Roving Mariners , livre ebook

Tribal Worlds: Critical Studies in American Indian Nation Building

Brian Hosmer and Larry Nesper, editors

Roving Mariners
AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL WHALERS AND SEALERS IN THE SOUTHERN OCEANS, 1790–1870

LYNETTE RUSSELL
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS

Cover art: Sir oswald Brierly Whalers off Twofold Bay, New South Wales , 1867 watercolor, opaque white, scraping out, 86.3 × 147.7cm Purchased 1901 Collection: art Gallery of new South wales photograph: Diana Panuccio Used with permission .
Published by STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS Albany
© 2012 State University of New York
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Russell, Lynette.
Roving mariners : Australian aboriginal whalers and sealers in the southern oceans, 1790–1870 / Lynette Russell.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4384-4423-9 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Aboriginal Australians—History. 2. Aboriginal Australians—Fishing. 3. Aboriginal Australians—Commerce. 4. Whaling—Australia—History. 5. Sealing—Australia—History. I. Title.
DU123.4.R87 2012
639.2'8089991509034—dc23
2011051057
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To Ian
the one to whom I “go home to and be born over again”
with love .
ILLUSTRATIONS

Figure 1.1. Photograph of William Lanné. Note the label “King Billy.” He is wearing the heavy cloth short jacket of a whaler. Image courtesy State Library of Tasmania.
Figures 1.2 and 1.3. These two images were located in Captain Bayley's personal photo album at Runnymeade mansion. The first is a carte d'viste of Lanné in whaling gear with his hair long, suggesting he had just come off a ship after time at sea. The second image has Lanné with Maryann and Truganini. These images are dated to circa 1868 and are assumed to have been taken on the same day. The group image is often erroneously referred to the “last Tasmanians.” Image courtesy Gemma Webberley, National Trust, Tasmania.
Figure 1.4. The sealing grounds of southeastern Australia. Map drawn by staff from Monash University, School of Geography and environmental Science.
Figure 1.5. The great circle route. The globe from the perspective of the southern ocean. After Alan Frost, The Global Reach of Empire: Britain's Maritime Expansion in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, 1764–1814 , map 8 (2003: 154); map drawn by Kara Rasmanis of Monash University School of Geography and Environmental Science.
Figure 2.1. Ball's head rock art engraving of a whale. Photograph by Myles Russell-Cook.
Figure 2.2. Joseph Lycett's, Aborigines cooking and eating beached whales, Newcastle, New South Wales, ca. 1817. Reproduced with permission of National Library of Australia. nla.pic-an 2962715-s11.
Figure 2.3. Maritime artist oswald Brierly's sketch of the Aboriginal whaler Jamie Imlay, king of the Tribe and Admiral of the fleet, Two Fold Bay, New South Wales, reproduced with permission of the Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales.
Figure 3.1. Map of the locations Tommy Chaseland traveled to, map drawn by Toby Wood, Monash University School of Geography and Environmental Science.
Figure 4.1. The Hobart Wharf area, 1868. The Aboriginal whalers, Lanné, Arthur, and Whalley would have known this scene. These are the wharves they would have visited to join and alight their ships. Image courtesy State Library of Tasmania.
Figure 4.2. The hut that Henry Whalley died in on Macquarie Island, drawn by Captain Thomson. Reproduced with permission of State Library of Tasmania.
Figure 4.3. Another image erroneously labeled the last Tasmanians. This is the only known image of Lanné in clothing other than his whaling gear. The image is a stereoscope. The women are wearing headbands, which I described as seeming to assert their Aboriginal identity. Image courtesy State Library of Tasmania.
Figure 4.4. William Lanné's pipe, Reproduced with permission of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.
Figure 5.1. Flensing a seal. Earle, Augustus 1793–1838. Flinching a yearling, a young sea elephant, Tristan da Cunha. Rex Nan Kivell NK 12/9 nla.pic-an 2818185.
Figure 5.2. Beach on Kangaroo Island with fur seals. Photograph by Ian McNiven.
Figure 5.3. Painting by Louis Auguste de Sainson, 1833. Dwelling of sealers in Westernport Bay, Port Phillip Colony. Dumont D'Urville, Voyage de L'Astrolabe . Note presence of Aboriginal man at the hut.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

As I have roved through the oceans of material that led to this book, I have incurred significant debts to many people. First, I was lucky to enjoy the research assistance of Anita Dullard, Fiona Macfarlane, and Trudy Cowley. Liam Neame also located and copied historical materials. To each of you—thanks. Dr. Sarah Pinto has provided me with wonderful editorial assistance, making it a much better project in the process. Sarah's extraordinary set of skills, her knowledge, and her relentless but gentle prodding have been invaluable. Maggie Cooper stepped in and saved me when I really needed help; thank you.
Members of the Tasmanian Aboriginal community, especially Greg Lehman, Julie Gough, and Ian Anderson (and many, many more) generously shared their knowledge and ideas about the sealing women and I am truly grateful. Thanks to kristel keheler for her perspectives, too. Thank you to rocky Sainty for arranging for me to have access to the “grey literature.” I acknowledge that they may not agree with my interpretations or ideas.
Thanks also to Associate Professor victoria Haskins for soliciting an article from me at a time when I was bogged down with writing. This enabled me to refocus my material and see things with unexpected clarity. And vicky, thanks also for your unflagging enthusiasm even when mine was waning.
While at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, I had the opportunity to speak to Professor Jean Barman, whose knowledge of the Canadian sealing industry provided me with much-needed comparisons. Also in vancouver, Professor Margery fee generously accommodated both Ian McNiven and myself and generally provided us with most welcome hospitality.
In New Zealand, Michael Stevens of Otago University and his grandfather Tiny graciously showed us around the Te Arouhou Marae, and shared their encyclopedic knowledge of the early sealers. Thanks also to Michael for interesting information on the Mutton Birding industry of Aotearoa and its comparisons with the Bass Straits birding. My gratitude also goes to Professor Glenn Summerhayes of the Department of Anthropology at Otago University for hospitality and curries during several research trips to Dunedin. Many thanks to the staff of Otago for the excellent and helpful feedback on my work; to Professor Ian Smith for his own inspirational work, as well as for taking the time to provide me with advice on mine; and to Dr. Angela Middleton for generously sharing with me her knowledge of southlands' sealing. Thanks also to Rachael egerton from Historic resource Management, Southland Conservancy, Invercargill, and Nigel Prickett of the Auckland War Memorial Museum.
Some of the initial writing was done at Clare Hall, Cambridge University. For general support I would like to thank Liz Ramsden for all her help. While at Cambridge I was able to access the extraordinary collection of material at the Scott Polar research Institute. I would like to acknowledge the library staff and especially Lucy Martin and Shirley Sawtell.
The rare book room at the Cambridge University Library effortlessly and efficiently provided me with many resources. Chris Chippindale made my stay in the Uk much more tolerable and I am grateful to him for all his help, hospitality, and especially for the trip to Stonehenge.
Thanks also to Rhys Richards, Mark Howard, and Dr. Mervyn Cobcroft for sharing their considerable knowledge. Numerous institutions and individuals provided me with assistance and material. Special credit goes to: Margaret Harmon, Tasmaniana Collection, State Library Tasmania; Ian Pearce, State Archivist, Archives office of Tasmania; Ian Morrison, Senior Librarian (Collections), Tasmanian Archive and Heritage office; Greenwich Maritime Museum Caird Library; British Library Staff; Kathy Frankland, archivist, Queensland Government Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy; Dianne Byrne, John Oxley Library; Ali Clarke, Assistant Archivist, Archives & Manuscripts, Hocken Collections; Margaret E. Rooney, Research Information Manager, Rakiura Heritage Trust (Rakiura Museum); Lesley Gray, Information officer, Stewart Island visitor Centre; and Sean McMahon, Manuscripts and Archives Section, Alexander Turnbull Library.
Academics from various universities also provided me with advice. I am grateful to: Professor Atholl Anderson, Australian National University; Professor Ian Anderson, University of Melbourne; Professor Rae Frances, Monash University; Dr. James M. Lindgren, State University of New york; Dr. John Macalister, Victoria University, Wellington, for help with Maori language meanings; Associate Professor Mark Stanifort