Native Police Corps
Encyclopedia
An Australian Native Police Corps was first established in 1842 in the Port Phillip District
of the Australia
n colony of New South Wales (now Victoria
). However, the "Native Police Force" (sometimes called the "Native Mounted Police Force") of Queensland from 1848 to 1897, was by far the most notorious of its kind., Other native police like systems were also occasionally used in the colonies of South Australia, Western Australia and in Northern Territory (then part of the colony of South Australia).
of the Australia
n colony of New South Wales (now Victoria
) were made from as early as 1837 when Captain William Lonsdale
wrote to Governor Richard Bourke
. The cost of Funding and supplying the police Corp was the issue that delayed formation until Superintendent Charles La Trobe
indicated he was willing to underwrite the costs in 1842.
.
The force made use of Aboriginal men from the Wurundjeri
and Bunurong
tribes as trackers
. The Corp was made up of 60 members, three quarters of whom were "natives". There were two goals in such a force: to make use of the indigenous people's tracking abilities, as well as to assimilate the aboriginal troopers into white society. Both La Trobe and Aboriginal Protector William Thomas
expected that the men would give up their ancestral way of life when exposed to the discipline of police work. To their disappointment troopers continued to participate in corroborees and in ritual fighting, although not in uniform.
As senior Wurundjeri
elder, Billibellary
's cooperation for the proposal was important for its success, and after deliberation he backed the initiative and even proposed himself for enlistment. He donned the uniform and enjoyed the status of parading through the camp, but was careful to avoid active duty as a policeman to avoid a conflict of interest between his duties as a Wurundjeri ngurungaeta
.
After about a year Billibellary resigned from the Native Police Corps when he found that it was to be used to capture and even kill other natives. He did his best from then on to undermine the Corps and as a result many native troopers deserted and few remained longer than three or four years.
With reduced reports of attacks in the Western District following two years of policing, two new troopers were signed up from the Port Fairy area in 1845.
There were also clashes between the Native Police Corp and Gunai
people in 1846 in the Snowy River
region.
, to be deployed beyond the settled districts. By November Walker had recruited 14 native troopers from four different tribes and different language groups from the Murrumbidgee, Murray and Edwards Rivers areas and was making preparations for leaving the Murray River district for the Macintye country. His force travelled up the Darling river arriving on the Macintyre River on 10 May 1849 and were first deployed in that area and the Condamine to great effect in reducing aboriginal attacks and resistance against squatters.
In Queensland, southern tribes were used in skirmishes involving northern language groups. One of the sub-inspectors was Thomas Coward (1834–1905), after whom Coward Springs, South Australia
is named.
A killing of a station cook near Durrie on the Diamantina in 1888 led to a reported attack by a party of the Queensland Native Police led by sub-inspector Robert Little. The attack was timed to coincide with an assembly of young aborigines around the permanent waters of Kaliduwarry. Great gatherings of aboriginal youth were held at Kaliduwarry on the Eyre Creek on a regular basis and attracted juveniles from as far away as the Gulf of Carpentaria to below the Flinders Ranges in South Australia. On this occasion an estimated two hundred aborigines were killed.
Queensland's Native Police Force was arguably the most controversial force of its kind in colonial Australian history. John G. Paton wrote in 1889 that, two years previously, Samuel Griffith
, the Premier of Queensland, "had these blood-stained forces disbanded for ever." This, however, is not entirely true, Griffith did not disband the force during his term in government, it was only gradually disbanded during the mid to late 1890s.
formed the South Australian Native Police Force in 1852 at the specific direction of the South Australian Government. Later that year a newspaper reported, “A dozen powerful natives, chiefly of the Moorundee tribe [from Blanchetown, South Australia
district on the River Murray], have been selected to be sent to the Port Lincoln district to act as Mounted Police
.” The little corps, under the command of Mounted Police Corporal John Cusack (1809–1887), sailed for Port Lincoln on the government schooner Yatala on 29 December 1852, for service on Eyre Peninsula
. It was confidently expected they would be usefully employed in protection of the settlers in that district.
The Native Police were soon extended, the strength in 1856 being:- Murray District (half each at Moorundee and Wellington): 2 inspectors, 2 corporals, 13 constables, 16 horses ; Venus Bay: 1 sergeant, 1 corporal, 7 constables, 8 horses.
The six officers and non-commissioned officers were all European, while the twenty constables were all Aboriginal, all being issued with standard police arms and uniforms. Both Aboriginal and European offenders were brought to justice by these men, but on Eyre Peninsula the Aboriginals were largely ineffectual as they were in unfamiliar territory, while on the Murray the entire force went walkabout
and did not return.
In 1857 it was abolished as a distinct corps, although a few Aboriginal constables continued to be employed from time to time at certain remote police stations. Also, Aboriginal trackers
were employed as needed, but were not sworn police constables. In 1884 a native police scheme was revived by the South Australia Police in Central Australia
(see Northern Territory, below), but this time it was based on the more notorious Queensland
and New South Wales
models.
The Native Police became notorious for their violent activities, especially under the command of Constable William Willshire. In 1891, two Aboriginal men were 'shot whilst attempting to escape'. The deaths were noticed and the South Australian Register called for an Enquiry to establish whether or not police had been justified in killing the two Aboriginal men.
Eventually, F.W. Gillen, Telegraph Stationmaster and Justice of the Peace at Alice Springs, received instructions from the Government to investigate the matter and report to the Attorney-General. Gillen found Willshire responsible for ordering the killings. At the conclusion of Gillen’s investigation, Willshire was suspended, arrested and charged with murder. He became the first Northern Territory police officer charged with this offence. He was subsequently acquitted.
Port Phillip District
The Port Phillip District was an historical administrative division of the Colony of New South Wales, existing from September 1836 until 1 July 1851, when it was separated from New South Wales and became the Colony of Victoria....
of the 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...
n colony of New South Wales (now 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....
). However, the "Native Police Force" (sometimes called the "Native Mounted Police Force") of Queensland from 1848 to 1897, was by far the most notorious of its kind., Other native police like systems were also occasionally used in the colonies of South Australia, Western Australia and in Northern Territory (then part of the colony of South Australia).
Victoria
Requests for the establishment of a Native Police Corp in the Port Phillip DistrictPort Phillip District
The Port Phillip District was an historical administrative division of the Colony of New South Wales, existing from September 1836 until 1 July 1851, when it was separated from New South Wales and became the Colony of Victoria....
of the 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...
n colony of New South Wales (now 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....
) were made from as early as 1837 when Captain William Lonsdale
William Lonsdale (colonist)
William Lonsdale supervised the founding of the official settlement at Port Phillip from 1836 and went on to serve under the Superintendent La Trobe from 1839 to 1854.-Early life:...
wrote to Governor Richard Bourke
Richard Bourke
General Sir Richard Bourke, KCB was Governor of the Colony of New South Wales, Australia between 1831 and 1837.-Early life and career:...
. The cost of Funding and supplying the police Corp was the issue that delayed formation until Superintendent Charles La Trobe
Charles La Trobe
Charles Joseph La Trobe was the first lieutenant-governor of the colony of Victoria .-Early life:La Trobe was born in London, the son of Christian Ignatius Latrobe, a family of Huguenot origin...
indicated he was willing to underwrite the costs in 1842.
Establishment
Henry EP Dana was selected to command the Corps, which would be a mounted command consisting of aboriginal troopers and European officers. The Command was initially established at the Aboriginal Protectorate Station at Narre Narre Warren, about 25 km south east of Melbourne, but Dana moved the headquarters in March 1842 to the banks of the Merri CreekMerri Creek
The Merri Creek is a waterway in southern parts of Victoria, Australia which flows through the northern suburbs of Melbourne. It begins in Wallan north of Melbourne and flows south for 70km until it joins the Yarra River at Dights Falls...
.
The force made use of Aboriginal men from the 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...
and Bunurong
Bunurong
The Bunurong are Indigenous Australians of the Kulin nation, who occupy South-Central Victoria, Australia. Prior to European settlement, they lived as all people of the Kulin nation lived, sustainably on the land, predominantly as hunters and gatherers, for tens of thousands of years...
tribes as trackers
Aboriginal tracker
In the years following British settlement in Australia, aboriginal trackers or black trackers, as they became known, were enlisted by settlers to assist them in navigating their way through the Australian landscape...
. The Corp was made up of 60 members, three quarters of whom were "natives". There were two goals in such a force: to make use of the indigenous people's tracking abilities, as well as to assimilate the aboriginal troopers into white society. Both La Trobe and Aboriginal Protector William Thomas
William Thomas (Australian settler)
William Thomas represented Aboriginal people in various roles in the Port Phillip district during his lifetime.-Various official roles:...
expected that the men would give up their ancestral way of life when exposed to the discipline of police work. To their disappointment troopers continued to participate in corroborees and in ritual fighting, although not in uniform.
As senior 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...
elder, Billibellary
Billibellary
Billibellary was a song maker and influential ngurungaeta of the Wurundjeri-willam clan during the early years of European settlement of Melbourne. He was known by various names including Billi-billeri, Billibellary, Jika Jika, Jacky Jacky and Jaga Jaga...
's cooperation for the proposal was important for its success, and after deliberation he backed the initiative and even proposed himself for enlistment. He donned the uniform and enjoyed the status of parading through the camp, but was careful to avoid active duty as a policeman to avoid a conflict of interest between his duties as a Wurundjeri ngurungaeta
Ngurungaeta
Ngurungaeta is a Wurundjeri word meaning 'head man' or 'tribal leader'. Ngurungaeta held the same tribal standing as an Arweet of the Bunurong and Wathaurong people...
.
After about a year Billibellary resigned from the Native Police Corps when he found that it was to be used to capture and even kill other natives. He did his best from then on to undermine the Corps and as a result many native troopers deserted and few remained longer than three or four years.
Duties
The duties of the native police included searching for missing persons, carrying messages, and escorting dignitaries through unfamiliar territory. During the goldrush era, they were also used to patrol goldfields and search for escaped prisoners. They were provided with uniforms, firearms, food rations and a rather dubious salary. However, the lure of the goldfields, poor salary and Dana's eventual death in 1852 led to the official disintegration of his Native Police Corps in January 1853.Frontier clashes
Native police were called upon to take part in massacres of other Aboriginal people in the Victorian Western District in 1843. Upon return to Melbourne one of the troopers boasted about an incident in which 17 Aboriginal men had been killed by the Corps. From reports it seems likely the troopers were called upon by their commander, Henry EP Dana, to shoot rather than try to make arrests:- "Captain say big one stupid catch them very good shoot them, you blackfellows, no shoot them me hand cuff you and send you to jail." One of the troopers is recorded by Thomas to have said.
With reduced reports of attacks in the Western District following two years of policing, two new troopers were signed up from the Port Fairy area in 1845.
There were also clashes between the Native Police Corp and Gunai
Gunai
The Gunai or Kurnai is an Indigenous Australian nation of south-east Australia whose territory occupied most of present-day Gippsland and much of the southern slopes of the Victorian Alps. The nation was not on friendly terms with the neighbouring Wurundjeri and Bunurong nations...
people in 1846 in the Snowy River
Snowy River
The Snowy River is a major river in south-eastern Australia. It originates on the slopes of Mount Kosciuszko, Australia's highest mainland peak, draining the eastern slopes of the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales, before flowing through the Snowy River National Park in Victoria and emptying into...
region.
Queensland
The Native Police Force in Queensland (sometime referred to at the 'Native Mounted Police', but entitled 'Native Police Force' in all parliamentary and government documents) came into effect on 17 August 1848 under the command of Frederick WalkerFrederick Walker (explorer)
Frederick Walker property manager, First Commandant of the 'Queensland' Native Police Force and Australian explorer.Walker was born in England and emigrated to Australia as a young man...
, to be deployed beyond the settled districts. By November Walker had recruited 14 native troopers from four different tribes and different language groups from the Murrumbidgee, Murray and Edwards Rivers areas and was making preparations for leaving the Murray River district for the Macintye country. His force travelled up the Darling river arriving on the Macintyre River on 10 May 1849 and were first deployed in that area and the Condamine to great effect in reducing aboriginal attacks and resistance against squatters.
In Queensland, southern tribes were used in skirmishes involving northern language groups. One of the sub-inspectors was Thomas Coward (1834–1905), after whom Coward Springs, South Australia
Coward Springs, South Australia
Coward Springs is a former settlement and railway station in the desert in outback South Australia. It is situated on the Oodnadatta Track adjacent to the Wabma Kadarbu Mound Springs Conservation Park, 236 km from Coober Pedy....
is named.
A killing of a station cook near Durrie on the Diamantina in 1888 led to a reported attack by a party of the Queensland Native Police led by sub-inspector Robert Little. The attack was timed to coincide with an assembly of young aborigines around the permanent waters of Kaliduwarry. Great gatherings of aboriginal youth were held at Kaliduwarry on the Eyre Creek on a regular basis and attracted juveniles from as far away as the Gulf of Carpentaria to below the Flinders Ranges in South Australia. On this occasion an estimated two hundred aborigines were killed.
Queensland's Native Police Force was arguably the most controversial force of its kind in colonial Australian history. John G. Paton wrote in 1889 that, two years previously, Samuel Griffith
Samuel Griffith
Sir Samuel Walker Griffith GCMG QC, was an Australian politician, Premier of Queensland, Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia and a principal author of the Constitution of Australia.-Early life:...
, the Premier of Queensland, "had these blood-stained forces disbanded for ever." This, however, is not entirely true, Griffith did not disband the force during his term in government, it was only gradually disbanded during the mid to late 1890s.
South Australia
Commissioner Alexander TolmerAlexander Tolmer
Alexander Tolmer was a South Australian police officer and Police Commissioner. He migrated to the new colony in 1840 and was made sub-inspector by Governor George Gawler....
formed the South Australian Native Police Force in 1852 at the specific direction of the South Australian Government. Later that year a newspaper reported, “A dozen powerful natives, chiefly of the Moorundee tribe [from Blanchetown, South Australia
Blanchetown, South Australia
Blanchetown is a small township in South Australia, on the bank of the Murray River, 130 km northeast of Adelaide. The Blanchetown Bridge is the western-most of the four crossings of the Sturt Highway over the Murray River. During the nineteenth century it was an important...
district on the River Murray], have been selected to be sent to the Port Lincoln district to act as Mounted Police
Mounted police
Mounted police are police who patrol on horseback or camelback. They continue to serve in remote areas and in metropolitan areas where their day-to-day function may be picturesque or ceremonial, but they are also employed in crowd control because of their mobile mass and height advantage and...
.” The little corps, under the command of Mounted Police Corporal John Cusack (1809–1887), sailed for Port Lincoln on the government schooner Yatala on 29 December 1852, for service on Eyre Peninsula
Eyre Peninsula
Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded on the east by Spencer Gulf, the west by the Great Australian Bight, and the north by the Gawler Ranges. It is named after explorer Edward John Eyre who explored some of it in 1839-1841. The coastline was first explored by...
. It was confidently expected they would be usefully employed in protection of the settlers in that district.
The Native Police were soon extended, the strength in 1856 being:- Murray District (half each at Moorundee and Wellington): 2 inspectors, 2 corporals, 13 constables, 16 horses ; Venus Bay: 1 sergeant, 1 corporal, 7 constables, 8 horses.
The six officers and non-commissioned officers were all European, while the twenty constables were all Aboriginal, all being issued with standard police arms and uniforms. Both Aboriginal and European offenders were brought to justice by these men, but on Eyre Peninsula the Aboriginals were largely ineffectual as they were in unfamiliar territory, while on the Murray the entire force went walkabout
Walkabout
The walkabout is a purported Australian aboriginal ritual of manhood.Walkabout may also refer to:- Art :*Walkabout , a 1959 book written by James Vance Marshall, set in the Australian outback...
and did not return.
In 1857 it was abolished as a distinct corps, although a few Aboriginal constables continued to be employed from time to time at certain remote police stations. Also, Aboriginal trackers
Tracking (hunting)
Tracking in hunting and ecology is the science and art of observing animal tracks and other signs, with the goal of gaining understanding of the landscape and the animal being tracked...
were employed as needed, but were not sworn police constables. In 1884 a native police scheme was revived by the South Australia Police in Central Australia
Central Australia
Central Australia/Alice Springs Region is one of the five regions in the Northern Territory. The term Central Australia is used to describe an area centred on Alice Springs in Australia. It is sometimes referred to as Centralia; likewise the people of the area are sometimes called Centralians...
(see Northern Territory, below), but this time it was based on the more notorious 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...
and 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...
models.
Northern Territory
In 1884, the South Australian Police Commissioner (W.J. Von Peterswald) established a Native Police Force. Six Aboriginal men were recruited in November 1884. Aged between 17 and 26 years of age, they came from Alice Springs, Charlotte Waters, Undoolya and Macumba.The Native Police became notorious for their violent activities, especially under the command of Constable William Willshire. In 1891, two Aboriginal men were 'shot whilst attempting to escape'. The deaths were noticed and the South Australian Register called for an Enquiry to establish whether or not police had been justified in killing the two Aboriginal men.
Eventually, F.W. Gillen, Telegraph Stationmaster and Justice of the Peace at Alice Springs, received instructions from the Government to investigate the matter and report to the Attorney-General. Gillen found Willshire responsible for ordering the killings. At the conclusion of Gillen’s investigation, Willshire was suspended, arrested and charged with murder. He became the first Northern Territory police officer charged with this offence. He was subsequently acquitted.
See also
- History of VictoriaHistory of VictoriaThis article describes the history of the Australian state of Victoria.-Aboriginal history:The state of Victoria was originally home to many indigenous nations that had occupied the land for tens of thousands of years...
- History of QueenslandHistory of QueenslandThe human history of Queensland encompasses both a long Aboriginal Australian presence as well as the more recent European settlement. Before being charted and claimed for England by Lieutenant James Cook in 1770, the north-eastern Australian region was explored by Dutch, Portuguese and French...
- Victorian gold rushVictorian gold rushThe Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. In 10 years the Australian population nearly tripled.- Overview :During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output...
- White Woman of GippslandWhite woman of GippslandThe white woman of Gippsland, or the captive woman of Gippsland, was supposedly a European woman rumoured to have been held against her will by Aboriginal Kurnai people in the Gippsland region of Australia in the 1840s...
- First Nations Police (Ontario)First Nations Police (Ontario)First Nations Police is a collective of aboriginal police forces in Ontario. FNP agencies are responsible for police duties concerning reserves in Ontario...
- United States Indian PoliceUnited States Indian PoliceThe United States Indian Police were organized in 1880 by John Q. Tufts the Indian Commissioner in Muskogee, Indian Territory, to police the Five Civilized Tribes. The USIP recruited many of their police officers from the ranks of the existing Indian Lighthorsemen...
External links
- Defending Victoria - Aboriginal People in the Victorian Colonial Forces
- Tracking the Native Police, an online exhibition of images and transcripts of documents at Public Record Office Victoria.
- The Way We Civilise A series of articles and letters Reprinted from the ‘Queenslander’ (Brisbane, December 1880)