Tindale, during his visit to Cherbourg. Ages are at December 1938. Photographs are available from the South Australian Museum. See also Cherbourg Family History Society.
Walker, Bruce, 48 years
Walker, Lena (Mrs), 42 years
Walker, Edna, 7 years
Walker, Enid, 9 years
Walker, Gabriel, 11 years
Walker, Joyce, 13 years
Walker, Delphine, 14 years
Cherbourg 1928 Census
Name, Caste, Age, Status
Walker, Bruce , 1/2W, 27 years, Married
Walker, Lena, 1/2W, 33 years, Married
Walker, Gabriel, 1/2W, 11/12 years
Walker, Delphine, 1/2W, 4 years
Walker, Joyce, 1/2W, 3 years
1/2W Half-caste (Aboriginal / White)
This contains some items worth mentioning.
1. Cherbourg Tindale Sheet 30 - This page appears complete and the information on it is mostly legible. Mainly Embrey and Cobbo families.
2. A Card for Jack Craigie with some family details. Again mostly legible.
3. Details of the family of Lena French and Bruce Walker from Cherbourg Tindale Sheet 13.
Further information on Cherbourg Tindale Sheet 13.
Correspondence from Maryborough District, Goomeri Station dated 16. 9.1941
Exempt Aboriginals residing in the Goomeri Police division, who are eligible for endowment include :-
Bruce Walker and his wife Lena Walker with three children under 16 years of age residing at Kinbombi. Walker holds Certificate of Exemption No.76 dated 23/11/39.
On even date I assisted Mrs Walker to complete and application for Child Endowment and she will be forwarding same to the Deputy Commissioner for Child Endowment, Brisbane in the course of a few days. Walker has been employed at timber work in this division at Daddamarine Creek via Goomeri during the past six months. Until a month ago he was employed by George Dowse of Daddamarine Creek, and since then he has been unemployed, but he now intends prospecting for gold near Kinbombi. I am of the opinion this family can be safely depended upon to utilise the endowment for the benefit of the children.
Marriage of Bruce Walker and Lena French
Married at Barambah on 7.10.1922 (Registered 1922/C/3299)
List of aborigines photographed by Dr. Tindale, during his visit to Cherbourg. Ages are at December 1938. Photographs are available from the South Australian Museum. See also Cherbourg Family History Society.
Walker, Bruce, 48 years
Walker, Lena (Mrs), 42 years
Walker, Edna, 7 years
Walker, Enid, 9 years
Walker, Gabriel, 11 years
Walker, Joyce, 13 years
Walker, Delphine, 14 years
Cherbourg 1928 Census
Name, Caste, Age, Status
Walker, Bruce , 1/2W, 27 years, Married
Walker, Lena, 1/2W, 33 years, Married
Walker, Gabriel, 1/2W, 11/12 years
Walker, Delphine, 1/2W, 4 years
Walker, Joyce, 1/2W, 3 years
1/2W Half-caste (Aboriginal / White)
Friday, 14 June 2019
The Durack Dynasty and All-About
Reading the article in the Weekend Australian June 15-16, 2019 on the Durack dynasty reminded me of the dedication in the book All-about (The Black Community at Argyle) by Mary and Elizabeth Durack published in 1935. It appears below -
"You will never read this, for to learning you have no pretensions. You cannot sue us for libel, though we have exposed your characters, your secrets and your private lives. Forgive us! Our protection lies in your unworldliness.
Most of the sketches you have seen, have laughed heartily at each, if a little disappointed that you did not appear more beautiful. "Young Missus" might at least have drawn you at your best, not gone so slyly to the kitchen, the laundry and all uninvited to the camp, with her notebook and her uncharitable pencil.
But this to you, "All-about", there is much you can teach us that is not in the white man's knowledge. Yours is the gift of laughter and human kindliness and true philosophy. Were you ever savages?"
"You will never read this, for to learning you have no pretensions. You cannot sue us for libel, though we have exposed your characters, your secrets and your private lives. Forgive us! Our protection lies in your unworldliness.
Most of the sketches you have seen, have laughed heartily at each, if a little disappointed that you did not appear more beautiful. "Young Missus" might at least have drawn you at your best, not gone so slyly to the kitchen, the laundry and all uninvited to the camp, with her notebook and her uncharitable pencil.
But this to you, "All-about", there is much you can teach us that is not in the white man's knowledge. Yours is the gift of laughter and human kindliness and true philosophy. Were you ever savages?"
Thursday, 6 June 2019
Barada Kabalbara Yetimarala Native Title People Authorisation Meeting
The claim area is roughly bounded by Ogmore, Marlborough, Princhester and to the west in a triangular shape.
The Authorisation Meeting is open to all Barada Kabalbara Yetimarala People, that is, to all of the persons in the current native title claim group, being the biological descendants of the following apical ancestors:
1. Lizzy/Kitty/Unnamed Barada Woman (mother of Saltbush George Budby, Rosie Barber, Eddie Budby and Albert Brown)
2. Ada/Ina Cotherstone, Daisy Wilson and Alick Smith Snr (and his wife Topsy Barron/Barren)
3. Polly (wife of Robert Noble) and Laura (wife of Duke/George Barker, Neddy/Teddy Sauney and Adam Bowen)
4. Lizzie (wife of Paddy Flynn)
5. Polly (late in life wife of Thomas Mitchell)
6. Arthur Miles
7. Kitty (aka Kitty Eaglehawk)
8. Yatton Boney
9. Maggie (mother of Jack Mack and Gypsy Tyson)
2. Ada/Ina Cotherstone, Daisy Wilson and Alick Smith Snr (and his wife Topsy Barron/Barren)
3. Polly (wife of Robert Noble) and Laura (wife of Duke/George Barker, Neddy/Teddy Sauney and Adam Bowen)
4. Lizzie (wife of Paddy Flynn)
5. Polly (late in life wife of Thomas Mitchell)
6. Arthur Miles
7. Kitty (aka Kitty Eaglehawk)
8. Yatton Boney
9. Maggie (mother of Jack Mack and Gypsy Tyson)
Appeared in the Koori Mail of June 5, 2019
Thursday, 30 May 2019
The Moyjil site, south-west Victoria, Australia - 120,000 Years ?
The scientific papers are available here
in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 130(2).
These papers are on Open Access and can be downloaded.
The abstract of the introduction by John E Sherwood follows
"Moyjil (also known as Point Ritchie) is the site of an unusual shell deposit in south-west Victoria showing many characteristics of a midden. Earlier research established an age of 60 ka or older for the shell deposit but could not establish whether humans or animals such as seabirds were responsible for its formation. This paper, the first of six in this special issue, summarises the most recent phase (~10 years) of investigations. The site’s age is now fixed as Last Interglacial and following the stage MIS 5e sea-level maximum (i.e. younger than 120–125 ka). Fragmentation and the limited size distribution of the dominant marine shellfish (Lunella undulata syn. Turbo undulatus) confirm the site as a midden. There is also evidence for fire (charcoal and discoloured and fractured stones) and two hearth-like features, one of which has been archaeologically excavated. None of the evidence collected is able to conclusively demonstrate a human versus animal origin for the site. Significantly, a human origin remains to be disproved. These papers provide the basis for a new phase of research into the possible cultural status of the Moyjil site."
I heard Bruce Pascoe of Dark Emu fame referring to this date as fact on the ABC program "The Drum" yesterday.
It is also worth bearing in mind the time an estimate like this was made in 1996 in the paper
Fullagar, R., Price, D. & Head, L. 1996. Early human occupation of northern Australia: stratigraphy and dating of the Jinmium rockshelter, Northern Territory. Antiquity 70: 751-73.
which made headlines throughout the country. It is available here.
A further paper appeared in 1998
Optical and radiocarbon dating at Jinmium rock shelter in northern Australia
Roberts et al, Nature 393, 358–362(1998)
The Abstract follows -
The Jinmium rock shelter is located in the Kimberley region of northern Australia. Claims for ancient rock art and an early human presence at this site1 were based on thermoluminescence ages of 50–75 thousand years (kyr) for quartz sands associated with buried circular engravings (pecked cupules) and on thermoluminescence ages of 116–176 kyr for the underlying artefact-bearing deposits. Here we report substantially younger optical ages for quartz sand, and ages based on measurements of radioactive carbon in charcoal fragments, from the occupation deposit. Using conventional (multiple-grain) optical dating methods, we estimate that the base of the deposit is 22 kyr. However, dating of individual grains shows that some have been buried more recently. The single-grain optical ages indicate that the Jinmium deposit is younger than 10 kyr. This result is in agreement with the late-Holocene ages obtained for the upper two-thirds of the deposit from radiocarbon measurements. We suggest that some grains have older optical ages because they received insufficient exposure to sunlight before burial. The presence of such grains in a sample will cause age overestimates using multiple-grain methods, whether using thermoluminescence or optical dating.
in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 130(2).
These papers are on Open Access and can be downloaded.
The abstract of the introduction by John E Sherwood follows
"Moyjil (also known as Point Ritchie) is the site of an unusual shell deposit in south-west Victoria showing many characteristics of a midden. Earlier research established an age of 60 ka or older for the shell deposit but could not establish whether humans or animals such as seabirds were responsible for its formation. This paper, the first of six in this special issue, summarises the most recent phase (~10 years) of investigations. The site’s age is now fixed as Last Interglacial and following the stage MIS 5e sea-level maximum (i.e. younger than 120–125 ka). Fragmentation and the limited size distribution of the dominant marine shellfish (Lunella undulata syn. Turbo undulatus) confirm the site as a midden. There is also evidence for fire (charcoal and discoloured and fractured stones) and two hearth-like features, one of which has been archaeologically excavated. None of the evidence collected is able to conclusively demonstrate a human versus animal origin for the site. Significantly, a human origin remains to be disproved. These papers provide the basis for a new phase of research into the possible cultural status of the Moyjil site."
I heard Bruce Pascoe of Dark Emu fame referring to this date as fact on the ABC program "The Drum" yesterday.
It is also worth bearing in mind the time an estimate like this was made in 1996 in the paper
Fullagar, R., Price, D. & Head, L. 1996. Early human occupation of northern Australia: stratigraphy and dating of the Jinmium rockshelter, Northern Territory. Antiquity 70: 751-73.
which made headlines throughout the country. It is available here.
A further paper appeared in 1998
Optical and radiocarbon dating at Jinmium rock shelter in northern Australia
Roberts et al, Nature 393, 358–362(1998)
The Abstract follows -
The Jinmium rock shelter is located in the Kimberley region of northern Australia. Claims for ancient rock art and an early human presence at this site1 were based on thermoluminescence ages of 50–75 thousand years (kyr) for quartz sands associated with buried circular engravings (pecked cupules) and on thermoluminescence ages of 116–176 kyr for the underlying artefact-bearing deposits. Here we report substantially younger optical ages for quartz sand, and ages based on measurements of radioactive carbon in charcoal fragments, from the occupation deposit. Using conventional (multiple-grain) optical dating methods, we estimate that the base of the deposit is 22 kyr. However, dating of individual grains shows that some have been buried more recently. The single-grain optical ages indicate that the Jinmium deposit is younger than 10 kyr. This result is in agreement with the late-Holocene ages obtained for the upper two-thirds of the deposit from radiocarbon measurements. We suggest that some grains have older optical ages because they received insufficient exposure to sunlight before burial. The presence of such grains in a sample will cause age overestimates using multiple-grain methods, whether using thermoluminescence or optical dating.
Sunday, 26 May 2019
Some Odds and Ends
In sorting out the contents of some boxes in a cupboard I came across the following items I obtained years ago.
(1) Junga Yimi Issue No. 2 1995
Produced by the Bilingual Resources Development Unit at the Yuendumu Education Centre.
Amongst other things it contains photos of school classes and names of pupils for the following
Pre-school, Transition, Year, Year 2, Year 3/4, Year 4/5, Year 5/6, Post Primary Boys, Year 7 Girls, Year 8 Girls, Year 9 Girls
(2) Four pamphlets produced by the Aboriginal History Foundation of Victoria
Lake Condah Mission (1984) - Lists births, deaths and marriages after the Mission had closed
Framlingham Mission (1989) - Lists some families and people of Framlingham
Cummeragunga (1984) - Cummeragunga 1920 Aunty Cissie remembers these people
Lake Tyers (1987) - Family surnames that resided at Lake Tyers from 1878 - 1924
(3) Central Australian Religion by T G H Strehlow
Contains a partial genealogical chart from the Ellery Creek area of the Northern Territory.
The base date is for Sarah born 2. 4.1892.
(1) Junga Yimi Issue No. 2 1995
Produced by the Bilingual Resources Development Unit at the Yuendumu Education Centre.
Amongst other things it contains photos of school classes and names of pupils for the following
Pre-school, Transition, Year, Year 2, Year 3/4, Year 4/5, Year 5/6, Post Primary Boys, Year 7 Girls, Year 8 Girls, Year 9 Girls
(2) Four pamphlets produced by the Aboriginal History Foundation of Victoria
Lake Condah Mission (1984) - Lists births, deaths and marriages after the Mission had closed
Framlingham Mission (1989) - Lists some families and people of Framlingham
Cummeragunga (1984) - Cummeragunga 1920 Aunty Cissie remembers these people
Lake Tyers (1987) - Family surnames that resided at Lake Tyers from 1878 - 1924
(3) Central Australian Religion by T G H Strehlow
Contains a partial genealogical chart from the Ellery Creek area of the Northern Territory.
The base date is for Sarah born 2. 4.1892.
Monday, 11 March 2019
The Gangalidda People Pendine Claim [2019] FCA 302
The Gangalidda People Pendine Claim [2019] FCA 302 is available here .
The claim is in the Doomadgee area.
The Native Title Holders are the Gangalidda People. The Gangalidda People are all of the descendants of one or more of the following people:
Greg Thompson
Sophie Thompson
Ernest Thompson
Walter Thompson
Jimmy
Dawudawu Jimmy (King)
Grant
George Nark Mirrabaliyajari
Bob Scoles Gunyarbadijarri
Lirrgagujarri
Bob Weber Milgalajarri
Maggie (or Minnie)
Kitty
Kitty Wulnanda
Kitty Lirrgagujarri
Dolly
Old Nim
Stumpy Paddy
Mickey Charles
Barny Guldangara
Limilimilda
Johnny Balawayinda
Daisy Lirrgawanjinda
Sandy
Gunalumbu
Ngarilgudu
Malurgudu
Myrna Malalairunanda
Didmanja
Sandy
Garruwala and
Charly (Gundirrirri/Ngarrguyumbu/Gulawi),
who identify, and are identified by other Gangalidda People, as belonging to the Gangalidda People according to Gangalidda traditional laws and customs.
The claim is in the Doomadgee area.
The Native Title Holders are the Gangalidda People. The Gangalidda People are all of the descendants of one or more of the following people:
Greg Thompson
Sophie Thompson
Ernest Thompson
Walter Thompson
Jimmy
Dawudawu Jimmy (King)
Grant
George Nark Mirrabaliyajari
Bob Scoles Gunyarbadijarri
Lirrgagujarri
Bob Weber Milgalajarri
Maggie (or Minnie)
Kitty
Kitty Wulnanda
Kitty Lirrgagujarri
Dolly
Old Nim
Stumpy Paddy
Mickey Charles
Barny Guldangara
Limilimilda
Johnny Balawayinda
Daisy Lirrgawanjinda
Sandy
Gunalumbu
Ngarilgudu
Malurgudu
Myrna Malalairunanda
Didmanja
Sandy
Garruwala and
Charly (Gundirrirri/Ngarrguyumbu/Gulawi),
who identify, and are identified by other Gangalidda People, as belonging to the Gangalidda People according to Gangalidda traditional laws and customs.
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