"Reconciliation Tasmania is the statewide body promoting reconciliation for all Tasmanians. We promote a deeper understanding, respect and justice for, and with, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples." - About Us (Reconciliation Tasmania)
Focusing on reconciliation from a Tasmanian perspective, explore their website to discover more about the organisation and their purpose (check the drop-down menu for 'What We Do' as well).The site also includes a variety of links and resources elaborating on their involvement in areas such as education, reconciliation action plans, employment, and festivals and events, among others.
Reconciliation Tasmania also provides a historical timeline of Tasmanian First Nations peoples from approximately 40,000 years ago through to 2020. Use this resource to chart the major events in Tasmania's history between Tasmanian Aboriginal peoples and non-Indigenous Australians.
The 'Black War' refers to the period of hostilities between the Tasmanian Aboriginal peoples and the colonists who invaded lutruwita (Tasmania). Hostilities intensified between 1824 and 1831, although the term is often applied to the entirety of the conflict between Tasmanian Aboriginals and the non-Indigenous settlers.
While instances of First Nations resistance in reaction to colonisation throughout Australia are referred to as the Frontier Wars, the level of violence involved in the Black War in Tasmania had led it to be considered by many as an act of genocide.
Black War (Australian History) - Britannica
The Black War: Tasmania still torn by its history - NITV
The National Picture: The Art of Tasmania's Black War : An Education Resource - TMAG
Tasmania's Black War: a tragic case of lest we remember? - The Conversation
Noted Works: The Black War - The Conversation
Reconciliation in Tasmania: War, Memory and Empathy - Right Now, Human Rights in Australia
Black War - Explora (SS)
The Black Line - National Museum of Australia
Frontier Wars - Deadly Story
New map records massacres of Aboriginal people in Frontier Wars - ABC News
Governor Arthur's Proclamation to the Aborigines - State Library New South Wales
Performers on mission to raise awareness about Black War with A Tasmanian Requiem - ABC News
A Tasmanian Requiem is a musical reckoning, and a pathway to reconciliation - The Conversation
Memorial to Commemorate Tasmania's Black War - The Australian
Murders, massacres and the black war: Julie Gough's horrifying journey in colonial genocide - The Guardian
It is unknown how many Aboriginal languages were once present in Tasmania, however palawa kani (meaning 'Tasmanian Aboriginal people speak') is the only Aboriginal language in Tasmania today. Resulting from a language revival project run by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre (TAC) palawa kani is a reconstructed language based on surviving remnants of the original Tasmanian languages.
palawa kani, the only Aboriginal language in lutruwita today - Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre
Reviving an original Tasmanian language - UTAS
Indigenous Language Series 8: Palawa Kani, Tasmania - 2M Language Services
Aboriginal Languages and Trade Fact Sheet - Aboriginal Heritage Tasmania, DPIPWE
palawa kani - Gambay Languages Map
our language - wukalina walk
Breathing New Life into Indigenous Language - ABC News
NAIDOC Week: June Sculthorpe on sharing palawa kani and Aboriginal culture - ABC News
Learning Palawa Kani - ABC: Behind the News
These books allow Aboriginal children in Tasmania to read stories in their reclaimed language - SBS
The 2021 Communities for Children (CFC) conference was opened by a Welcome to Country in palawa kani by Tessa Atto - a language worker from the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre.
The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery not only holds an extensive Tasmanian Aboriginal collection but also provides access to a variety of resources for education and research in this area via their website (First Peoples Art and Culture page) and exhibitions.
Ningina Tunapri - To Give Knowledge and Understanding
This long-term exhibition looks at the journey of Tasmanian Aboriginal people, inclusive of all generations. This page includes an introductory video to the exhibition.
Our Land: Parrawa, parrawa! Go away!
Another of TMAG's long-term exhibitions, the focus is the relationship between Tasmanian Aboriginal peoples and colonists following the invasion of Tasmania, with particular emphasis on the Black War. This page includes an introductory video to the exhibition.
This travelling exhibition concentrated on Tasmanian Aboriginal women's fibrework - primarily basket-making. Learn more about this cultural practice by following the links to text and video resources as well as using the interactive images of exhibits to learn more about the individual makers.
Kanalaritja - An Unbroken String
Shell necklace stringing is a significant cultural tradition that has survived through to the present day. This touring exhibition includes information on the history of this practice and the makers involved, images of the exhibits, as well as additional resources to discover more about how it connects the Tasmanian Aboriginal community to ancestors, culture, and Country.
TMAG is guided by the recommendations of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Advisory Council, as well as the Australian Museums and Galleries Association's First Peoples: A Roadmap for enhancing Indigenous engagement in Museums and Galleries with respect to its First Nations collections. Initially party to unethical collection procedures and practices, TMAG has been undergoing a program for the repatriation of sacred material and ancestral remains since the 1970s. In 2021 a formal apology was made to the Tasmanian Aboriginal community.
Shell necklace stringing is a tradition of the Tasmanian Aboriginal community, of which there is evidence of it dating back at least 1800 years. Discover more from the following resources:
Tasmanian Aboriginal Shell Necklaces - National Museum of Australia
Tasmanian Aboriginal shell necklaces: A significant cultural practice - Australian Museum
Palawa Shellwork - Australian National Maritime Museum
The Companion to Tasmanian History: Shell Necklaces - UTAS
Kanalaritja: An Unbroken String - Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (exhibition) [The Media Kit includes historical information and comments from the makers involved in the exhibition.]
Fears Indigenous Tasmanian necklaces could become lost art - ABC News
Truganini is one of the most well-known figures in Tasmanian history; the last full-blooded Tasmanian Aboriginal. A Nuenonne woman from Bruny Island, her story has caused her to become a symbol of struggle and survival for contemporary Tasmanian Aboriginals.
*Truganini is a commonly accepted spelling of her name, but other variations are in use
Truganini - Department of Communities Tasmania
The Companion to Tasmanian History: Truganini - UTAS
Our Global Neighbours: Remembering Truganini - Australian Museum
Truganini: Ambassador, guerilla fighter and survivor - ABC News
Truganini's story has always been told as tragedy. She was so much more than that - The Guardian
Friday essay: Truganini and the bloody backstory to Victoria's first public execution - The Conversation