King plates were a form of regalia

Regalia

Regalia is Latin plurale tantum for the privileges and the insignia characteristic of a Sovereign.The word stems from the Latin substantivation of the adjective regalis, 'regal', itself from Rex, 'king'...

 used in pre-Federation Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 by white colonial authorities to recognise local Aboriginal

Indigenous Australians

Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....

 leaders. The plates were metallic crescent-shaped plaques worn around the neck by important Aborigines.

Aboriginal people did not traditionally have kings or chiefs. They lived in small clan groups with several elders – certain older men and perhaps women – who consulted with each other on decisions for the group. By appointing kings of tribes, and granting them king plates, the white colonial powers went against the more collegiate grain of traditional Aboriginal culture.

Brief history

In the 19th century, king plates were given by numerous communities in various Australian States to esteemed Aboriginal men (there is a lack of information suggesting that these plaques were presented to women, although the men's wives were often referred to as Queen), who were usually elders of their particular tribal or kinship group. There have been suggestions that the presentation of king plates also had a great deal to do with whether or not the recipient was seen as useful or respected by the white Australian community of the area in question.

The plates were far less regal than a Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

an monarch's crown jewels

Crown jewels

Crown jewels are jewels or artifacts of the reigning royal family of their respective country. They belong to monarchs and are passed to the next sovereign to symbolize the right to rule. They may include crowns, sceptres, orbs, swords, rings, and other objects...

, consisting of a material composition of industrial metals such as brass or iron rather than the gold or silver that many leaders are more familiar with. A typical format of inscripting the king plates was to write the Aborigine's name across the upper part of the plate's face, with the title "King of ______" beneath, proceeded by the year of presentation. Some particularly distinguished Aboriginal characters are said to have ironically had the royal seal of Queen Victoria

Victoria of the United Kingdom

Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....

 engraved somewhere on the plate to add an extra air of prestige.

The practice of presenting Aboriginal leaders with king plates declined in the post-Federation years, becoming virtually unheard of by the end of the 1930s. This could be attributed to shifts in racial relations in different parts of Australia, amongst other possible explanations.

Aboriginal king plate holders

Many of the 'Indigenous kings' have fallen into obscurity and while there is hope of recovering more of the country's historical figures, many are sure to remain unknown to present and future generations. However, since there remains a fair amount of reliable historical data from the 19th Century and early 20th century, it is possible to learn about some of these Aboriginal figures, who were presented with king plates:

Jagar - King of Barron was a North Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

 Aborigine of the Yirriganydji people. He was presented with his King plate in 1898.

Bilin Bilin - King of Logan and Pimpama was known to roam through the area that is now Logan City, Queensland

Logan City, Queensland

Logan City is a Local Government Area in South East Queensland, Australia. The city is situated between the City of Brisbane to the north and Gold Coast to the south. The city also borders the Scenic Rim, the City of Ipswich and Redland City....

. He was presented his king plate in 1875. He was the leader of the Yugambeh people and held this position from the mid 19th Century to the very early years of the 20th Century. He was very well respected by Aborigines and European settlers alike.

Minippi - King of Tingalpa was a one-time companion to Bilin Bilin, who died when the two were returning from a trip to Brisbane. He is buried near the suburb of Waterford West, but the exact location is unknown.

Billy - King of the Albert was an Aboriginal leader in the South of Queensland. Little is known about his historical identity, although he was a contemporary of Bilin Bilin and Minippi and may have played a significant part in the Indigenous history of the Gold Coast

Gold Coast, Queensland

Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...

.
Coburn Jackey - Chief of Burrowmunditroy was a Koori Aborigine of the Wiradjuri

Wiradjuri

The Wiradjuri are an Indigenous Australian group of central New South Wales.In the 21st century, major Wiradjuri groups live in Condobolin, Peak Hill, Narrandera and Griffith...

 people in New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

. He was presented with his king plate in the 1800s by James White - one of the first European settlers in the region. The two men were good friends and Jackey provided the pioneering White with much assistance in their time together.

Umbarra

Umbarra

Umbarra, or King Merriman was an Aboriginal elder of the Djirringanj/Yuin people of the Bermagui area on the South Coast of New South Wales....

 - King of Bermagui, also known as King Merriman. A leader of the Yuin

Yuin

Yuin people are those Australian Aborigines from the South Coast of New South wales who are considered to be the traditional owners of the land and water from Merimbula to Port Jackson.- Country :...

 people of the Bermagui

Bermagui, New South Wales

Bermagui is a town on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia in the Bega Valley Shire. The name is derived from the Dyirringanj word, permageua, possibly meaning 'canoe with paddles'....

 area. He was reported to be able to tell the future through a black duck.

Warrandy - King of Geraldton, also known as "King Billy" was one of Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

's Aboriginal leaders to be presented with a king plate.

Nobby, not known if he received a king plate, but was described by a white Australian living in Bundaberg as "the King of the Blacks in this district."

Brady

Brady

Brady is a surname derived from the Irish surname Mac Brádaigh.In a listing by the U.S. Census Bureau of the Brady is ranked at #411.-Notable Bradys:*Alice Brady , American silent-film actress, Best Supporting Actress Oscar winner...

, an aboriginal man with a king plate who died at the Bribie Island Mission Station in 1892 and was buried on the beach by the mission's schoolmaster.