Cape Grim Massacre - Aftermath

Aftermath

Historian Ian McFarlane has said that the responsible Magistrate, Edward Curr, a manager of the Van Diemen’s Land Company, disputed the numbers killed, did not initiate an investigation into the massacre, and also did not report the incident to Lieutenant-Governor Arthur. Keith Windschuttle argues that the report of an alleged massacre of Aborigines at the cliffs on Suicide Bay did not emerge until more than two years after the alleged massacre. The incident which Curr had declined to conduct an investigation into was what had been reported to him, an incident near the shepherds' hut during which six Aborigines were reported killed. Curr wrote to the directors of the Van Diemen's Land Company: "Now I have no doubt whatever that our men were fully impressed with the idea that the natives were there only for the purpose of surrounding and attacking them, and with that idea it would be madness for them to wait until the natives shewed their designs by making it too late for one man to escape. I considered these things at the time for I had thought of investigating the case, but I saw first that there was a strong presumption that our men were right, second if wrong it was impossible to convict them, and thirdly that the mere enquiry would induce every man to leave Cape Grim.”

Disasters continued for the north-west tribe with an ambush in February 1828 by sealers who shot one man dead and abducted seven women to Kangaroo Island. In March another ambush by sealers hiding in a cave caught 14 women swimming back to shore after catching shellfish and muttonbirds. The women were herded together, tied up and taken to Kangaroo Island for sexual servitude and slavery.

Lieutenant-Governor Arthur declared martial law on 1 November 1828 allowing roving parties to shoot or capture Aborigines for resettlement.

In 1830 it was estimated there were only 60 Aborigines of the north-west tribe where just 3 years previously the numbers had been estimated at over 500. George Augustus Robinson had been appointed to round up the last survivors of the Aboriginal tribes to take them to a "place of safety" on an island off Tasmania's north coast; however Aborigines in the north-west avoided him. In 1830 at a sealer's camp he found an 18-year-old man called Jack of Cape Grim, whose Aboriginal name was Tunnerminnerwait from the Parperloihener band of Robbins Island, and six abducted women. Robinson threatened the sealers with legal action unless they gave up the Aborigines, and to the Aborigines he promised safety and an eventual return to tribal areas.

On this same trip Robinson investigated the massacre, interviewing two of the shepherds and visiting Victory Hill with one of them. He also interviewed Aboriginal women living with sealers on Robbins Island. Robinson came to the conclusion that about 30 people were massacred at Cape Grim in this incident.

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