At first, the European's and Aboriginal's were peaceful, but when settlements were built and farmland developed, conflict started.
The Aboriginals had begun to steal food. Shots were fired and one person was fatally wounded. This caused a shift between the two peoples.
The first legal execution of a Aborigine happened on June 10th 1840. The first settler to die was 19 year-old George Mackenzie who was speared by the Murray River on July 17th.
It became clear to the Aborigines that the settlers were going to stay there for good, and it was assumed that they were going to come into Aboriginal law. In Aborigine society it was normal that people who had little take from who had more.
The settlers thought this as stealing and protected their property. If a Aborigine was killed, than they called for their law called 'payback' which one of the settlers must be killed for the one Aborigine that they killed, this could call for any of the settlers. This was quite terrifying to the settlers.
The Aborigines outnumbered the first settlers, (About 200 in number) the question may be asked, why hadn't the Aborigines shooed them away as soon as they set eyes on them?
The Aborigines thought they were long-gone relatives that the sea had washed away the color in their skin.
When they realized their mistake it had been too late.
By 1832 the Aboriginal raids had become more organized and the Aboriginal warrior, Yagan, came to the notice of settler authorities. His mother, Moyran, was also of a high ranking in the tribe and was also getting suspicious of the 'white spirits' taking over the land.
The next major incident, when trouble flared up once more, was over flour. Aborigines had been given small portions of flour and when the supply dried up, the Murray River tribe raided the flour mill in the Swan River Settlement (Perth), held George henton at spear point and took 980 lbs of flour. The local Aborigines saw the raid as a attack into their territory and helped identify the raiders who were captured and punished.
Killing started again with the spearing of Trooper Hugh Nesbit on July 24th 1834. The killing seemed odd to the settlers because Nesbit had befriended the Aborigines and was the one who handed out flour. With Aboriginal system of 'payback', being friends with the Aborigines made no difference. Tribal law over-rode any friendliness that may have existed. He was lured into a bush and speared many times. (He was only 19 when he was killed.).
On October 27th 1834, James Stirling, J.S. Roe, Thomas Peel and Captain Ellis accompanied by a party of 21 police and soldiers, began to track the killers down and locate them on the 28th not far from the current site of Pinjarra. Ellis was speared (He died of his wounds 2 weeks later) and a battle happened which in some accounts 30 Aborigine were killed and 30 to 40 wounded, many being women and children. There continues to be disagreement about the numbers killed during this battle. One thing is for certain, the Aborigines lost.
I got my information from:
http://www.wanowandthen.com/Aboriginal-Resistance.html
The settlers thought this as stealing and protected their property. If a Aborigine was killed, than they called for their law called 'payback' which one of the settlers must be killed for the one Aborigine that they killed, this could call for any of the settlers. This was quite terrifying to the settlers.
The Aborigines outnumbered the first settlers, (About 200 in number) the question may be asked, why hadn't the Aborigines shooed them away as soon as they set eyes on them?
The Aborigines thought they were long-gone relatives that the sea had washed away the color in their skin.
When they realized their mistake it had been too late.
By 1832 the Aboriginal raids had become more organized and the Aboriginal warrior, Yagan, came to the notice of settler authorities. His mother, Moyran, was also of a high ranking in the tribe and was also getting suspicious of the 'white spirits' taking over the land.
The next major incident, when trouble flared up once more, was over flour. Aborigines had been given small portions of flour and when the supply dried up, the Murray River tribe raided the flour mill in the Swan River Settlement (Perth), held George henton at spear point and took 980 lbs of flour. The local Aborigines saw the raid as a attack into their territory and helped identify the raiders who were captured and punished.
Killing started again with the spearing of Trooper Hugh Nesbit on July 24th 1834. The killing seemed odd to the settlers because Nesbit had befriended the Aborigines and was the one who handed out flour. With Aboriginal system of 'payback', being friends with the Aborigines made no difference. Tribal law over-rode any friendliness that may have existed. He was lured into a bush and speared many times. (He was only 19 when he was killed.).
On October 27th 1834, James Stirling, J.S. Roe, Thomas Peel and Captain Ellis accompanied by a party of 21 police and soldiers, began to track the killers down and locate them on the 28th not far from the current site of Pinjarra. Ellis was speared (He died of his wounds 2 weeks later) and a battle happened which in some accounts 30 Aborigine were killed and 30 to 40 wounded, many being women and children. There continues to be disagreement about the numbers killed during this battle. One thing is for certain, the Aborigines lost.
I got my information from:
http://www.wanowandthen.com/Aboriginal-Resistance.html
