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Terra Nullius? The Very Early Years http://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/linkages/IntegratedUnits/aboriginal/invasion_learn03.html

Terra Nullius? The Very Early Years

Context

The unit from which this is derived was first developed by teachers using a range of learning activities previously devised and trialled by an ESL lecturer working with students and teachers in the classroom. It was originally designed to encourage and promote discussion among students and development of their language skills. Students are presented with a range of problem-solving situations that reflect the significant events of the colonisation of Australia. Through discussion, students make choices which they must then justify. The teacher assesses students by listening to how they articulate their choices, how they answer questions about the reason that events happened the way they did, and the historical consequences of those events.

This unit attempts to increase students’ understanding of how it is possible for history to be presented from different points of view.

Another feature of the unit is the use of visuals. Conceptualising the past is difficult for younger students; visuals enable them to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the past. Visuals are also a mechanism for promoting classroom discussion which is both descriptive and critical.

The five learning sequences within this unit are both broad and detailed, and are intended to be taught over a two-year stage. Teachers could choose to begin at any of the learning sequences, depending on the students’ prior knowledge and experience. As another way of helping to present the range of perspectives addressed in this topic, teachers might consider supplementing an existing unit with one or more discrete learning sequences from this new unit on Invasion and Colonisation.

The selection of the initial sequence of historical events has been designed to enable students to make comparisons between the cultures, and to appreciate their similarities as well as the differences between them before colonial contact took place. Year 3 students examine Aboriginal and European cultures before 1788, with the learning sequence concluding with Cook’s journey and the concept of terra nullius. In Year 4, students begin to examine the early development of the penal colony and the often violent interactions between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal cultures.

Areas of Integration

The unit aims to promote student learning through the integration of outcomes across four key learning areas. The SOSE content of the unit provides the context for integration of English, Creative Arts and Mathematics outcomes.

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http://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/linkages/IntegratedUnits/aboriginal/invasion_learn03.html


Outcomes being addressed in this unit

NSW Curriculum NTCF

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Talking and Listening Talking and Listening TS2.1 Communicates in informal and formal classroom activities in school and social situations for an increasing range of purposes on a variety of topics across the curriculum.Skills and StrategiesTS2.2 Interacts effectively in groups and pairs, adopting a range of roles, uses a variety of media and uses various listening strategies for different situations.ReadingReading and Viewing TextsRS2.5 Reads independently a wide range of texts on increasingly challenging topics and justifies own interpretation of ideas, information and events.Skills and StrategiesRS2.6 Uses efficiently an integrated range of skills and strategies when reading and interpreting written texts.Context and TextRS2.7 Discusses how writers relate to their readers in different ways, how they create a variety of worlds through language and how they use language to achieve a wide range of purposes.

MA

THS

NumberWhole Numbers NS2.1 Counts, orders, reads and records numbers up to four digitsDataDS2.1 Gathers and organises data, displays data using tables and graphs, and interprets the results

MeasurementLengthMS2.1 Estimates, measures, compares and records lengths, distances and perimeters in metres, centimetres and millimetresVolume and CapacityMS2.3 Estimates, measures, compares and records volumes and capacities using litres, millilitres and cubic centimetresTimeMS3.5 Uses twenty-four hour time and am and pm notation in real-life situations and constructs timelines

Space and GeometryPositionSGS2.3 Uses simple maps and grids to represent position and follow routes

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Change and ContinuitySignificant Events and PeopleCCS2.1 Describes events and actions related to the British colonisation of Australia and assesses changes and consequences.Time and ChangeCCS2.2 Explains changes in the community and family life and evaluates the effects of these on different individuals, groups and environments.CulturesCultural DiversityCUS2.4 Describes different viewpoints, ways of living, languages and belief systems in a variety of communities

EnvironmentsPatterns of Place and LocationENS2.5 Describes places in the local area and other parts of Australia and explains their significance.

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Visual ArtsMakingVAS2.1 Represents the qualities of experiences and things that are interesting or beautiful by choosing among aspects of subject matter.VAS2.2 Uses the forms to suggest the qualities of subject matter.AppreciatingVAS2.3 Acknowledges that artists make artworks for different reasons and that various interpretations are possible.VAS2.4 Identifies connections between subject matter in artworks and what they refer to, and appreciates the use of particular techniques.DramaPerformingDRAS2.3 Sequences the action of the drama to create meaning for an audience.

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Learning sequences

Outcomes Process Resources needed

CCS2.1Learning sequence 11. What do we know about Australia before the British

came? Initiating activity Explain to students this unit is about the British

‘colonisation’ or ‘invasion’ of Australia. Record on chart paper to keep students’ initial

understanding of these terms. Ask students what they think ‘colonisation’ means in the

context of British colonisation of Australia and why Aboriginal people would call it ‘invasion’. Begin a retrieval chart with their ideas and modify the chart throughout the unit as students’ knowledge, understanding and ideas change.

Remind students that Britain sent people to Australia to live and to set up a government similar to theirs. Many countries were doing the same in other parts of the world at the time.

In groups, brainstorm what students know at this time and report back to share information. Add this to a retrieval chart.

Chart paper and pens

M3.7CCS2.2ENS2.5S2.5

2. Who lived in Australia? Construct a timeline to represent 100 000 years (1cm = 200

years). Five metres will represent 100 000 years of Aboriginal occupation. Indicate that the last cm on the timeline represents the 200 + years of British colonisation.

Show two maps of Australia (#1, #2) and list differences and similarities, eg states and nations, areas of land, borders based on languages and past colonial governments.

Explain to students that before 1788 there were approximately 250 different language groups. Reiterate that before 1788 Australia was multicultural and that it still is multicultural.

Stress the fact that the Aboriginal Australia map (#2)also gives some indication of contemporary Aboriginal land ownership.

Generalisation: Australia has always been multicultural. To illustrate this fact, ask students to identify their

cultural background.- Survey class on languages spoken and family

origins.The word ‘British’ comes from ‘Great Britain’. Have students find Great Britain in an atlas. Students should know that Great Britain is made up of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. Students can make the following type of statements: ‘If I was born in Portugal I would be Portuguese’‘I come from Great Britain, I am British’

#1 Map 1: States and capital cities #2 Map 2: Aboriginal Australia

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‘People who live in Vietnam are Vietnamese’- Tally results, and students construct a bar graph.

Students interpret information and write statements eg ‘most students in our class come from …’

assessment activity – write a brief report on the findings of the survey.

CCS2.2ENS2.5S2.4

3. Who lived in your area? Locate the Aboriginal people who lived in your local area. Use the Aboriginal Australia map (#2) and a map of

NSW to locate the language group for your area (#3). Locate the Aboriginal language groups for the Sydney

area. Make OHTs of three maps (#3, #4, #5) Discussion question: ‘Why do you think that there may

have been so many groups in this region?’ Guide the students to understand that Sydney was able to sustain a greater population than other areas because of the physical environment. #6 Joseph Lycett album

Show map of Sydney region that identifies the smaller Aboriginal communities (clans #4). Overlay with the suburb map #5 to identify the clan that owned the land of your school community.

On the suburban map #5 of Sydney, students to label and shade the Aboriginal nations who lived around Sydney.

Using #4 (Aboriginal language clans) students answer the following questions relating to compass directions.- Which direction do the Eora people need to travel to go

saltwater fishing?- The Dharawal need to travel to the Eora land for a

ceremony. In what direction do they need to go?- The Eora people are moving away from the coast to hunt

inland. In which direction will they go?- The Hawkesbury River is part of Darug land. In which

direction does the river run?- The Darug can see the Blue Mountains from their land.

Where are they looking? assessment activity – students create own questions and

share as a quiz.

#3 Map: Aboriginal tribes of the Sydney area #4 Map of clans of the Sydney area #5 Map of Sydney regions showing suburbs#6 Joseph Lycett album

ENS2.5 4. What were the names of places? Using a contemporary map of Sydney suburbs or your

local area, students identify if the place names are Aboriginal or English (note website for NSW Geographical Names Board) www.lpi.nsw.gov.au/geog/

The Aboriginal words used to name a place relate to the land – how it was used or its physical features. British names relate to places in Britain or prominent people. Examples of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal names:Bondi – ‘water breaking over rocks’Liverpool – a city in EnglandLeichhardt – name of a German explorerKatoomba – ‘falling water’Kuring-gai – home or hunting ground of Kuring-gai tribe

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http://www.lpi.nsw.gov.au/geog/


Cabramatta – home of the cobra grubCammeray – home of local tribe on Sydney’s north shoreReference: NSW Aboriginal Place Names (McCarthy 1971).

Investigate Aboriginal names for own local areas. TS2.2RS2.5

Learning sequence 21. What evidence do we have to show that Aboriginal

people have lived on this land for the past 50 000 years?

Brainstorm how we learn about the past. Teachers find and display pictures of different types of

evidence of Aboriginal past eg a midden, artefacts, engravings etc. Some pictures are available from Resource Kit Whose place is it anyway?

Listening task: teacher clarifies vocabulary before students listen to the text – archaeological evidence, artefacts, middens, rock engravings – from audio #7.

Students listen to audio text #7 about evidence of Australia’s past. Students list main types of evidence of Aboriginal culture being established in Australia. Create as a retrieval chart.

Communicative Task 4: Play ‘What am I?’ #8Distribute evidence cards and answer cards to each child. Children match the evidence with the description. (assessment task)

Teachers may wish to organise excursions to visit and view Aboriginal engraving sites through National Parks and Wildlife or Aboriginal Community contacts.

#7 Audio of Background Information#8 ‘What Am I?’

RS2.5TS2.1VAS2.1VAS2.2ENS2.5M2.4(b)DRAS2.3

2. What did Australia look like 50 000 years ago? Read the text The Peopling of Australia, a picture book by

Percy Trezise (1988). This book illustrates this period of time.

Use the events in the book to sequence information in chronological order using an ordinal timeline.Students can illustrate a particular period in time from the text using pastels and background with edicol dyes. Hang drawings sequentially. Children work in pairs to create a timeline (assessment task)

Dispersal of Gondwanaland. From http://earth.leeds.ac.uk/~greg/Gond.htmlTeacher explains that Australia had been joined to a larger land mass called Gondwanaland. Copy picture for students to observe and discuss. #9Optional: cut up a world map. Can you fit the continents together?

Mathematics Task: water level. The following activity could be used to demonstrate what happens as the Earth warms up after an Ice Age (global warming).Students partly fill a glass with water and mark the level with a rubber band or a felt pen. Add an ice cube and, when it has melted, mark the new level with another elastic band or felt pen. Discuss what happened and why. Discuss how this

The Peopling of Australia by Percy Trezise#9 Dispersal of Gondwanaland#10 Gang-Man-Gang

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http://earth.leeds.ac.uk/~greg/Gond.html


experiment relates to global warming. Explain to students that during an Ice Age ocean levels drop as more water is locked up in icecaps, thus exposing more land and creating land bridges.http://www.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/ice_ages

http://www.hartwick.edu/geology/work/VFT-so-far/ glaciers/glacier1.html

#10 A Dreaming story about this event could be read and performed. Gang-Man-Gang, retold by Heather Argerakis and Peter Houweling, tells of how the people came to the land.

Make puppets using recycling material. Present script as a performance.

VAS2.3RS2.6TS2.2

3. What was life like for the Eora people before 1788? Make OHT #11 which is a grid of different aspects of

Eora lifestyle. Brainstorm what the students know about each topic.

Using drawings by Joseph Lycett #6 to investigate what life was like for Aboriginal people. Students write descriptions of each watercolour or etching.Teacher gives students background information about Joseph Lycett.

www.ballarat.edu.au/academic/arts/bltag/lycett1.htmwww.australianliterature.org/articles.htmlwww.nla.gov.au/exhibitions/birds/panel1b.html

This task is designed to build necessary vocabulary for when students read the text called The Eora #14. Students match word to definition and record which topic they would find each word under, on a copy of #12 and #13. For example burly ‘food thrown in water to attract fish’ – this information may be found under the topic ‘fishing’.

Distribute copies of the text. Teacher models skim reading to find keywords relating to the topics, eg ask children to locate and highlight the paragraph(s) where they find information about shelters. Encourage a variety of strategies when skim reading, eg identifying types of words (nouns, verbs etc) and specific vocabulary relating to the topic. Repeat the same process for each topic.

Jigsaw activity: In groups of 8, each child is given a different topic to research and write information in note form to record on grid #13. Students then collect and record information from each other.

#11 Eora lifestyle#6 Joseph Lycett album(Plates from The Lycett Album reproduced by permission of the National Library of Australia)#12 and #13 Eora Vocabulary and grid#14 Text: The Eora People

VAS2.3VAS2.4

Learning sequence 31. What did the British see when they arrived? Show etching by Absalom West Botany Bay Harbour in

NSW with a view of the Heads. #15 Explain to students that this is an etching showing the arrival of the British in Australia in 1788. It was done 30 years later, so it is the artist’s impression of a past event.Discuss the etching by asking following types of questions:

#15 Absalom etching

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http://www.nla.gov.au/exhibitions/birds/panel1b.html

http://www.australianliterature.org/articles.html

http://www.ballarat.edu.au/academic/arts/bltag/lycett1.htm

http://www.hartwick.edu/geology/work/VFT-so-far/glaciers/glacier1.html


http://www.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/ice_ages


What do you see in the picture?What is happening?When do you think this was happening?Who lives in this place?What is the land like where the people live?What are the people on the land doing?Where has the ship come from?Who could be on the ship?Why is it sailing into the bay?What do you think the people on the land are thinking about the ship coming to their land?What are the people on the ship thinking when they see the people on the land?Through whose eyes has this picture been drawn? (assessment task, refer again to retrieval chart)

TS2.2RS2.5ENS2.5

2. Were there other explorers before the British? Brainstorm, What, how and why people explore? #16 Read passages on European explorers and identify the

countries they came from. #17 Students identify and find European countries in atlas or on a map.

Students match exploration vocabulary to meanings. #18 Have students in groups research early explorers of Australia

and produce a report about European explorers before the British, eg Willem Jansz, Nicholas Marion du Fresne, William Dampier, the Macassans, Abel Janszoon Tasman, Jan Carstenz, Luis Vaez de Torres, Dirk Hartog.

(See resources for relevant websites available on explorers.) Students sort information from the texts about:

Who were they?Where did they come from?Why did they come?Where did they go?What did they do?What was the Aboriginal response to their visit?

Each group presents their information on their explorer.

#16 Exploration#17 Explorers#18 Vocabulary

N2.1(b)N2.1(a)

What is a century?Play To the end of the century #19 Mathematics game using MAB blocks to construct a timeline to assist students with their understanding of 100 years equalling a century.

Using a length of string to represent a timeline from 1600 to 1800, students find the midpoint and use a peg to label it 1700. Then they estimate and label dates either side of 1700 in ten-year intervals. Students cut and paste descriptions of explorers onto timeline. #20 (assessment task)

Class discussion: the explorer or invader and the meaning of terra nullius from this point of view. Record responses.

#19 Century game#20 Explorers timeline

CCS2.1RS2.5RS2.6CCS2.2

3. James Cook’s voyage to Australia Highlight together time expressions in scrambled text ‘The

voyage of the Endeavour’. Students use the time expressions to sequence text in chronological order. #21, #21aComplete the cloze passage with the time expressions. #22

#21 Endeavour worksheet#21a Endeavour visual#22 Endeavour cloze

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Students read the sequenced text of Cook’s voyage and map his route.

Read or present a summary of additional readings 1 and 2.

Explain the concept of terra nullius from this point of view. terra nullius: Latin for ‘land of no one’. In international law, territory inhabited by peoples whose social or political organisation was not recognised was considered terra nullius. Sovereignty (rule) over territory was established by effective occupation by a sovereign state. (Reference page 95 of HSIE K-6 Syllabus)Was Australia really terra nullius?

Show text called, ‘The Endeavour’s arrival: from two points of view’ #23. Students identify who is speaking in each frame. Have students draw the characters and scenery. Can students identify the different points of view in the text?

The teacher explains that the British Government had a meeting with Joseph Banks nine years after Cook’s journey to Australia, to discuss the possibility of setting up a penal colony on the eastern coast of Australia, which they named New South Wales. Teacher asks students what questions they think the government asked Joseph Banks. Write these on the board. Show students original questions Banks was asked and have students answer them on behalf of Banks. #23a

Examine the original answers of Banks. Discuss any differences between their answers and Banks’ answers. Discuss the meaning of terra nullius from this point of view.

Additional reading 1: Summary of Cook’s journeysAdditional reading 2: Extract from Cook’s diary#23 ‘The Endeavour’s arrival: from two points of view’#23a Joseph Banks questions

S2.4TS2.2CUS2.4RS2.7VAS2.1

4. What plants/trees were native to the Sydney region?

Teachers and students can locate information on website: http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/banks/index.html

Using the above sites, display etchings commissioned by Banks. Explore the school gardens for native plants and trees. Identify their botanical and/or common names. Students sketch samples using a graphite pencil or pastel chalks.

Students make own etchings. Collect polystyrene trays or boxes. Students transfer design onto tray using a sharp pencil or skewer. Roll block printing paint (water based) over the design, place a sheet of art paper on top of the design and press. Peel the design off. The design can be washed, and more detail added. Roll a contrasting colour over the tray, align tray over original print, and press. The same process can be adapted to perspex etched with the sharp end of a compass or nail.

Organise an excursion to the Botanical Gardens in Sydney (or visit the website) where there is the Cadi Jam Ora First Encounters garden which includes an exhibition of plants used by the Cadigal people. The area around Sydney contains at

Additional resource#24 Bush food of New South Wales by Stewart & Percival(Photos of Bush food taken from Stewart, K and Percival, B, 1997, Bush Foods of New South Wales, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney. Material used with permission of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney.)

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http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/banks/index.html


least 200 plant species, of which fruit, seeds, tubers or nectars are edible. #24 See additional resource material.Local Botanical Gardens may be another source of native flora used by Aboriginal people from that area.

CUS2.4RS2.5

Learning sequence 41. What can we find out about contact and resistance?Punishments Compare Aboriginals’ and Europeans’ use of punishment

to regulate society. In groups students draw a mind map about punishments used

at school, at home, in the community and between countries, and in Britain in the 1700s. Groups share information and discuss.

Read an excerpt from text about punishments in the 18th century:Laws and punishments in Britain in the 1700s were very harsh particularly for crimes against property.‘The worst punishment was death … In 1785, of 97 hangings in London, only one was for murder, forty-three were for burglary and rest for smaller thefts.’ Other forms of punishment included flogging (whipping), branding with a hot iron. Those who set the laws were rich and powerful. The laws they made protected their property.Transportation was also a punishment. It was an alternative form of punishment to the death sentence. It was thought to be a much kinder way of treating people.Reference: Bound for Botany Bay, solving a problem Cooperative Educational Resources, 1978.

Discuss the different punishments and what transportation meant for the people (Europeans and Aboriginals) in England and Australia.

Examine how a penal colony was established. Teacher reads ballad ‘The girl with the black velvet band’.

#25 It is a traditional song that tells the story of a young man who was sent to Van Diemen’s Land. Discuss with the class.

Use the suggested questions on the task sheet to guide discussion.

Present #26 which lists different forms of punishment in British and Aboriginal cultures.

From the list of punishments, students sort into either British or Aboriginal on #27. Discuss with the students which system of punishment they think is the fairest and why.

#25 Poetry and songs#26 Punishment worksheet#27 Punishment grid

VAS2.3VAS2.4CCS2.1

2. What do we know about Britain prior to colonisation?

Use the website or other sources to show the students print engravings by William Hogarth depicting life in 18th century London #28. Explain to students that Hogarth was a non-conformist who challenged the views of other artists of his time. Using Hogarth’s prints, compare the lifestyles of

#28 Hogarth engravings#29 Hogarth website#30 Comparison of life worksheetThe First Fleet, Alan Boardman and Roland Harvey

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the rich and poor in Britain. Ask students to discuss the different conditions in which most Britons lived shown in the prints.

#29 www.haleysteele.com/hogarth Read and discuss the book The First Fleet. This book

depicts conditions in which poor people lived in England in the 18th century and can give students some idea of how life might have been in England when the First Fleet set sail for Australia.

Using the suggested topics on worksheet #30. Students compare life in Britain around the 1780s with life in Sydney for the Eora people. (assessment task)

S2.5M2.2TS2.2

3. Why did the British Government transport convicts to Australia?

What does ‘First Fleet’ mean? Students brainstorm their existing knowledge of the First

Fleet. Students use First Fleet data #31 to acquire information

about the numbers of first convicts, officers, soldiers and settlers that arrived in Australia.

On the First Fleet data worksheet #31students round off lengths of ships to the nearest metre and complete column.

Using the First Fleet data students work through mathematical activities on #32.

Students are given the name of a child convict and some information about their age, job, and crime committed #33.

Hot Seat: Children take turns to sit in the hot seat and take on the role of a convict child. The rest of the class ask questions to gain information about the convict. Note, when in the hot seat need to elaborate when asked questions they do not have the facts for.Who are you? How old are you?

What offence did you commit? Did you harm someone? Why did you commit this crime? What was your punishment? Do you think it was fair? Teacher discusses the role of Governor, Naval Officer,

Royal Marines and convicts using the First Fleet text. Students then match the description to the name. # 31 Optional activity using available texts: Students research one group to present to the class.

#31 First Fleet data#32 First Fleet Mathematics sheet#33 Convict children

RS2.5S2.4TS2.1CCS2.2RS2.6

4. The First Fleet journey Students listen to the tape #34 ‘An historical recount of the

First Fleet journey’ informing students who came on the First Fleet, and how many. Students listen without writing, re-read the text and students record information.

Mapping Task: Use an OHT of world map and label continents and oceans [South America, Africa, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Europe]. Ask students to give possible routes the First Fleet may have taken. Students label own

#34 Audio: ‘An historical recount of the First Fleet Journey’#35 Historical recount worksheet

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http://haleysteele.com/hogarth/


maps. Students listen to the tape #34 again, then on the world map,

mark the route taken on the first part of the journey. Students listen to the remainder of the journey and mark the route taken.

Discuss the following questions, and report back: Why do you think the First Fleet crossed the Atlantic Ocean

twice? What do you think Captain Phillip used to pay for supplies? How much drinking water would the Fleet have needed when

crossing the Indian Ocean? Why do you think they didn’t sail between Van Diemen’s

Land and the mainland? On #35 students’ sequence the ‘Historical recount of the

First Fleet journey’ independently. Students check sequence with a partner. Pose the following question to students: The First Fleet took on fresh supplies at Tenerife, Rio de Janeiro and Table Bay. Give two reasons why Captain Phillip might have done this. Pairs discuss possible answers and share with whole class.

CUS2.4RS2.6

Learning sequence 51. What tools and weapons did the First Fleet bring? Teacher poses the following question to the students:

Imagine going to the bush for a week. You have food and water; what tools/equipment could you take?

Students list their answers and classify them. Teacher asks the class: ‘If you were Captain Phillip, what tools/equipment would you take?’ Teacher records students’ responses.

Show students flow chart #36 of ‘Tools’. Teacher demonstrates how to read flow chart and labels the tools on #37.

Show OHT of #38 and tell students that one loom for weaving canvas was brought. Students predict how many of each type of tool was brought to Australia.

Using OHT #39 teacher and students review how many of each tool was brought to Australia and what items were left behind.

#36 Tools flow chart#37 Tools worksheet#38 Tools and equipment#39 Tools and equipment answer sheet

TS2.1RS2.6

2. Aboriginal technology Teacher may wish to organise an excursion to a local museum

or the Australian Museum to observe examples of Aboriginal technology. At some museums students may be able to experience hands-on activities with tools and weapons.

Teacher gives groups of students the following scenario to dramatise how they would communicate in each situation:What do you do when you want to go to a friend’s place to play?How to retrieve a ball in a neighbour’s yard?How to borrow equipment from another class?

How to join in a game in the playground?Teacher and students identify the importance of asking permission and discuss the consequences of not asking permission.

Additional reading 3: Message sticks#40 Message sticks cloze#41 Weapons flow chart#42 Tools matrix

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Teacher uses information in Additional reading 3 to tell students about the role of message sticks in Aboriginal society.

Students work in pairs to complete cloze passage #40. The cloze focuses on language that is important for understanding the consequences of trespassing in Aboriginal society.

Optional activity #41 ‘Weapons’ flow chart. Teacher finds information for each of the following tools: lil

lil, spear, stone axe, boomerang, bundi, musket and sword. See references for suggested texts, including Aboriginal Encyclopedia.

Teacher shows students OHT #42 of tools. Teacher chooses a weapon or tool and models how to complete the matrix. In groups students investigate a type of tool and record on matrix. Students share information to complete matrix.

On OHT teacher and students review information. (assessment)

CUS2.4RS2.5

3. How Aboriginal society deals with conflict Discuss with the students: ‘what causes fights?’, ‘why do

people fight?’, ‘do fights have rules?’. Show students #43 a visual of Aboriginal people fighting

each other and Aboriginal people fighting the British. Discuss the following questions:What might have been the reason for the fight?Do the fights look fair?What might be the consequences of each fight?

Prediction sheet see #44 Aboriginal culture – 1788: fighting. Teacher and students read #45 about fighting in Aboriginal

society and locate the following information:Why did Aboriginal people fight?How did they organise a fight?What rules had to be followed?What were the consequences of breaking the rules?

Students read #46 and, from the description, draw two persons fighting. Illustrations include distances between combatants, types and number of weapons that were used in fights.

#43 Visuals of Aboriginal fights#44 Aboriginal culture#45 Aboriginal culture reading#46 Fighting reading

RS2.5RS2.7

4. How the penal settlement was established Brainstorm: ‘If you were Captain Phillip what orders

would you issue first when landing?’ Teacher and students read pages 18 and 19 in the The

First Fleet by J Nicholson. Using #47 students imagine the landing of the First Fleet and sketch details of activities within the first week.

Show OHT of #48 without the consequences. Teacher and students read about the problems that the First Fleet and the Eora people faced in the early days of establishing the convict colony. Students predict the consequences for each action and teacher records students’ responses on OHT. Make copies of #49 and students compare predictions against recorded events.

#47 First few weeks worksheet#48 Consequences sheet#49 Consequences answer sheet

CUS2.4 5. How did the British and the Eora communicate with #50 Glossary of Aboriginal Sydney

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each other? Explain to students that when Australia’s Aboriginal

peoples and the European colonisers met each other for the first time, they spoke languages which the other could not understand. Naturally, though, their first meetings were an attempt to communicate with each other. They were able to do this by miming and demonstrating the languages they were using. These early efforts to communicate had some success but also resulted in many misunderstandings.

Teacher asks students: ‘What ideas and words are easiest to communicate through mime or demonstration?’ Give students a variety of words to mime, such as emotions, objects, time, places, names and events. What are the most difficult words to demonstrate?

Using the Glossary of Aboriginal Sydney Language #50, ask students to construct 2 or 3 phrases using words from the list and find partners to translate them into English.

Reference: Whose place is it anyway?: a teacher’s resource kit, Museum of Sydney, Historic Houses Trust of NSW.

Teacher reads the stories of Arabanoo and Bennelong. Discuss how communication was established between Arthur Phillip and Arabanoo/Bennelong. Teacher poses question: ‘What would have been a better way to establish communication between Arabanoo/Bennelong and Phillip?’ Discuss the possible consequences.

Language

TS2.1CUS2.4

6. Resistance Show the first few minutes of the video Independence Day,

depicting the arrival of a spaceship. Ask the students: How might they feel? What might they do? Teacher lists the ‘affect’ vocabulary eg fear, panic, confusion, excitement, anticipation, hope. Teacher models the writing of a consequence chart using one of the reactions they have thought of as a starting point for an alien invasion, eg try to talk to an alien – they didn’t understand anything – offer the alien a present of a kangaroo skin – the alien threw it back at them – get angry and yell at the alien.

Discuss: ‘How might the Eora people have felt when the First Fleet arrived?’ Using #51 teacher and students read the scenario and students write consequences. Students share all possible consequences.

Teacher reads the following information to students:

The tribes around the Sydney area developed a way of resisting the British – often called ‘guerrilla war’. They used a kind of warfare that used their knowledge and bush craft skills, as well as their capacity to easily traverse their country. They operated by surprise and secrecy and their movements were unpredictable. Because the white settlers didn’t know when or where conflict would break out, they often could not feel safe. Groups of Aborigines would attack a farm, killing animals and people and then disappear back into the bush.

#51 Resistance: reactions#52 Pemulwuy’s consequence chart

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Explain that there were many such conflicts between the white settlers and the Aborigines. We do not have the names and details of many of the leaders of these attacks on white farms and towns. We do have some accounts of the leader Pemulwuy.

Read together Pemulwuy’s reactions to white invasion. Discuss the consequences for all concerned.

Using #52 students pictorially plot the consequences of Pemulwuy’s actions.

Teacher reads The Rabbits by John Marsden. How does this story represent the British colonisation of Australia? Discuss how the author represents a particular point of view? Teacher asks the students what their particular point of view is on British colonisation. Why is it important for us to learn about the past?

Revisit the first retrieval chart and discuss with students if they would still define ‘colonisation’ and ‘invasion’ in the same way. If not, what has changed and why? (assessment task)

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References Barlow, A, 1994, Aboriginal Technology: Boomerangs and Throwing Sticks, McMillan, Melbourne. Board of Studies NSW, 1995, Invasion and Resistance: Untold Stories: Aboriginal Voices in Australian

history, Aboriginal Curriculum Unit, Office of the Board of Studies NSW. Boardman, A & Harvey, R, 1982, The First Fleet, Fontana Picture Lions. Cherikoff, V, 1989, The Bushfood Handbook, Ti Tree Press, Balmain, NSW. Cooperative Education Resources, 1978, Bound for Botany Bay: Solving a Problem. Delbridge, A (ed), 1997, Macquarie Dictionary, 3rd edn, Macquarie Library, North Ryde, NSW. DSP Technology Kit available from State Equity Centre email [email protected] Flanagan, R J, 1888, The Aborigines of Australia Healy, R & Douglas, C, 1995, Towards a New Dreaming: Future Directions for Land Management in

Australia, Clean Up Australia, Pyrmont, NSW. Hinkson, M & Harris, A, 2001, Aboriginal Sydney: A Guide to Important Places of the Past and the

Present, Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra. Hoorn, J (ed), 1990, The Lycett Album: Drawings of Aborigines and Australian Scenery, National

Library of Australia, Canberra. Horton, D (ed), 1994, The Encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

History, Society and Culture, Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra. Horton, D, 1999, Aboriginal Australia [Map], Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander Studies, Canberra. Marsden, J & Tan, S, 1998, The Rabbits, Lothian Books, Melbourne. Mathews, J, 1977, Wurley and Wommera: Aboriginal Life and Craft, Collins, Sydney. McCarthy, F D, 1971, New South Wales Aboriginal Place Names and Euphonious Words, with their

Meanings, [pamphlet] 5th ed, Australian Museum, Sydney. Museum of Sydney/Historic Houses Trust of NSW, Whose Place is it Anyway? A Teacher’s Resource

Kit, Sydney. Nicholson, J, 1995, The First Fleet: A New Beginning, Allen & Unwin, Sydney. Richardson, A & Trudgeon, T, 1987, Australia in the Making: An Investigation of Nineteenth-century

Australia, Nelson, Melbourne. Stannard, B, 1995, Aboard Endeavour: Cook’s Voyage (1768–1771), Ashton Scholastic, Sydney. Stewart, K & Percival, B, 1997, Bush Food of New South Wales: A Botanic Record and an Aboriginal

Oral History, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney. Taylor, G, 1999, Pemulwuy, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. Thieberger, N & McGregor, W (ed), 1994, Macquarie Aboriginal Words: A Dictionary of Words from

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages, Macquarie Library, North Ryde, NSW. Trezise, P, 1988, The Peopling of Australia, Collins, Sydney. Troy, J, 1994, The Sydney Language, AIATSIS, Australian Dictionaries Projects, Canberra. Turbet, P, 2001, The Aborigines of the Sydney District Before 1788, rev edn, Viacom Company, Sydney. Yarwood, A T, 1984, Growing Up in Phillip’s Sydney, Kangaroo Press, Sydney.

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mailto:[email protected]


Excursions Royal Botanical Gardens Sydney, Cadi Jam Ora: First Encounters Garden. A walk commemorating the

Cadigal people and the land they called home. The display tries to capture their spirit by growing plants native to the site. Information 9231 8134.

Australian Museum Indigenous Australia exhibition and Aboriginal Studies hands-on rooms allow children to experience Aboriginal technology first hand.

Museum of Sydney on site of first Government House. Corner of Phillip and Bridge Streets, Sydney, phone 9251 5988, fax 9252 5966. Whose Place is it Anyway? A Teacher’s Resources Kit intended for use in conjunction with the educational program at the Museum of Sydney.

Popp, T, Popp, N & Walker, B, 1977, Footprints on Rocks: Aboriginal Art of the Sydney Region, Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, Redfern, Sydney. This book identifies many site locations that have either a totemic connection of significance or relate to actions of ancestral beings on the earth, of the hunting cycles or of ceremonial cycles of the Sydney clans.

Websites Banks, Joseph

http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/banks/index.html Geographical Place Names

www.lpi.nsw.gov.au/geog/ Joseph Lycett

www.ballarat.edu.au/academic/arts/bltag/lycett1.htmwww.australianliterature.org/articles.htmlwww.nla.gov.au/exhibitions/birds/panel1b.html

William Hogarthwww.haleysteele.com/hogarth

Captain Cookwww.foundingdocs.gov.au/places/nsw/nsw1.htm

Governor Phillipwww.foundingdocs.gov.au/places/nsw/nsw2.htm

Geological History of Australia (Monash University, Earth Science) http://earth.leeds.ac.uk/~greg/Gond.html

Ice Ages (Illinois State Museum, Springfield, Ill.) http://www.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/ice_ages Glaciers (Hartwick University, Geology Dept, NY State)


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http://www.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/ice_ages

http://earth.leeds.ac.uk/~greg/Gond.html

http://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/places/nsw/nsw2.htm

http://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/places/nsw/nsw1.htm

http://haleysteele.com/hogarth/toc.html

http://www.nla.gov.au/exhibitions/birds/panel1b.html

http://www.australianliterature.org/articles.html

http://www.ballarat.edu.au/academic/arts/bltag/lycett1.htm

http://www.lpi.nsw.gov.au/geog/

http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/banks/index.html


Resource Sheet #1

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Resource Sheet #3

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Resource Sheet #4

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Resource Sheet #5

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Resource Sheet #7

[Audio - transcript ]

Introduction

Aboriginal people are estimated to have lived throughout the Australian continent for more than 50 000 years. Our knowledge of this past history comes from many different sources. Stories, scientific evidence, languages, people, artefacts, engravings and written accounts can be found throughout Australia.

Dreaming Stories The early history of Aboriginal people can be found in their stories and songs. These stories are set in different times and refer to many past (geological) events, such as the Ice Age, volcanic eruptions, climate change and spreading deserts. They tell of the time when giant mammals, birds and amphibians once lived throughout Australia.

Aboriginal Language Today many of Australia’s towns, rivers and suburbs are named using words from different Aboriginal languages. The following places, to name a few, use Aboriginal words: Bondi, Cabramatta, Cammeray, Parramatta, Wahroonga. Many native plants and animals are identified with Aboriginal words, eg dingo, kangaroo, wombat.

Aboriginal PeopleAboriginal people have survived many changes to their culture. Their survival keeps their past history alive, as well as making their present connections to the land more important than ever.

Archeological Evidence Evidence of how people lived thousands of years ago can be found in the fossilised remains that archeologists are continuing to unearth. Hearths, ovens and remnants of fishing tackle have been found at Lake Mungo in NSW, along with the bones of many birds and animals.

MiddensMiddens are the preserved remains of shellfish meals that were eaten centuries ago. They can be found around most major waterways throughout Australia. There are many places in Sydney where they still remain, eg Parramatta River and Sydney Harbour foreshores including Balls Head Reserve.

Artefacts Excavations are still unearthing a variety of stone tools and weapons. You can see many of these artefacts at museums throughout Australia.

Changes to the Environment Aboriginal people changed the environment to ensure the supply of food. Scarred trees along different waterways have been made by removing bark for the construction of

canoes. Grasslands have been created by burning back the bush. This helped maintain the supply of good

food for many thousands of years. Burning also enabled certain species of plants to flourish, eg wattle, banksias and eucalypts throughout Australia.

Aboriginal Rock engravings Some aspects of Aboriginal culture and the environment they lived in are shown in a range of rock engravings throughout Australia. The engravings were made by cutting the rock surface with painted stone or shell. Some engravings are believed to be 5000 years old.

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Aboriginal Walking Tracks and Trade RoutesThe Aboriginal walking tracks that led to important food sources and meeting places, as well as the wide ranging trade routes, became the main roads and highways that were established by the Europeans.

European Observation The earliest record of life in the colony was written by Captain Watkin Tench. He was commissioned by the British Government to write about the colony. His diary included his impressions of Aboriginal people and their way of life.

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Resource Sheet #8Can you find the evidence?

What am I?Clues

You can find it in protected areas It tells an event The colours are of the earth It is a special place

What am I?Clues

It recounts events It tells of a new land It is seen through the eyes of an Englishman It is written

What am I?Clues

It is two metres high It resembles a wombat Its skeleton is all that remains We know of its existence from the

Dreamtime stories

What am I?Clues

They are legends of long ago It teaches us about the history and laws of the

land It is spoken

What am I?Clues

People gather around it to feast It cannot be eaten It can be found in huge piles The British used me to make cement They are found around waterways

What am I?Clues

It is carved from wood or made from stone It is used in fighting, hunting or fishing It can be decorated

What am I?Clues

It is a special place It is carved into a hard surface Don’t walk on me, I’m protected It tells of an event You can see my outline

Who am I?Clues

We are the first born We come from many nations speaking over 500

languages Our land was taken from us We protected and cared for the land for over

50 000 years

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It must be a midden It must be a dreaming story

It must be a fossil It must be a weapon

It must be an Aboriginal rock carving

It must be Aboriginal people

It must be a diary It must be a sacred site

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Resource Sheet #10Gang-Man-Gang

Retold by Heather Argerakis and Peter Houweling

Cast: Narrator, Whale, Starfish and other Australian Animals

Narrator – Long ago in the Dreaming, all the Australian animals lived in another land over the sea. They decided to leave and come to the hunting grounds in Australia.

An Australian Animal – Our canoes are only small and they are not safe to use far out at sea. What shall we do?

An Australian Animal – Whale has a canoe of great size.

An Australian Animal – Whale will never lend it to us.

An Australian Animal – Let’s watch and hope he leaves his canoe, so that we can take it and use it for our journey.

An Australian Animal – This won’t work. He always keeps a strict guard over it.

An Australian Animal – I have an idea. Whale’s best friend Starfish will help us.

The animals go to Starfish.

The Australian Animals – Starfish, can you get Whale away from his canoe, so we can steal it and go across the ocean?

Starfish goes to find Whale.

Starfish – Whale, you have a lot of lice on your head; let me catch them and kill them for you.

Whale – Thanks, Starfish, those lice have been annoying me. Let me tie up my canoe alongside a rock.

As soon as Whale wasn’t looking, Starfish gave the signal to the others who were waiting to sneak into his canoe.

While Starfish held Whale’s head in his lap and removed the lice, the people quickly clambered into the canoe and rowed away.

Starfish scratched vigorously around Whale’s ears so he couldn’t hear the splashing of the oars.

Whale – Starfish, is my canoe all right?

Starfish tapping a piece of bark…

Starfish – Yes, Whale, can’t you hear, I’m tapping it with my hand.

Starfish continued scratching Whale’s head.

Whale – Let me check for myself.

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Narrator – By this time the people and the canoe were nearly out of sight.

When Whale saw the people rowing as fast as they could in his canoe, he became extremely angry and beat Starfish, almost tearing him to pieces.

Whale jumped into the water to swim after his canoe. Meanwhile, injured Starfish rolled off the rock on which he had been sitting and fell into the water.

Narrator – There Starfish lay on the sand at the bottom until he had recovered. That is why, today, all starfish have a ragged, torn appearance and live on the sand under the water. Angry Whale went after the others, furiously squirting water out of a hole in his head which had been made during the fight with Starfish. That is why, today, all whales squirt water from their heads.

Weaker Australian Animals – He’s gaining on us. Soon he will overtake us and we will be drowned.

Koala – Look at my strong arms. I’m able to pull the canoe fast enough so we can escape.

Koala showed them how fast he could pull the oars and make the canoe go faster through the water.

Narrator – This voyage lasted several days and nights until at last land was sighted. They headed straight for it. When they landed all the people jumped out except for the Brolga. In his excitement he danced and jumped on the bottom of the canoe until he made a great hole in it with his feet. Brolga hopped out and shoved the sinking canoe a little way from the shore. There it settled and became the small island known as Gang-Man-Gang at the entrance to Lake Illawarra.

When Whale arrived shortly afterwards, he saw that his canoe had been sunk close to the shore. In dismay he turned back and swam along the coast where he and his descendants have remained ever since. Gang-Man-Gang can still be seen at the entrance to Lake Illawarra and is known as Windang Island.

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Resource Sheet #11 and #13

FISHING FOOD

CEREMONIES/RITUALS EDUCATION

HISTORICAL EVIDENCE LANGUAGES

HUNTING AND GATHERING SHELTERS

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Resource Sheet #12Match the word to the dictionary definition. What topic do you think you will find each word mentioned in the text: FISHING, FOOD, CEREMONIES/RITUALS, EDUCATION, HISTORICAL EVIDENCE, LANGUAGE, HUNTING AND GATHERING or SHELTERS?

WORD DICTIONARY MEANING TOPICGibba

Nulla nulla

Woomera

Prey

Burly

Adorned

Scarification

Ritual

Spiritual

Initiation

Feast

Commemorate

Cremated

Middens

Pigment

Coolamon

Stone tool used in the ceremony to remove a tooth

Throwing stick; at one end there is a hook to connect the spear

An animal that is hunted or killed by another for food

Not physical; of the human soul

A special celebration to introduce a person as a member of a group

Food thrown into the water to attract fish

Decorated with belts, necklaces, head, waist, ankle and arm bands

A celebration or reminder of some past event or person

Make scars on the skin

A wooden dish for carrying food, water or small babies

Carved piece of wood which is used for fighting and hunting animals

Piles of discarded shells from eating areas

A series of actions used in a ceremony

A large splendid meal

Burn a dead body to ashes

A powder that colours something

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Resource Sheet #14Read the information about the life of the Eora people before the British settlement in Sydney. Highlight and record the key words about the topic you need to share with your group.

I am locating information about ___________________________________________

The Eora PeopleEora is thought to be the name of the Aboriginal language group who lived in the area now called Sydney. The Eora people called Sydney Harbour Tuhbowgule and Botany Bay was called Kamay.

Very little of the Eora language was ever recorded. Despite this, many words still remain that give detailed information about plant and animal life in the area, weather conditions and geographical features. There are still words for feelings such as love (ngubadi), trust (mari), anger (wurabata), frightened (bagarat), ashamed (wural), sympathy (mudjara), and passionate (yurura). Many words have found their way into Australian English such as dingo, gibba, koala, woomera, nulla nulla, cooee, boomerang, wombat, and many more.

The area around Sydney Harbour was rich in food. The Eora lived well on fish and shellfish. There was also a wide variety of available animals like yurungi (wild duck), mirral (crested pigeon), bunmarra (lizard) and bulada (snake), plants like the midjuburi (lilly pilly), guwigan (wild cherry) and midiny (yam), honey bees, and dangannuwa, a tasty worm found at the base of grass trees.

The gathering and preparation of roots, fruits, nuts or grain, shellfish, lizards and snakes, grubs and small animals was the work of women and children. They used digging sticks, dillybags and coolamons to collect the food. The women had knowledge about the nutritional and healing properties of plants. There were laws relating to food gathering. No more food was gathered than was needed and it was shared with everyone.

Men were responsible for hunting larger animals and making weapons, nets, implements and tools. These were made from locally available materials including wood, stone, bone, shell, plant fibres, animal sinews, resins and gums. Many of these items were traded right across Australia. With hunting, there were laws to be obeyed. The laws contained hunting methods that would not offend spiritual ancestors or threaten food supplies in any way.

Men and boys fished with a variety of spears from the shores or from canoes, depending on the prey and the weather. Women also fished with a line and hook and jagged for fish using oysters and shellfish as burly. The lines were made from the bark of the kurrajong tree, with a stone sinker and a shell hook. Both men and women used nuwi – light bark canoes. They fished during the day and at night, and would carry on board a small fire, which would repel insects, provide light and warmth, and could be used for cooking.

They lived in huts made of branches and bark, or in caves, and probably spent several months at one campsite. While they wore no clothing, they decorated their hair and adorned their bodies with head, neck and waist bands, body ochre and scarification. The chest, arms and backs of men were ritually scarred using a sharp stone to make the markings. The scars were, and are still, worn with pride.

Shelters were simple in design and quickly made of light materials found in the natural environment. The materials the shelters were made from depended how long the Aboriginal group would be staying in one area. If the group did not stay for long, then most shelters were quickly made using pieces of timber leant against tree trunks and covered with bark, grass and leaves. Some shelters looked like tents, with bark attached to wooden frames. If the Aboriginal group expected to be staying for a long time, the shelters would be built using rocks and more weatherproof materials. Rock shelters and caves were also used for shelter. The Eora people probably spent several months at one campsite where the food supply lasted longer.

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In good weather, people preferred to live and work in the open spaces around their shelter or in the shade of the trees.

The education and development of children was very important. Dreamtime stories taught the children Aboriginal values such as respect for old people, sharing of food, duties within the clan, and the land. Children had the responsibility of looking after younger children and old people, and collecting firewood. Girls and young children went out food gathering with the women, while the older boys went out hunting with the men. This was part of their education, learning about the land.

Like other Aboriginal peoples, the Eora had developed ways to use the land to support its population and at the same time protect the environment. Different parts of the land spiritually belonged to the members of each clan. Clans would travel into other territories for special ceremonies such as an initiation ceremony or to share a feast. Invitations would be sent by messenger to neighbouring clans. These festivals involved gathering, hunting, feasting, corroborees, singing, dancing, also sporting and athletic contests. Initiation was a very important event in Aboriginal life. Both boys and girls took part in special rituals to celebrate their becoming young adults.

The Eora had rituals for commemorating a person’s death. Young people were buried, while older people were cremated. Personal items were buried or burned with the bodies, showing a belief in the afterlife.

Many Aboriginal sites in Sydney have been destroyed, yet some still remain on the harbour and ocean foreshores. Middens are special Aboriginal sites containing discarded shells from eating areas. They are evidence of Aboriginal occupation and land use. In early Sydney, middens from the Cooks River were used for land fill and road bases. Artistic evidence can also be found today. Animals, fish and other familiar objects were drawn with charcoal and ochre on the walls of rock shelters. Stencil art, produced by using hands or objects (such as boomerangs) as a stencil and blowing pigment around them, can also be found. They also engraved images in the soft sandstone of the area, including animals, weapons, and gigantic Dreaming figures thought to be Duramulun and Biame.

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Resource Sheet #16EXPLORATION

Dictionary meaning

WHAT DO PEOPLE EXPLORE?

HOW DO PEOPLE EXPLORE?

WHY DO PEOPLE EXPLORE?

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Resource Sheet #17The Age of European Exploration

What European countries sailed to Australia, as they explored the world?

Read the passages and identify in each passage the country that was exploring

1. The first Europeans to approach Australia were the Portuguese, who in the early sixteenth century were in search of trade goods, particularly spices. They had found these spices around the Indonesian islands.

2. The Spanish concentrated on trade between their colonies in South America and the Philippines. They may have sighted the north coast of Australia but did not explore the country.

3. The Dutch made the first European contact with Australia – William Jansz sighted Cape York Peninsula in 1606. By 1629 the Dutch had mapped large sections of the Australian coastline.

4. The French had a great interest in the southern hemisphere from as early as the 1500s. The French had set up colonies in the Indian Ocean and searched for trading foods to take back to France. Later in the 1700s, French scientists explored countries in the South Pacific.

5. The first voyage of Captain James Cook, which left England in 1768, had mapped the east coast of Australia and proved to the British that New Zealand consisted of two main islands.

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Resource Sheet #18VOCABULARY

The following words are used to describe the explorers’ voyages around the world. Match the word with the correct meaning.

Expedition Settlers in a new country forming a community governed by the mother state

Colony A voyage or a journey for a definite purpose

Navigate Connected with the sea or seafaring

Maritime To find the correct route across bodies of water

Mutiny Gaining a large amount of money in business

Trade Plants used in cooking to sweeten the flavour of food

Spices Open revolt against the captain of a ship

Conqueror Exchange of goods for money or other goods

Profit One who overcomes by force

Scientific Investigating how things happen in the world

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Resource Sheet #19Mathematics Activity

What you need 2 players 10 long Diens blocks cards marking beginning of 2 consecutive centuries cards with addition and subtraction instructions cards naming every 10 years cards with addition and subtraction instructions (±10, ±5) different coloured counter for each player.

How to set up the game children play in pairs construct a time line with Diens’ longs or other material label beginnings of centuries place cards face down.

How to play put counter on beginning of century player 1 turns over a card and calculates answer, then moves counter to place on the line player 2 has a turn continue taking turns until a player reaches the next century. They are the winner.

Cards for Mathematics Game

Go back to the beginning of the century

Add 10 years

Subtract 10 years +5

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Go to 1723 -5

+10 -10

-5 1753

+1 +5

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+20 -1

-20Go to 5 years from the

beginning of the century

Time Line Create this time line to allow a Diens’ long or other set of tens material to fit between each decade.

1700 1710 1720 1730 1740 1750 1760 1770 1780 1790 1800

Cards for marking decades

1700 1730 1760 1790

1710 1740 1770 1800

1720 1750 1780

Adapt the instruction cards to different maths levels/outcomes.

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Resource Sheet #20

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Abel Tasman was a Dutch seaman who landed in Tasmania in 1642. Tasman named the land ‘Van Diemen’s Land”

William Dampier became the first Englishman to land on the Australian continent in 1688. Aboriginal people were present but they chose to stay away from him.He attempted to capture an Aboriginal person to help him look for water.

In 1623 Captain Jan Cartensz from Holland sailed around the Gulf of Carpentaria. He was interested in trading precious metals, spices and exotic fruit trees. They were confronted by Aboriginal people who threatened and killed one of his crew. Cartensz’s men captured several Aboriginal people and took them aboard his ship.

For several centuries Macassans (form Sulawesi, now part of Indonesia) sailed to the north coast of Australia. They fished and traded with the Aboriginal people. No-one knows for sure when they first came to Australia; most people believe it was around the 1600s.

Dirk Hartog was the first Dutchman to make contact with the western coast of Australia in 1616. He captained a trading ship to collect spices and other goods to trade and sell. He landed on what is now Dirk Hartog Island in Shark Bay.

Captain James Cook was the first Englishman to land on the east coast of Australia in 1770. He declared the land terra nullius (a land with no owners).Sir Joseph Banks, a botanist, was also on board. He recommended the land for a new settlement.

Marion Dufresne in 1771 led a French expedition in search of land. He looked for supplies of water and timber in Tasmania. They stayed on the island for three days, before heading for New Zealand.



Resource Sheet #21

Cut along the dotted line and paste in order.

On 13 July 1771, three years after they had left, Cook and his men returned to England.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------In July 1769 they set out to look for the unknown south land. In October they sighted New Zealand and sailed around it, mapping the coastline.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Next they reached Tahiti, where they watched an eclipse of the sun. They stayed there for three months.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE VOYAGE OF THE ‘ENDEAVOUR’

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Six months later, Captain Cook left New Zealand and sailed west, looking for Tasmania. A strong wind blew them north, where they sailed up the east coast of Australia.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------On 26 August 1768, the Endeavour left Plymouth with 94 men on board. For eight months they sailed, stopping in South America for repairs, food and water.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------On 28 April 1770, the Endeavour sailed into Botany Bay. Captain Cook and his crew landed there and tried to make contact with the Aborigines. Many new plants were found there, which is why it was named Botany Bay.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------After leaving Botany Bay they sailed north and nearly sank when they hit a coral reef. They continued on northwards to the East Indies.

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Resource Sheet #22THE VOYAGE OF THE ‘ENDEAVOUR’

_____________________________, the Endeavour left Plymouth with 94 men on board. For eight months they sailed, stopping in South America for repairs, food and water.

Next they reached Tahiti, where they watched an eclipse of the sun. They stayed there for three months.

In July 1769 they set out to look for the unknown south land. In October they sighted New Zealand and sailed around it, mapping the coastline.

_______________________, Captain Cook left New Zealand and sailed west, looking for Tasmania. A strong wind blew them north, where they sailed up the east coast of Australia.

______________________, the Endeavour sailed into Botany Bay. Captain Cook and his crew landed there and tried to make contact with the Aborigines. Any new plants were found there, which is why it was named Botany Bay.

_________________________ they sailed north and nearly sank when they hit a coral reef. They continued on northwards to the East Indies.

_______________________ three years after they had left, Cook and his men returned to England.

On 13 July 1771 On 26 August 1768 On 28 April 1770

Six months later April 1770 After leaving Botany Bay

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Resource Sheet #23

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Resource Sheet #23aWhat did Joseph Banks say about Australia?

Sir Joseph Banks gave evidence to the House of Commons Select Committee on Transportation, May 1785. Parts of the text have been rewritten for students.

COMMITTEE: Is the coast in general or the particular part you have visited inhabited?

BANKS: There are very few inhabitants.

COMMITTEE: Are the people peaceful or hostile?

BANKS: They seem to appear hostile, they were not fearful of our presence. We never saw more than 30 or 40 together.

COMMITTEE: If we were to send convicts there, would the people give up or sell any part of the country?

BANKS: There was no opportunity to obtain any part of the land as there was nothing we could give that they would take. We needed all the supplies for ourselves.

COMMITTEE: Have you any idea of the nature of the government under which they live?

BANKS: I have no knowledge of their government, nor of their language.

COMMITTEE: Would the natives become hostile if 500 men were put on shore to settle?

BANKS: Certainly not, from the experience I have had of the natives I believe they would quickly abandon the country to the newcomers.

COMMITTEE: Were the natives armed and in what manner?

BANKS: They were armed with spears headed with fish bones but none of the natives we saw in Botany Bay appeared to resist.

Note: Additional Resource #24 in Stewart and Percival, 1997 (see References).

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Resource Sheet #25Poetry and Songs

This poem is a ballad. It tells the story of someone’s life.

Read the poem.

Discuss Who stole the gold watch? Who was blamed for stealing the watch? What was his punishment?

The Girl with the Black Velvet Band

It was in the city of London,In apprenticeship I was boundAnd many’s the gay old hourI spent in that dear old town.

One day as I was walkingAlong my usual beatA pretty little young maidenCame tripping along the street.

Chorus:And her eyes they shone like diamonds,I thought her the pride of the land,The hair that hung down on her shoulderWas tied with a black velvet band.

One day as we were a-walkingA gentleman passed us by,I could see she was bent on some mischiefBy the rolling of her dark blue eye.

His gold watch she picked from his pocketAnd slyly placed into my hand;I was taken in charge by a copper,Bad luck to that black velvet band.

Before the Lord Mayor I was taken,‘Your case, sir, I plainly can see,And, if I’m not mistakenYou’re bound far over the sea.’

It’s over the dark and blue ocean,Far away to Van Diemen’s Land,Away from my friends and relationsAnd the girl with the black velvet band.

From: Australia in the Making by Alan Richardson & Ted Trudgeon (1997) Thomas Nelson Australia.

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Resource Sheet #26Punishment

Here are a list of punishments. Match each one with either British culture or Aboriginal culture. Some might belong to both. If you are not sure write the punishment in the ‘Not Sure’ column.

Head shaving

Flogging which causes physical damage

Hitting which doesn’t cause physical damage

Solitary confinement (being made to stay in one place alone)

Spearing

Death by hanging for stealing

Made to work in a factory

Exile (being sent away from your home)

Chained in heavy ankle irons

Having head held in smoke

Hard labour

Wearing a spiked iron collar for women

Death by magic

Scaring young people with spirits

Women made to walk on a treadmill until stomach muscles cramp

Deprive of food and water

Challenged to a fight

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Resource Sheet #27Punishments

British culture in 1788 Aboriginal culture in 1788

Both cultures in 1788 Not Sure

44



Resource Sheet #30Compare life in England and Aboriginal Australia during the 1700s

Living in England Living in Aboriginal AustraliaFamily Family

Food Food

Shelter Shelter

Punishment Punishment

Transport Transport

Education Education

Play Play

45



Resource Sheet #31First Fleet Data

NAME OF SHIP LENGTH ROUND OFF LENGTH TO NEAREST METRE

WEIGHT

HMS SIRIUSCarried 160 people, mainly officers, sailors, support staff and Arthur Phillip

34 metres 548 tonnes

HMS SUPPLYA supply ship carrying 50 people, mainly naval officers and support staff

21.5 metres 172 tonnes

ALEXANDERConvict transport, carried 195 male convicts

35 metres 459 tonnes

PRINCE OF WALESConvict transport, carried 49 female convicts


FRIENDSHIPConvict transport, carried 76 male and 21 female convicts

unknown 278 tonnes

SCARBOROUGHConvict transport, carried 280 male convicts


CHARLOTTEConvict transport, carried 88 male and 20 female convicts


LADY PENRHYNConvict transport, carried 101 female convicts


GOLDEN GROVEStoreship, carried food and equipment

unknown 381 tonnes

FISHBURNStoreship, carried food and equipment

unknown 384 tonnes

BORROWDALEStoreship, carried food and equipment

unknown

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Who came on the First Fleet?

As far as we know, there were 843 convicts jammed into the transport ships: 639 men 191 women 13 children.

To guard the prisoners, sail the ships, and run the new colony there were: about 247 Royal Marines 210 Royal Navy sailors 233 merchant seamen 20 civil officers (lawyers, clergymen, doctors, administrators etc).

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Resource Sheet #32First Fleet Data

Using the First Fleet data table and a calculator, locate the following information.

Which ship carried Arthur Phillip?

How many support staff, officers and sailors were there on the HMS Sirius and Supply? Show your working out.

Which ships carried male convicts?

Using a calculator work out how many male convicts there were altogether. Show the keys you used to calculate the answer.

Which ships carried female convicts?

How many female convicts were there altogether?

Were there more female or male convicts on the first fleet? Why is this so?

What was the total number of convicts on the First Fleet?

Which ship was the longest? _____________________________________________

Which ship was the shortest?_____________________________________________

Place the ships in order from lightest to heaviest.

Lightest Heaviest

Use this data to write a range of mathematics problems below.

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Resource Sheet #33Convict Children

Who were they?

Who Job Crime AgeJohn Halfpenny Bootmaker’s boy Guilty of theft

(money)12 yrs old

Charles Kerry Errand boy Guilty of stealing shoes, third offence

14 yrs old

John Slough No occupation Guilty of stealing silver spoons

11 yrs old

Sylvester Carthy Errand boy Guilty of theft (money)

10 yrs old

Sarah Bellamy Servant Guilty of stealing a purse

10 yrs old

Mary Branham Servant Guilty of stealing clothing

17 yrs old

Thomas Byrant Labourer Guilty of highway robbery

13 yrs old

Margaret Dawson Servant Guilty of stealing clothing and money

15 yrs old

James Grace Shoemaker Guilty of stealing clothes

11 yrs old

Elizabeth Hall Servant Guilty of stealing 18 yrs oldElizabeth Hayward Clogmaker Guilty of stealing

clothes13 yrs old

Mary Michcraft No occupation Suspicion of assault and robbery

16 yrs old

John Owen No occupation Guilty of stealing forks

14 yrs old

Samuel Peyton Stonemason Guilty of stealing (was his mother’s 21st child)

14 yrs old

Mary Watkins No occupation Guilty of stealing clothes

19 yrs old

Nancy Yates Milliner Guilty of breaking and entering with a gang

19 yrs old

John Hudson Chimney Sweep Guilty of stealing clothing valued at 22 shillings

9 yrs old

Esther Abrahams Milliner Guilty of stealing silk lace

15 yrs old

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Resource Sheet #34, #35[Audio - transcript]

An Historical Recount of the Journey of the First Fleet

The First Fleet left Portsmouth, in England, on 13 May, 1787. At first the weather was fine and the fleet reached an island off the coast of Africa called Tenerife on the 3rd of June. The fleet remained in Tenerife for a week and took on supplies of fresh meat, fruit and vegetables.

The weather was now very hot so conditions on board the ships became very harsh. After leaving Tenerife, the fleet sailed south and reached Rio de Janeiro on the 5th August. The fleet stayed here for almost a month and once again fresh supplies were taken on board.

The fleet now began the crossing of the South Atlantic Ocean. The weather was terrible and many of the convicts and crew suffered from seasickness. At last, on October 13th, the fleet arrived at Table Bay at the Cape of Good Hope. The fleet stayed at Table Bay for about a month and again took on fresh supplies as well as horses, cattle, sheep, goats and chickens.

The fleet left the Cape of Good Hope in November and sailed across the Indian Ocean. The fleet sailed around the bottom of Van Diemen’s Land and the first ships arrived in Gamay on 18th January, 1788. Six days later, on the 26th January, the fleet dropped anchor in Warrane.

Gamay The Eora word for Botany Bay.Warrane (Waran) The Eora word for Sydney Cove.

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START YES TOOLS Resource Sheet #36

NO

NO YES YES

YES NO

YES

NO

NO

NO NO

YES YES

YES

NO

53

Can this tool be made of wood or metal?

a bullet mould

Is it used for measuring things?

a measuring tape

Is this tool made of metal and wood?

Is it made of twine?

a fishing net

Is it used to cut down trees?

an axe

Is it used for digging holes?

a shovel

a hoe

Is it made mostly of wood?

A loom for weaving

Is it used to destroy things? a cannon ball

a nail



Resource Sheet #37

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Resource Sheet #38Tools and Equipment

In the LEFT COLUMN is a list of some of the tools and equipment that came over on the First Fleet. See if you can match the tool with the number in the RIGHT COLUMN. One is already done for you.

Left Column Right ColumnShovels 700

Bullet moulds 900

Hoes 1

Axes 2100

Nails 100

Measuring tapes 6

Cannonballs 14

Loom for weaving canvas 700

Fishing nets 747 000

BUT ........... some things were left behind!!

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Resource Sheet #39Shovels 700Bullet moulds 6Hoes 2100Axes 700Nails 747 000Measuring tapes 100Cannonballs 900Looms for weaving canvas 1Fishing nets 14

What they forgot ...

The First Fleet arrived with the technology to help them start a colony. But they did forget a few things!

They didn’t bring enough clothing for the women.

They forgot to bring lime which is used to make mortar to hold bricks together.

They also forgot to bring tools that could be used to fix the marines’ muskets.

But most strange of all was they forgot to bring ammunition for the muskets. Some musket balls were bought in Rio de Janeiro, but Captain Phillip kept the shortage a secret.

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Resource Sheet #40Message Sticks

Aboriginal lore/law required a person who did not ‘belong’ to a particular area to be invited or granted permission to enter into the territory or tribe. In other words, he or she could not simply wander into the land of another tribe. To do so invited hostility that could result in the death of the individual (for trespassing).

When someone wanted to ________________ another tribe, they carried a message stick – a piece of bark or timber that was decorated with symbols. These symbols have sometimes been said to have been a written form of language. This is not correct. But they were a form of passport that identified the intent or authority of the bearer and ‘communication’ took place verbally (or by sign language) between the ‘stranger’ and those whom s/he wanted to visit.

‘The passing of a boundary line by the blacks of another territory was considered as an act of hostility against the denizens of the invaded grounds, and wars were frequently the sequence of such transgressions.’ (The Aborigines of Australia, Roderick J Flanagan, 1888, p 46).

When the first European or white explorers entered the ____________ of a tribe, they were considered by the people to be trespassing. This was an ___________________ to the Aborigines who bitterly ________________ the intrusion and particularly the felling of trees, the shooting and scaring away of animals and birds and the attitude of __________________ that was shown to the people who considered that they owned their land.

Words: disrespect territory visit resented offence

Word Definition

Disrespect To be rude/to ignore the feelings of others.

Territory A place/an area of land.

Visit To go and see someone/go to a place.

Resent To dislike something that is done to you.

Offence A wrong or rude thing to do/a crime.

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START YES Resource Sheet #41Weapons

NO YES NO

YES NO YES NO

YES NO

NO YES

YES NO

YES NO

58

Is it used mainly for fighting?

Is it used to protect the warrior?

Is it made of wood?

a shieldDoes it have a stone head?

Is it crescent shaped? a twine basket

a boomerangIs it used for throwing spears?

a woomera Is it used as a container?

a wooden bowl a message stick

Is the stone head pointed?

a lil lil

a stone axe

a stone pick



Resource Sheet #42Weapons

lil lil spear stoneaxe

boomerang bundi musket sword

What was it made of?

How was it used?

Did you need a lot of skill to use the weapon effectively?

Could you replace the weapon easily if it broke?

Were spare parts easy to get?

Was the weapon effective from 50 metres?

Could you defend yourself easily against this weapon?

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Resource Sheet #43

Visuals of Aboriginal fights

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Resource Sheet #44Aboriginal Culture in 1788: Fighting

Put a tick in the box or boxes you think has the correct answer.

1. Fighting between groups of Aboriginal people often started because of arguments about:

money

land.

2. The tribe with the

largest number of warriors

the most skilful warriors

most weapons

usually won the battle.

3. The fight ended when

the warriors on one side were dead

the warriors ran out of weapons

the numbers on each side became even.

4. When only two warriors fought

there was no judge

the people watching were the judges.

5. When two men fought they each had about

two weapons

six weapons

twenty-four weapons.

6. The best way to win a two-person fight was to wait until one warrior was bending down to pick up a weapon.

True

False

7. Fights were stopped if

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a warrior broke the rules

it rained

one warrior was killed.

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Resource Sheet #45Fighting

In Aboriginal society fights sometimes took place between individuals in the same tribe, between individuals from different tribes, or between groups of warriors from different tribes.

Often, fights between tribes occurred because of an argument over land. For example, if a man from one tribe was seen hunting on the land of another tribe without permission, a fight might occur. Elders were always asked for advice and often suggested ways to avoid fights.

If the advice of the elders from one tribe was to fight, then a message was sent to the other tribe challenging them to a fight. The place was set and so were the rules. For example, each side would have the same number of warriors and each side would have the same type and number of weapons. Not all the men fought but they came to the fighting grounds to watch.

These onlookers were important because the fight had to be fair. If a warrior broke the rules he might be attacked by both sides. When the weapons were all used or the battle became uneven because of injuries, the fight was stopped. Those in the best condition were declared the winners. After a battle like this, there was rarely any bad feeling. Everybody helped the injured and usually joined together for a celebration in the evening.

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Resource Sheet #46Fighting – two person fights

When fights took place between tribes messages were usually sent to arrange the place and set the rules. The same often happened when two people decided to fight.

On the day of the fight everybody in the camp was told the fight was going to take place. Usually the men were the ones to watch the fight but women and children sometimes watched as well. The people who watched were the judges. The most important people watching were elders. If something unfair took place they were told.

Both men usually had ready about ten fighting boomerangs, six spears, six nulla nullas and one bundi. As well, each man carried a shield.

When the fight was to begin, the men stood about twenty metres apart. In front of each man was a line which could not be crossed until all throwing weapons had been used. When a man was bending down to pick up a weapon his opponent couldn’t attack – he had to wait until the man was ready. This is like the rule in cricket where you can’t bowl until the batter is ready. Also, no attack was allowed when a man’s back was turned.

When all long-range weapons had been used the men could cross their line and start hand-to-hand combat.

The fight was over when one of the fighters could not go on. If the injured fighter stayed on the ground he was not attacked; he would be a disgrace to his tribe. The winner just walked away. Usually an elder skilled in medicine was called to look after the injured fighter.

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Resource Sheet #47The First Few Weeks

Imagine the First Fleet. Use the space below and draw and label the picture with:a ship of the fleet in the harbour > small boats going to shore and back > Eora people watching with spears > sailors > officers > marines > convicts > pigs > sheep > fowl > cattle > bedding >

tools > barrels > boxes > ropes > pieces of furniture >

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Resource Sheet #48Consequences

18 January, Phillip needs water, there are six people watching.26 January, the British raise their flag at Warrane.February, convicts and sailors begin to steal spears, shields, gum, fishing lines. Governor Phillip is unable to stop the theft.Governor Phillip does not know about Aboriginal laws.Eora men land on Garden Island and take a shovel, spade and pickaxe.The British travel through the country looking for good farmland.In May a boat crew finds Aboriginal people who appear to be starving.31 May, Phillip takes 11 men to Botany Bay in search of people who had killed two convicts. Phillip meets 200 armed men (and many women and children) who make signs for him to leave.In June during winter the British are short of food supplies.The Eora people attack convicts who wander into the bush.Phillip notes that his people are taking most of the fish in the harbour and that many Aboriginal people seem to have left.Phillip wants to learn the language of the Aboriginal people.

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Resource Sheet #49Consequences answers

18 January, Phillip needs water, there are six people watching.

The people show Phillip where to find water.

26 January, the British raise their flag at Warrane.

The Eora attack the outsiders using spears and stones.

February, convicts and sailors begin to steal spears, shields, gum, fishing lines. Governor Phillip is unable to stop the theft.

Eora people are avoiding coming into the camp.

Governor Phillip does not know about Aboriginal laws.

Phillip orders his people to take fish from the harbour.

Eora men land on Garden Island and take a shovel, spade and pickaxe.

The marines fire at them, wounding them in the legs.

The British travel through the country looking for good farmland.

They find evidence of Dharuk life, huts, campsites with the remains of meals, and trees with climbing notches.

In May a boat crew finds Aboriginal people who appear to be starving.

The crew give them salted meat.

31 May, Phillip takes 11 men to Botany Bay in search of people who had killed two convicts. Phillip meets 200 armed men (and many women and children) who make signs for him to leave.

When Phillip approaches them they lay down their weapons and allow his party to stay. They show him where to find fresh water.

In June during winter the British are short of food supplies.

Governor Phillip offers extra rations to his people who hunt and fish.

The Eora people attack convicts who wander into the bush.

Phillip issues an order that no less than six armed men are to go into the bush.

Phillip notes that his people are taking most of the fish in the harbour and that many Aboriginal people seem to have left.

The Cadigal people are forced to leave their land to find food from other groups.

Phillip wants to learn the language of the Aboriginal people.

Phillip orders officers to kidnap two Aboriginal men. A hostage named Arabanoo is held prisoner by the British.

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Resource Sheet #50Glossary

ABORIGINAL NAMES FOR GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURESFrom Jakelin Troy, 1994, The Sydney Language, Panther Publishing and Printing, Canberra.

ENGLISH SYDNEY ABORIGINALSand, dust or dry earth MurulStars BirrungOrion’s Belt DhungagilPleiades MulumulungMilky Way WarrawalHawkesbury River DyirabunSydney Cove Waran (Warrane)South Head DaralabaNorth Head GarangalBotany Bay Gamay

SYDNEY ABORIGINAL LANGUAGE WORDSFrom Jakelin Troy, 1994, The Sydney Languages, Panther Publishing and Printing, Canberra.

ENGLISH SYDNEY ABORIGINALSick BadjalSlow WurralSmall NarangTired YanbatBad or wrong WiriGood or right BudyariStars BirrungSeek, look for WaranaraDon’t tell me YagunaPotoroo BuduruWallaroo WulaurWombat WumbatBoobook Owl Bubuk

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SYDNEY ABORIGINAL LANGUAGE WORDSFrom Jakelin Troy, 1994, The Sydney Languages, Panther Publishing and Printing, Canberra.

ENGLISH SYDNEY ABORIGINALArm DarangCheek BirraBoy WungarraGirl WaruwiBrother BabanaFather BiyangaMother WiyangaLaughter DjanabaMusic BayumiCanoe, boat or other water vessel NuwiBasket (made from bark or wood) GungunFish hook made from shell, wood or stone BaraShield for war YarragungHeat GanalungSmoke GadjalRain WalanSea GarrigarangMoon YanadaSun GuwingCold DaguraHot GadalungQuick BaruTo fish MagariTo hunt WulbangaAnger WurabataBrave MadungAfraid Baragat

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Resource Sheet #51Resistance : Reactions:

You are a respected member of a tribe. You have heard of clay-faced men who have come on floating islands to your land. You have heard that they can kill people with long sticks. You have seen other Aboriginal tribes people moving in on your land because they have been forced off their land by the clay-faced men.

One day you meet a group of these clay-faced men camping on your land.

What do you do? What do you think would happen as a result of your reaction?Write a consequence chart starting with one possible reaction.

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Resource Sheet #52Write and draw a consequence chart to show the actions of both Pemulwuy and the British during his life.

Consequence Chart of Pemulwuy’s Resistance to British Invasion

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Additional reading 1

From: Documenting a Democracy: Secret Instructions to Lieutenant Cook

30 July 1768 (UK)

James Cook made three voyages to the South Pacific between 1768 and 1779 and one ach occasion carried ‘Secret Instructions’ from the British Admiralty. These contained an outline of the route of the voyage, described the activities he and his men were to undertake, and the manner in which he was to report his progress. They were secret in that they held the real intentions and plans for the voyage, while other papers issued would be made available on demand to show cook’s authority for his command and the enterprise.

On his first voyage, Cook sailed in the Endeavour to Tahiti (to assist in the scientific observation of the transit of the planet Venus) and then as instructed, sailed south in search of the fabled ‘Great Southern Continent’.

The Secret Instructions provided that, in the event that he found the Continent, he should chart its coasts, obtain information about its people, cultivate their friendship and alliance, and annex any convenient trading posts in the King’s name. Cook followed the coast of New Zealand (thereby debunking Abel Tasman’s theory that it formed part of the southern continent), then turned west, reaching the southern coast of New South Wales continuing to chart the Australian coast all the way north to the tip of Queensland. There, on Possession Island, just before sunset on Wednesday 22 August 1770, he declared the coast a British possession:

Notwithstand[ing] I had in the Name of His Majesty taken possession of several places upon this coast, I now once more hoisted English coulers and in the Name of His Majesty King George the third took possession of the whole Eastern Coast … by the name New South Wales, together with all the Bays, Harbours Rivers and Islands situate upon the said coast, after which we fired three Volleys of small arms which were Answerd by the like number from the Ship.

Cook had recorded signs that the coast was inhabited during the voyage north, and here he noted as he returned to the ship the great number of fires on all the land and islands about them, ‘a certain sign they are Inhabited’.

Cook then sailed through Torres Strait, returning to England in May 1771.

Cook’s Secret Instructions represent Britain’s first official expressions of interest in Australia. They record the quest for scientific discovery, combined with the desire to find exploitable natural resources and to expand Britain’s control of strategic trading posts around the globe. The Instructions confidently assume that these varied interests could be made compatible with a respect for the native populations in those countries so identified.

Cook’s report of his observations along the New South Wales coastline on his first voyage formed the basis for Britain’s decision to establish the colony at Botany Bay in 1788. His careful

73


charting of the coast also formed the basis for the British Admiralty Charts of Australian waters produced by the Hydrographic Office of the Admiralty from its establishment 20 years after Cook’s voyage along the eastern coast of Australia.

Cook’s second and third voyages involved a fuller exploration of the Pacific and Atlantic, including the search for a north-west passage through the Pacific to the Atlantic. He was instructed to make scientific observations and collect natural specimens, and to who ‘every kind of civility and regard’ to the natives, at the same time taking care not ‘to be surprised by them’. With their consent, he was to take possession in the name of the King of any convenient situations in any country he might discover. Cook eventually reached the north-west passage (the Bering Strait), but it was ice-bound and he was unable to cross it. Returning through the South Pacific, he was killed in the Sandwich Islands on 14 February 1779.

Source: www.foundingdocs.goc.au/places/nsw/nsw1.htm

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Additional reading 2

Cook’s Journal 22 August 1770

Wednesday, 22nd. Gentle breezes at EBS and clear weather. We had not stood above 3 or 4 Miles along shore to the westward before we discovered the Land ahead to be Islands detach’d by several channels from the main land; upon this we brought too to wait for the yawl and called the other boats on board, and after giving them proper Instructions sent them away again to lead us through the next Channel to the Northward laying between the Islands, which they accordingly did we following with the Ship, and had not less than 5 fathom water and this in the narrowest part of the channel which was about a Mile and a half broad from Island to island. At 4 oClock we anchor’d about a Mile and half or 2 Miles within the entrance in 61/2 fathom clear ground, distant from the Islands on each side of us one mile, the Main land extending away to the SW, the farthest point of which that we could see bore from us S 48° West and the South-wester-most point of the Islands on the NW side of the Passage bore S 76° West. Between these two points we could see no land so that we were in great hopes that we had at last found out a Passage into the Indian seas, but in order to be better informd I landed with a party of Men accompan’d by Mr Banks and Dr solander upon the Island which lies at the SE point of the Passage. Before and after we Anchor’d we saw a number of People upon this Island arm’ed in the same manner as all the others we have seen, except one man who had a bow and a bundle of Arrows, the first we have seen on this coast. From the appearance of these People we expected they would have opposed our landing but as we approached the Shore they all made off and left us in peaceable possession of as much of the Island as served our purpose. After landing I went upon the highest hill which however was of no great height, yet not less than twice or thrice the height of the Ships Mast heads, but I could see from it no land between SW and WSW so that I did not doubt but there was a passage. I could see plainly that the Lands laying to the NW of this passage were composed of a number of Island of various extent both for height and circuit, rainged one behind another as far to the Northward and Westward as I could see, which could not be less than 12 or 14 Leagues. Having satisfied myself of the great Probabillity of a Passage, thro’ which I intend going with the Ship, and therefore may land no more upon this Eastern coast of New Holland, and on the Western side I can make no new discovery the honour of which belongs to the Dutch Navigators; but the Eastern Coast from the Latitude of 38° South down to this place I am confident was never seen or visited by an European before us, and Notwith-stand I had in the Name of his Majesty taken possession of several places upon this coast, I now once more hoisted English coulers and in the Name of His Majesty King George the third took possession of the whole Eastern Coast from the above Latitude down to this place by the Name of New South Wales, together with all the Bays, Harbours Rivers and Islands situate upon the said coast, after which we fired three Volleys of small Arms which were Answerd by the like number from the Ship. This done we set out for the Ship but were some time in getting on board on accout of a very rappid Ebb Tide which set NE out of the Passage. Ever sence we came in among the Shoals this last time we have found a Moderate tide the Flood seting to the NW and Ebb to the SE. At this place is High-water at the Full and Change of the Moon about 1 or 2 o’Clock and riseth and falls upon a perpendicular about 10 or 12 feet. We saw on all the Adjacent Lands and Islands a great number of smooks, a certain sign that they are Inhabited, and we have daily seen smooks on every part of the coast we have lately been upon. Between 7 and 8 oClock in the Morning we saw several naked people, all or most of them women, down upon the beach picking up shells, & ca, they had

75


not a single rag of any kind of cloathing upon them and both these and those we saw yesterday were in every respect the Same sort of people we have seen every where upon the Coast; two or three of the Men we saw Yesterday had on pretty large breast plates which we supposed were made of Pearl Oyster Shells, this was a thing as well as the Bow and Arrows we had not seen before. At Low-water which happened about 10oClock, we got under sail and stood to the SW with a light breeze at East which afterwards veerd to NBE, having the Pinnace a head,depth of water from 6 to 10 fathom except in one place where we pass’d over a bank of 5 fathom. At Noon Posession Island at the SE entrance of the passage bore N 53° East distant 4 Leagues, the western extreme of the Main land in sight bore S 43° West distant 4 or 5 leagues, being all exceeding low. The SW point of the largest Island on the NW side of the Passage bore N 71° West distant 8 Miles, this point I named Cape Cornwell (Lat. 10° 43' S, Longd 219° 0') and some Low Islands laying about the Middle of the Passage which I call’d Wallice’s Isles bore WBS 1/2S distt about 2 Leagues, our Latitude by Observation was 10° 46' South.

Source: www.netspace.net.au/~dcblanch/c70822.html

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Additional reading 3Message Sticks

Aboriginal lore/law required a person who did not ‘belong’ to a particular area to be invited or granted permission to enter into the territory or tribe. In other words, he or she could not simply wander into the land of another tribe. To do so invited hostility that could result in the death of the individual (for trespassing).

When someone wanted to visit another tribe, they carried a message stick – a piece of bark or timber that was decorated with symbols. These symbols have sometimes been said to have been written form of language. This is not correct. But they were a form of passport that identified the intent or authority of the bearer and ‘communication’ took place verbally (or by sign language) between the ‘stranger’ and those whom s/he wanted to visit. ‘The passing of a boundary line by the blacks of another territory was considered as an act of hostility against the denizens of the invaded grounds, and wars were frequently the sequence of such transgressions.’ (The Aborigines of Australia, Roderick J Flanagan, 1888, p 46).

When the first European or white explorers entered the territory of a tribe, they were considered by the people to be trespassing. This was an offence to the Aborigines who bitterly resented the intrusion and particularly the felling of trees, the shooting and scaring away of animals and birds and the attitude of disrespect that was shown to the people who considered that they owned their land.

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