'Me Write Myself’
The Free Aboriginal Inhabitants of Van Diemen’s Land at Wybalenna, 1832–47
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Exiles, lost souls, remnants of a dying race ... The fate of the First Nations peoples of Van Diemens Land is one of the most infamous chapters in Australian history. The men, women and children exiled to Flinders Island in the 1830s and 40s have often been written about, but never allowed to speak for themselves. This book aims to change that. Documents penned by the exiles during their 15 years at the settlement Wybalenna offer a compelling counter-narrative to traditional representations of a hopeless, dispossessed, illiterate people's final days. The exiles did not see themselves as prisoners, but as a Free People. Seen through their own writing, the community at Wybalenna was vibrant, complex and evolving. Rather than a depressed people simply waiting for death, their own words reveal a politically astute community engaged in a 15 year campaign for their own freedom. This book tells a compelling story that will profoundly affect understandings of Tasmanian and Australian history.
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I would suggest that this very readable book should be a must for anyone that has an interest in the subject of Van Diemen's Land colonial history. Author Leonie Stevens has written a compelling argument that the original VDL peoples were not down trodden by British colonialism when exiled to Flinders Island but became a free people who fought for their rights via the pen and other nonviolent methods once exiled to the remote Wybalenna settlement. In fact the hardy survivors finally received their ultimate freedom after a 15 year campaign that lead to a return to the mainland. This is the story itself and presented in chronological order.
Leonie Stevens is to be congratulated on what can only be described as utterly brilliant research. Using new sources from the VDL peoples themselves, such as the Flinders Island Chronicle, the author has brought to life the peoples by telling their story through their own words. As she writes “Academic rigour rarely, it seems, extends to consulting First Nation sources.” This book does just that. The first peoples come to life in this excellent book. We read and hear if we listen close “.... A vibrant, noisy and often rebellious community”. I came away from this read with a feeling that the first nation women were especially independent and hardy. Serial monogamy seemed to me to be just as much a women's prerogative. As to the sealer women's independent nature these remarkable ladies deserve a book on their lives alone.
Monash University Publishing have the footnotes on the page being read as opposed to forcing the reader to the back of the book. I found not an error in the index. The primary and secondary sources in the bibliography are magnificent and if the subject is of further interest the reader has a resource that is second to none. This is as good as it gets and leaves some more famous historians and publishers for dead. If this fails to win awards into the future then the Australian publishing industry has no idea and needs to have a long hard look at itself. A brilliant book.
