Arabanoo

Background

Life for the settlers at Port Jackson was difficult in the first years and did not help relations between the Aboriginal people of the Eora clans and the Europeans. Governor Arthur Phillip decided that the state of petty warfare and endless uncertainty had to end. He decided to kidnap an Aboriginal person, as he explained in a Letter to Lord Sydney "It was absolutely necessary that we should attain their language, or teach them ours that the means of redress might be pointed out to them, if they are injured, and to reconcile them by showing the many advantages they would enjoy by mixing with us". At Manly cove, two Aboriginal people were seized but one escaped. He appeared to be about 30 years old

Captivity

In order to at first prevent him from escaping, Arabanoo was usually restrained by handcuff and rope, or iron chains, and was locked in a hut with a convict at night. When Arabanoo was first cuffed, he believed the handcuffs to be unique ornaments, but he became enraged when he discovered the purpose. In the aim of improving relations, the kidnapping of Arabanoo did not do a great deal of good. He did not learn English very quickly, "At least not to the point where he could make Phillip any wiser on the grievances of the natives." In any case, convicts would soon launch vigilante attacks on the Aboriginal people near Botany Bay. In 1789, smallpox broke out in the settlement, and spread amongst the Indigenous population. Having no immunity, an estimated 2000 died. After only 6 months amongst the settlers, Arabanoo died of smallpox, which he called galgalla, on 18 May 1789. He was buried in the garden of the government building. Colonel David Collins said of his death was "to the great regret of everyone who had witnessed how little of the savage was found in his manner, and how quickly he was substituting in its place a docile, affable, and truly amaiable deportment".