Page 14 - eMuse Vol.9 No.01_Classical

An indestructable carradhy from the Bidjigal

Clan of the Eora nation led a twelve-year
guerilla war against British colonists.

They said he could not be killed by firearms

survival at various times, and began in ernest 9 December Despite his injuries, Pemul-
the complexity of the Aborigi- 1790. wuy and about 100 other war-
nal languages is often likened to A shooting party left Sydney riors soon marched into the
the complexities of Latin. for Botany Bay. It included a ser- settlements at Parramatta and
First effected by the British geant of marines, three convicts, threatened to spear anyone
arrival were the Eora people, and, gamekeeper, John McIntyre who got in their way.
traditional custodians of the who the Eora people hated and The soldiers opened fire
region that we now call Sydney. feared due to murders he had and brought down at least five
Pemulwuy was a man from committed against them. indigenous men, including Pe-
their Bidjigal Clan. He resisted McIntyre, who died from the mulwuy, who was wounded in
the new-comers from the start. wound, was speared by a man the head and body.
Pemulwuy was born with a identified as Pemulwuy. Gover- But the great warrior man-
turned eyeball. As Eric Willmot nor Phillip ordered a violent re- aged to escape and persevere
says, “Normally, a child that taliation which proved useless as yet again, leading his people to
It would seem that Lt James showed an obvious deform- no Eora people could be found. believe that he was impervious
Cook’s arrival at Botany Bay in ity would’ve been, well, people Pemulwuy persuaded the to lead.
1770 has been grossly misun- would have expected that child Eora, Dharug and Tharawal Giving a degree of credibil-
derstood. With typical Euro- to be sent back, to be reborn people to join his campaign ity to the ever growing legend,
pean arrogance he blundered again. against the settlers. He was so Governor John Hunter said
ashore with little or no thought “It was generally thought persuasive that it is recorded in 1798: “A strange idea was
for local laws, customs, and, that humans, like everything, even some settlers joined with found to prevail among the na-
protocols. came from the land. And that a him. tives respecting the savage Pe-
The story presented from woman, the actual act of con- From 1792 Pemulwuy led mul-way, which was very likely
Cook’s point of view was local in- ception, was a woman being raids on settlers from Par- to prove fatal to him in the end.
dienous folk resisted his landing. infected by a child’s spirit from ramatta, Georges River, Pros- “Both he and they enter-
A more balanced interpretation the land. And that child grows pect, Toongabbie, Brickfield and tained an opinion, that, from his
suggests locals simply tried to ap- within her. Hawkesbury River. His most having been frequently wound-
ply long established procedures to “And so he was different and common tactic was to burn ed, he could not be killed by our
outsiders entering their country. he became more different. He crops and kill livestock. fire-arms.”
Cook misread these actions became better than everybody In May 1795, Pemulwuy or Governor King, however, had
as a show of force and resistance else. Whatever anyone else one of his followers speared a every intention of proving that
to his landing. This misguided could do, Pemulwuy did it bet- convict near present-day Chip- theory wrong. He offered up
scenario never ever improved. ter. He could run further, he was pendale. a slew of rewards for the war-
Almost twenty years later one of the best, he could use a Also in 1795 an attack rior’s death or capture, some
in 1788 the arrival of the First spear like no-one else could. against a work party bought Pe- of which included 20 gallons of
Fleet saw the beginning of the “And so, around him, was mulwuy into conflict with Aus- rum and two pairs of clothes
end of the way of life of indig- created an aura of difference. tralia’s first Bushranger, Black just for any information.
enous Australians. Aborigi- So much so that he was said to Caesar. In the conflict Caesar This governor also tried a
nal people soon took a stand be a clever man. In an Aborigi- cracked his head with a shovel. more diplomatic approach he
against the occupation of their nal society, clever man is often Many thought this was terminal said, “Pemulwuy. You must real-
land and the destruction of a man who deals with the spirit- but the warrior survived. ize that the people of the world
their social, religious, legal and ual nature of things and sorcery In yet another raid it was re- are forming themselves into a
communal systems. even.” ported Pemulwuy had “lodged number of empires.
In this clash of cultures new A clever man or carradhy. in him, in shot, slugs and bul- “You are fortunate enough to
comers described the locals as Pemulwuy also had a left foot lets about eight or ten ounces have been selected to become
‘native’, ‘primitive’, ‘barbaric’ which appeared to have been of lead,” and still he managed part of the British Empire.”
and even ‘stupid’. damaged by a club. Such dam- to take down some 30 of his When Pemulwuy remained
There was no recognition age to the foot is recorded in enemies. unmoved, he threatened the
that the cultures and social Kurdaitcha men from other areas. During a 1797 raid that Pe- warrior with being “wiped out.”
structures of Aboriginal people (A Kurdaitcha is a type of mulwuy led on a farm at Toon- Pemulwuy responded, “Or
were as rich, diverse and com- sharman who is responsible for gabbie, he was wounded by you will be, Captain. This land
plex as other nations around ritual punishments of the guilty seven pieces of buckshot to the hates you. Even if you kill us,
the world today. by means such as bone-point- head and body. He was taken this land will despise you.”
Ironically, the first Europe- ing which results in death.) to the hospital but managed to Peaceful diplomacy could not
ans would rely on Aboriginal Pemulwuy’s twelve year escape despite having an iron be achieved between the set-
knowledge of the area for their guerilla war against the British around his leg. tlers and Pemulwuy. He simply

14 eMuse January 2020