Cannabaygal
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Cannabaygal (c.1770 – 17 April 1816), also known as Cannabayagal, Conibigal, Carnimbeigle or Kannabygle, was a warrior of the
Gandangara The Gandangara people, also spelled Gundungara, Gandangarra, Gundungurra and other variations, are an Aboriginal Australian people in south-eastern New South Wales, Australia. Their traditional lands include present day Goulburn, Wollondilly Sh ...
people during the early stages of British colonisation of the Camden region in
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
. He was considered as one of the main leaders of local resistance to British occupation in the latter stages of the
Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars The Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars (1794–1816) were a series of conflicts where British forces, including armed settlers and detachments of the British Army in Australia, fought against Indigenous clans inhabiting the Hawkesbury River region an ...
. He was killed in the
Appin Massacre The Appin Massacre was the mass murder of Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal men, women and children in the New South Wales settlement of Appin, New South Wales, Appin, South Western Sydney, on 17 April 1816 by members of the 46th (South Devonshir ...
during a campaign by James Wallis in 1816 to subjugate the Gandangara people. His corpse was gibbeted in a tree and later beheaded, with his skull being sent to
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
for anatomical study.


First meeting with Europeans

Cannabaygal first came into contact with European people in 1802 when the French-born
ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...
of the
New South Wales Corps The New South Wales Corps, later known as the 102d Regiment of Foot, and lastly as the 100th Regiment of Foot, was a formation of the British Army organised in 1789 in England to relieve the New South Wales Marine Corps, which had accompanied ...
,
Francis Barrallier Francis Louis Barrallier (19 October 1773 – 11 June 1853) was a French-born explorer of Australia. Life and career Francis Barrallier was born in Toulon, France, on 19 October 1773, and baptised Louis Francois Barralier. revolutionary roy ...
, led a British expedition into the Blue Mountains west of
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
. There was no direct interaction but Barrallier observed him and his clan hunting game with the aid of fire near the
Nattai River The Nattai River, a perennial river that is part of the Hawkesbury- Nepean catchment, is located in the Southern Highlands region of New South Wales, Australia. Course and features The Nattai River rises on the Mittagong Range within the Great ...
. Other Aboriginal men who Barrallier communicated with said that this
Gandangara The Gandangara people, also spelled Gundungara, Gandangarra, Gundungurra and other variations, are an Aboriginal Australian people in south-eastern New South Wales, Australia. Their traditional lands include present day Goulburn, Wollondilly Sh ...
clan was led by a prominent man named Cannabaygal. In 1804, botanist
George Caley George Caley (10 June 1770 – 23 May 1829) was an English botanist and explorer, active in Australia for the majority of his career. Early life Caley was born in Craven District, Craven, Yorkshire, England, the son of a horse-dealer. He was ed ...
led an expedition into the same region where he met with Cannabaygal. Caley's Aboriginal guides described Cannabaygal as a feared leader and powerful to the point of invincibility. In Caley's brief meeting with Cannabaygal, he described him as being tall, intimidating yet friendly.


Conflict 1814-1816

In 1814, conflict between Aboriginal people and the British colonists in the Camden region flared. Aboriginal and British men, women and children were killed. Raids by
Gandangara The Gandangara people, also spelled Gundungara, Gandangarra, Gundungurra and other variations, are an Aboriginal Australian people in south-eastern New South Wales, Australia. Their traditional lands include present day Goulburn, Wollondilly Sh ...
,
Dharug The Dharug or Darug people, are a nation of Aboriginal Australian clans, who share ties of kinship, country and culture. In pre-colonial times, they lived as hunters in the region of current day Sydney. The Darug speak one of two dialects o ...
and
Dharawal The Tharawal people and other variants, are an Aboriginal Australian people, identified by the Yuin language. Traditionally, they lived as hunter–fisher–gatherers in family groups or clans with ties of kinship, scattered along the coasta ...
people plundered and destroyed crops and stock. Cannabaygal was considered by the British as one of the main leaders of these raids. In March 1816, Governor
Lachlan Macquarie Major-general (United Kingdom), Major General Lachlan Macquarie, Companion of the Order of the Bath, CB (; ; 31 January 1762 – 1 July 1824) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Scotland. Macquarie served as the fifth Gove ...
formulated the biggest military operation in the colony to date to bring an end to local Aboriginal resistance in that region. Macquarie declared that 'exemplary and severe punishment' was needed to drive these clans away, and he ordered 'strong detachments of troops...to strike them with terror'. Three detachments of the 46th Regiment were organised in April 1816 and sent out to make large sweeps of the region. Macquarie ordered any Aboriginal people found were to surrender as
prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
or be fired upon. The bodies of those killed were to be hung in trees to cause greater terror to the survivors. Macquarie also ordered children to be taken and given up to institutions to be taught European ways.


Death during a massacre

The detachment sent after the Gandangara was led by Captain James Wallis who was in charge of thirty-three
grenadiers A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word ''grenade'') was historically an assault-specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in siege operation battles. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when ...
, two sergeants and several Aboriginal guides including one named Colebee. They tracked Cannabaygal's clan to the upper reaches of the Cataract River. In the early hours of the morning of 17 April 1816, Wallis' force approached the campsite of Cannabaygal's people but found that it was a deserted decoy camp. However, the cry of a child alerted the soldiers to the real camp nearby and they attacked. At least fourteen of the clan were massacred either by being shot or from injuries as they fled down the steep rocky hillside that bordered the camp. This has become known as the
Appin Massacre The Appin Massacre was the mass murder of Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal men, women and children in the New South Wales settlement of Appin, New South Wales, Appin, South Western Sydney, on 17 April 1816 by members of the 46th (South Devonshir ...
. Cannabaygal was shot five times and killed. Another Gandangara leader named Dunelle also died. Most of the others killed were women and old men. In line with Macquarie's instructions, the corpses of Cannabaygal and Dunelle were gibbeted from a tree on a nearby prominent hill.


Skull sent to the University of Edinburgh

Not long after his body was taken down from the tree, Cannabaygal's head was removed, as was that of Dunelle's and also a woman who had been killed in the massacre. The heads were taken to Sydney where the colonial government bought them for 30 shillings and a gallon of rum each. The heads were removed of flesh to obtain the skulls of Cannabaygal and the others. These skulls were sent to the
University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...
where Cannabaygal's was featured in an 1820 book on
phrenology Phrenology is a pseudoscience that involves the measurement of bumps on the skull to predict mental traits. It is based on the concept that the Human brain, brain is the organ of the mind, and that certain brain areas have localized, specific ...
by
Sir George Mackenzie Sir George Mackenzie of Rosehaugh (1636 – May 8, 1691) was a Scottish lawyer, Lord Advocate, essayist and legal writer. He was nicknamed Bloody Mackenzie. Early life Mackenzie, who was born in Dundee, was the son of Sir Simon Mackenzie of ...
. According to Mackenzie's take on the racist
quackery Quackery, often synonymous with health fraud, is the promotion of fraudulent or Ignorance, ignorant medicine, medical practices. A quack is a "fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill" or "a person who pretends, professionally or public ...
of phrenology, the anatomy of Cannabaygal's skull displayed the weak reasoning powers and strong emotions of
Aboriginal Australians Aboriginal Australians are the various indigenous peoples of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland and many of its islands, excluding the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands. Humans first migrated to Australia (co ...
. Cannabaygal's skull was repatriated to Australia in 1991.


See also

*
List of Indigenous Australian historical figures Some Indigenous Australians are remembered in history for their leadership during the British invasion and colonisation, some for their resistance to that colonisation, and others for assisting the Europeans in exploring the country. Some became ...


References

{{Campaignbox Australian frontier wars 1816 deaths Deaths by firearm in New South Wales People of the Australian frontier wars