Caledon Bay crisis
Encyclopedia
The Caledon Bay crisis refers to a series of killings at Caledon Bay
in the Northern Territory
(NT) of Australia
during 1932–34. These events are widely seen as a turning point in relations between indigenous
and non-indigenous Australians.
In 1932, members of a Japan
ese fishing
boat crew — whom some accounts accuse of poaching
trepang
— abducted and raped a group of Yolngu
women, in the Caledon Bay area of north east Arnhem Land
. The fishermen then attacked Yolngu men who came to rescue the women. In the resulting fight, five of the boat's crew were killed. In a related incident on Woodah Island
, two white men named Fagan and Traynor were killed. A policeman investigating the deaths, Constable Albert McColl, was subsequently also killed by Yolngu people. According to witnesses, McColl handcuffed and raped a Yolngu woman, then fired his revolver at her husband, Takiara (or Dhaakiyarr), who responded to her cries for help.
The killings triggered panic in Darwin
, capital of the Northern Territory, generating fears that Aborigines — the majority of the population in the Territory at the time — might stage an uprising. A punitive expedition
was proposed by police to "teach the blacks a lesson". (In 1928, during a previous "punitive expedition" in the Northern Territory, police had killed up to 110 Aboriginal men, women and children; an event known as the Coniston massacre
.)
Many feared another such slaughter, and a party from the Church Missionary Society travelled to Arnhem Land and persuaded Takiara and three other men, who were sons of a Yolngu elder, Wonggu, to return to Darwin with them for trial. In Darwin, to the horror of the missionaries, Takiara was sentenced to death by hanging, and the three other men were sentenced to twenty years hard labour. On appeal to the High Court of Australia, Takiara’s sentence was quashed, and he was released from jail, but disappeared. It was widely believed he had been lynched by police.
The resulting crisis threatened to bring about even more bloodshed. To defuse the situation, a young anthropologist, Donald Thomson
, offered to investigate the causes of the conflict. He travelled to Arnhem Land, on a mission that many said would be suicidal, and got to know and understand the people who lived there. After seven months’ investigation he persuaded the Federal Government to free the three men convicted of the killings and returned with them to their own country, living for over a year with their people, documenting their culture.
He formed a strong bond with the Yolngu people, and in 1941 he persuaded the Army to establish a Special Reconnaissance Force of Yolngu men, including Wonggu and his sons, to help repel Japanese raids on the northern coastline of Australia.
The historian Henry Reynolds
has suggested that the Caledon Bay crisis "was a decisive moment in the history of Aboriginal-European relations. The High Court condemned frontier justice, the punitive expedition did not ride into Yolngu country and there had been an unprecedented outburst of public sentiment demanding a new deal for Indigenous Australians
."
Caledon Bay
Caledon Bay is a bay in Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory of Australia, at approximately 12.8° S, 136.5° E. It is perhaps most famous as the home of a group of Yolngu people who were key players in the Caledon Bay crisis, which marked a turning point in the relationship between Indigenous and...
in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
(NT) of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
during 1932–34. These events are widely seen as a turning point in relations between indigenous
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
and non-indigenous Australians.
In 1932, members of a Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
boat crew — whom some accounts accuse of poaching
Poacher
Poacher may refer to:*One who engages in poaching, the theft or illegal killing of animals or plants*A device used for poaching *Poacher , a family of fish...
trepang
Trepang
Trepang may refer to:*trepang, a marine invertebrate harvested by trepanging, thus:**a common name for species of the holothuroidea class of animals*Trepang , a World War II submarine sunk in 1967....
— abducted and raped a group of Yolngu
Yolngu
The Yolngu or Yolŋu are an Indigenous Australian people inhabiting north-eastern Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. Yolngu means “person” in the Yolŋu languages.-Yolŋu law:...
women, in the Caledon Bay area of north east Arnhem Land
Arnhem Land
The Arnhem Land Region is one of the five regions of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around 500 km from the territory capital Darwin. The region has an area of 97,000 km² which also covers the area of Kakadu National...
. The fishermen then attacked Yolngu men who came to rescue the women. In the resulting fight, five of the boat's crew were killed. In a related incident on Woodah Island
Woodah Island
Woodah Island, also known as Isle Woodah, is an uninhabited island in Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory of Australia, lying in the mouth of Blue Mud Bay at . It is located 13.4 km east of Haddon Head on the coast of mainland Arnhem Land. It is 24 km long north-south, and up to...
, two white men named Fagan and Traynor were killed. A policeman investigating the deaths, Constable Albert McColl, was subsequently also killed by Yolngu people. According to witnesses, McColl handcuffed and raped a Yolngu woman, then fired his revolver at her husband, Takiara (or Dhaakiyarr), who responded to her cries for help.
The killings triggered panic in Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, capital of the Northern Territory, generating fears that Aborigines — the majority of the population in the Territory at the time — might stage an uprising. A punitive expedition
Punitive expedition
A punitive expedition is a military journey undertaken to punish a state or any group of persons outside the borders of the punishing state. It is usually undertaken in response to perceived disobedient or morally wrong behavior, but may be also be a covered revenge...
was proposed by police to "teach the blacks a lesson". (In 1928, during a previous "punitive expedition" in the Northern Territory, police had killed up to 110 Aboriginal men, women and children; an event known as the Coniston massacre
Coniston massacre
The Coniston massacre, which took place from 14 August to 18 October 1928 near the Coniston cattle station, Northern Territory, Australia, was the last known massacre of Indigenous Australians. People of the Warlpiri, Anmatyerre and Kaytetye groups were killed...
.)
Many feared another such slaughter, and a party from the Church Missionary Society travelled to Arnhem Land and persuaded Takiara and three other men, who were sons of a Yolngu elder, Wonggu, to return to Darwin with them for trial. In Darwin, to the horror of the missionaries, Takiara was sentenced to death by hanging, and the three other men were sentenced to twenty years hard labour. On appeal to the High Court of Australia, Takiara’s sentence was quashed, and he was released from jail, but disappeared. It was widely believed he had been lynched by police.
The resulting crisis threatened to bring about even more bloodshed. To defuse the situation, a young anthropologist, Donald Thomson
Donald Thomson
Donald Fergusson Thomson, OBE was an Australian anthropologist and ornithologist who was largely responsible for turning the Caledon Bay crisis into a "decisive moment in the history of Aboriginal-European relations." He is remembered as a friend of the Yolngu people, and as a champion of...
, offered to investigate the causes of the conflict. He travelled to Arnhem Land, on a mission that many said would be suicidal, and got to know and understand the people who lived there. After seven months’ investigation he persuaded the Federal Government to free the three men convicted of the killings and returned with them to their own country, living for over a year with their people, documenting their culture.
He formed a strong bond with the Yolngu people, and in 1941 he persuaded the Army to establish a Special Reconnaissance Force of Yolngu men, including Wonggu and his sons, to help repel Japanese raids on the northern coastline of Australia.
The historian Henry Reynolds
Henry Reynolds (historian)
Henry Reynolds is an eminent Australian historian whose primary work has focused on the frontier conflict between European settlement of Australia and indigenous Australians.-Education and career:...
has suggested that the Caledon Bay crisis "was a decisive moment in the history of Aboriginal-European relations. The High Court condemned frontier justice, the punitive expedition did not ride into Yolngu country and there had been an unprecedented outburst of public sentiment demanding a new deal for Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
."
External links
- Thomson, D., & Peterson, N., 1983, “Donald Thomson in Arnhem Land”, Miegunyah Press, Melbourne. Revised ed. publ. 2003, ISBN 0-522-85063-4
- Dhakiyarr Wirrpanda The first Aboriginal Australian whose case was heard in the High Court at the National Archives of AustraliaNational Archives of AustraliaThe National Archives of Australia is a body established by the Government of Australia for the purpose of preserving Commonwealth Government records. It is an Executive Agency of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and reports to the Cabinet Secretary, Senator Joe Ludwig.The national...
- ATSIC The First Reconciliation Act