Jaara baby
Encyclopedia
The Jaara baby was an Aboriginal Australian child who died at some stage during the 1840s to 1860s. The child's remains were discovered in 1904, and kept in storage by Museum Victoria
for ninety-nine years, until in 2003 they were repatriated to the Dja Dja Wurrung
community. The remains were of particular significance because they were found traditionally wrapped in possum
skins along with about 130 other artifact
s of both European and Aboriginal origin.
, Victoria
, by a woodcutter. He was felling a hollow tree when he discovered the remains wrapped in a possum skin bundle hidden within the tree's trunk. The remains were referred to the Victorian Coroner
at the time, who determined that they had been buried in accordance with Aboriginal custom. He suggested that the remains be given to the National Museum of Victoria.
before they were tied up in a bundle of dried possum skins.
At one point, Gary Foley
, who at the time was the curator of the Bunjilaka exhibition at the Melbourne Museum
, was approached by a white man from Canberra
who claimed that the Jaara baby was an ancestor of his. He claimed that the baby was actually a European child, who had been abducted by Aboriginal tribesmen during the period of frontier violence which decimated Aboriginal populations in Victoria's west during the mid-nineteenth century. Although tests on the Jaara remains were not conclusive, they did reveal that the child was no more than eighteen months old, whereas the abducted white child was three years old.
However, the question of why the baby was buried along with European artifacts is still unanswered. Gary Murray, chairman of the Northwest Region Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Board (and a member of the Dja Dja Wurrung
nation), has suggested that the Jaara baby was probably the child of an elder or tribal chief, due to the sheer number and richness of the grave goods. The European items were probably included as a record of the tribe's history at the time, a memorial of conflict with European settlers.
In 2002, Gary Murray was negotiating the return of a number of artifacts from the Museum Victoria collection, under the Museum's repatriation program, begun in the 1980s. He was given a list of the Dja Dja Wurrung artifacts that the Museum had in their possession. However, one Museum employee noticed that the Jaara baby was not on the list. Murray approached Gary Foley, who in turn approached the Museum, and, after some dispute, it was agreed that the Jaara baby was to be repatriated.
Alan West did not want the bundle to be returned, since he had nearly finished his cataloguing project, and had wanted to separate the remains from the grave goods. This proposal was rejected outright by Murray and other members of the Northwest Region Board. Eventually, West resigned from the Museum in late August 2003.
On 10 September 2003, the Jaara baby was finally returned to its home in Dja Dja Wurrung country, and was reburied, ninety-nine years after it was removed. A handover ceremony, which included ceremonial dances by both Dja Dja Wurrung and Wurundjeri
people, was conducted by Lord Mayor of Melbourne John So
.
Museum Victoria
Museum Victoria is an organisation which operates three major state-owned museums in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; these are: the Melbourne Museum, the Immigration Museum and Scienceworks. It also manages the Royal Exhibition Building and a storage facility in Melbourne's City of Moreland.Museum...
for ninety-nine years, until in 2003 they were repatriated to the Dja Dja Wurrung
Dja Dja Wurrung
Dja Dja Wurrung, also known as the Jaara people and Loddon River tribe, is a native Aboriginal tribe which occupied the watersheds of the Loddon and Avoca Rivers in the Bendigo region of central Victoria, Australia. They were part of the Kulin alliance of tribes. There were 16 clans, which adhered...
community. The remains were of particular significance because they were found traditionally wrapped in possum
Possum
A possum is any of about 70 small to medium-sized arboreal marsupial species native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi .Possums are quadrupedal diprotodont marsupials with long tails...
skins along with about 130 other artifact
Artifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
s of both European and Aboriginal origin.
Discovery
The Jaara baby was first discovered by Europeans on 10 September 1904, near the town of CharltonCharlton, Victoria
Charlton "The Friendly River Town", is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is a small agricultural community straddling the Avoca River, located at the junction of the Calder Highway and Borung Highway and positioned in the last of the foothills of the Great Dividing Range...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, by a woodcutter. He was felling a hollow tree when he discovered the remains wrapped in a possum skin bundle hidden within the tree's trunk. The remains were referred to the Victorian Coroner
Coroner
A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...
at the time, who determined that they had been buried in accordance with Aboriginal custom. He suggested that the remains be given to the National Museum of Victoria.
Identity
Although it had been buried in accordance with Aboriginal custom, there was some doubt as to the identity of the Jaara baby, primarily because it was buried with both Aboriginal and European artifacts. These included Aboriginal necklaces, an apron and a tool belt, along with European items such as a button, an axe head and a baby's bootie. The items were sprinkled with ochreOchre
Ochre is the term for both a golden-yellow or light yellow brown color and for a form of earth pigment which produces the color. The pigment can also be used to create a reddish tint known as "red ochre". The more rarely used terms "purple ochre" and "brown ochre" also exist for variant hues...
before they were tied up in a bundle of dried possum skins.
At one point, Gary Foley
Gary Foley
Gary Foley is an Australian Aboriginal Gumbainggir activist, academic, writer and actor . He is best known for his role in establishing the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra in 1972 and for establishing an Aboriginal Legal Service in Redfern in the 1970s...
, who at the time was the curator of the Bunjilaka exhibition at the Melbourne Museum
Melbourne Museum
Melbourne Museum is located in the Carlton Gardens in Melbourne, Australia, adjacent the Royal Exhibition Building.It is the largest museum in the Southern Hemisphere, and is a venue of Museum Victoria, which also operates the Immigration Museum and Scienceworks Museum.The museum has seven main...
, was approached by a white man from Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
who claimed that the Jaara baby was an ancestor of his. He claimed that the baby was actually a European child, who had been abducted by Aboriginal tribesmen during the period of frontier violence which decimated Aboriginal populations in Victoria's west during the mid-nineteenth century. Although tests on the Jaara remains were not conclusive, they did reveal that the child was no more than eighteen months old, whereas the abducted white child was three years old.
However, the question of why the baby was buried along with European artifacts is still unanswered. Gary Murray, chairman of the Northwest Region Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Board (and a member of the Dja Dja Wurrung
Dja Dja Wurrung
Dja Dja Wurrung, also known as the Jaara people and Loddon River tribe, is a native Aboriginal tribe which occupied the watersheds of the Loddon and Avoca Rivers in the Bendigo region of central Victoria, Australia. They were part of the Kulin alliance of tribes. There were 16 clans, which adhered...
nation), has suggested that the Jaara baby was probably the child of an elder or tribal chief, due to the sheer number and richness of the grave goods. The European items were probably included as a record of the tribe's history at the time, a memorial of conflict with European settlers.
Repatriation
The baby remained in storage at Museum Victoria until 1994, when researchers from an Aboriginal cultural protection cooperative came across it in the museum catalogue, and were given permission to examine the remains. Later, anthropologist Alan West commenced a study to catalogue all remains in storage at the Museum, including the Jaara baby.In 2002, Gary Murray was negotiating the return of a number of artifacts from the Museum Victoria collection, under the Museum's repatriation program, begun in the 1980s. He was given a list of the Dja Dja Wurrung artifacts that the Museum had in their possession. However, one Museum employee noticed that the Jaara baby was not on the list. Murray approached Gary Foley, who in turn approached the Museum, and, after some dispute, it was agreed that the Jaara baby was to be repatriated.
Alan West did not want the bundle to be returned, since he had nearly finished his cataloguing project, and had wanted to separate the remains from the grave goods. This proposal was rejected outright by Murray and other members of the Northwest Region Board. Eventually, West resigned from the Museum in late August 2003.
On 10 September 2003, the Jaara baby was finally returned to its home in Dja Dja Wurrung country, and was reburied, ninety-nine years after it was removed. A handover ceremony, which included ceremonial dances by both Dja Dja Wurrung and Wurundjeri
Wurundjeri
The Wurundjeri are a people of the Indigenous Australian nation of the Woiwurrung language group, in the Kulin alliance, who occupy the Birrarung Valley, its tributaries and the present location of Melbourne, Australia...
people, was conducted by Lord Mayor of Melbourne John So
John So
John Chun Sai So JP is a Chinese-Australian businessman who served as the 102nd Lord Mayor of Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, Australia. He was the first Lord Mayor in the city's history to be directly elected by the people; previously, Lord Mayors were elected by the Councillors.First elected...
.