Global InformationPinjarra massacre information
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| Pinjarra massacre | |
|---|---|
 Pinjarra Massacre Site memorial | |
 Approximate location of the massacre site on the Murray River, near the present-day town of Pinjarra | |
| Location | Pinjarra, Western Australia |
| Coordinates | 32°37′48″S 115°52′16″E / 32.63000°S 115.87111°E |
| Date | 28 October 1834 8:35 am – 10:05 am (UTC+08:00) |
| Target | Bindjareb Noongar people |
Attack type | Well-conceived ambush leading to a massacre lasting at least one hour.[1] |
| Weapons |
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| Deaths | Captain Theophilus Ellis, and an estimate of 15–30 Bindjareb men, women and children were also killed. An unknown number of dead bodies were washed downstream. It is unknown if any injured Bindjareb people died as a result of injuries.[2][3] |
| Injured | Corporal Patrick Heffron, and an unknown number of injured Bindjareb people. |
| Victims | 15–80 Bindjareb people. Captain Ellis. |
| Perpetrators | British colonists |
| Assailants |
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No. of participants | 25 assailants and 60–80 victims |
| Defenders | 70–80 Bindjareb people including Calyute[5] |
| Motive |
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| Accused | None |
| Convicted | None |
| Verdict | None |
| Convictions | None |
| Charges | None |
| Litigation | None |
The Pinjarra massacre, also known as the Battle of Pinjarra, occurred on 28 October 1834 in Pinjarra, Western Australia when a group of Binjareb Noongar people were attacked by a detachment of 25 soldiers, police, and settlers led by Governor James Stirling.[1][6]: 25 According to Stirling, "about 60 or 70" of the Binjareb people were present at the camp and John Roe, who also participated, estimated about 70–80. This roughly agrees with an estimate of 70 by an unidentified eyewitness.[1]: 8 [5] The attack at Pinjarra was in response to sustained aggression by the Binjarebs, including robberies and murder of settlers and members of other Nyungar tribes.[5]
On the attacking side, Captain Theophilus Tighe Ellis died and Corporal Patrick Heffron was injured.[7][8] On the defending side an uncertain number of Binjareb men, women, and children were killed. Stirling quantified the number of Binjareb people killed as probably 15 males;[1]: 9 Roe estimated the number killed as between 15 and 20.[1]: 10 [5] An unidentified eyewitness counted about 25–30 killed, including 1 woman and several children. In addition, suggesting it was "very probable that more men were killed in the river and floated down with the stream".[1]: 9 The number of Binjareb people injured remains unknown, as do the number of deaths resulting from injuries sustained during the attack.
The Pinjarra Massacre was the culmination of increasing tension and violence between newly arrived settlers who were appropriating the land for farming and the Noongar peoples who lived on it as hunter-gatherers.[5] After the attack, Governor Stirling was "effectively threatening to kill 80% of the Noongar population of the South West".[9] Stirling claimed as justification for the attack that the Binjareb had threatened to "destroy all the whites in their district".[9] Some Binjarreb did continue to fight back, while others sought peace.[5][7]
The effects of the attack's outcome were devastating for the Binjareb, allowing "surrounding groups to exploit the weakness of the once powerful Binjareb",[6]: 13 [7] Despite the apparently overzealous disciplinary action of the attacking party, some of the younger generation of Binjareb (notably Calyute's son Monang and another individual called Denmar) nonetheless appear to have recognised the merit of reconciliation and/or the opportunities offered by the colonisation of the area, as they became quite involved with the newcomers.[1] Indeed, Monang, some of his counterparts, and those who came after, were to contribute in a variety of ways to the development of the area into what it is today. Monang and Denmar, both involved in the murder of Nesbit, and originally on the list of "wanted" Nyungar men, in fact became the first "native" policemen at Pinjarra in 1838. Monang also developed a close association with Henry Bunbury and would accompany Bunbury on his expeditions.[1] Presently, the Bindjareb people today remain custodians and representatives of their culture.[5]: 62–63
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Register of Heritage Places – Assessment Documentation, Pinjarra Massacre Site 1". Heritage Council of Western Australia. 18 December 2007. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
moorewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Owen, Chris (18 November 2019). "The Pinjarra massacre: it's time to speak the truth of this terrible slaughter". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
cro67was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c d e f g Cite error: The named reference
colpal96was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Martin, Wayne (5 December 2016). "Aboriginal People at the Periphery" (PDF). 35th Annual Australia and New Zealand Law and History Society Conference. Perth: Curtin Law School. pp. 1–36. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
- ^ a b c Bates, Daisy M. (5 August 1926). "Battle of Pinjarra: Causes and consequences". The Western Mail. p. 40. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
- ^ Conole, Peter. "Superintendent Theophilus Ellis - his Life and Services". The Western Australia Police Historical Society Inc. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
wor15was invoked but never defined (see the help page).