Kenneth Desmond Colbung AM MBE (2 September 1931 – 12 January 2010), also known by his indigenous name Nundjan Djiridjarkan, was an

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, excluding the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands. Humans first migrated to Australia 50,000 to 65,000 year ...

leader from the

Noongar The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian people who live in the South West, Western Australia, south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton, Western Aus ...

people who became prominent in the 1960s. He was appointed an MBE and an AM for his service to the Aboriginal community.

Life

Colbung was born on the Moore River Native Settlement. His mother died when he was six, and he was then taken to live at Sister Kate's Home for Children. He worked for a time as a stockman. He joined the Australian Army in 1950, and served in Japan and in the Korean War. He was made a Justice of the Peace in 1980. Amongst his positions, Colbung was also deputy chairperson (1978-1984) and then chair (1984-1990) of the

Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), established as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (AIAS) in 1964, is an independent Australian Government statutory authority. It is a collecting, ...

. He also had close links with the

Western Australian Museum The Western Australian Museum is a statutory body, statutory authority within the Culture and the Arts Portfolio, established under the ''Museum Act 1969''. The museum has six main sites. The state museum, WA Museum Boola Bardip, is located i ...

, and worked with them on their representations of Aboriginal issues for over thirty years. He died after a short illness on 12 January 2010. He was 78.

Activism

Colbung campaigned for the recognition of cultural and human rights for Aboriginal Australians, and was involved in the Australian Black Power Movement of the 1960s. He was instrumental in the development of the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 for the protection and preservation of material of cultural significance. In 1979, Colbung presented state governor Wallace Kyle with a " notice to quit" during the opening of the

WAY 79 WAY 79, also referred to as WAY '79 and WAY 1979, was the official 1979 sesquicentenary, sesquicentennial (150th anniversary) celebration of the European Swan River Colony, colonisation of Western Australia. Planning Preliminary planning for WA ...

celebrations of Western Australia's

sesquicentenary An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded. Most countries celebrate national anniversaries, typically called national days. These could be the date of independence of the nation or the adoption o ...

. The notice "called on the Governor to quit and deliver up possession of Western Australia to the Aboriginal people". Colbung became particularly known for his leading role in ensuring that the severed head of his ancestor, the Noongar warrior Yagan, was repatriated from Britain to Australia in 1997.

Notes

References

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External links

Colbung, Ken (1988) "Not Land Rights but Land Rites"
AIATSIS Wentworth Lecture 1988 {{DEFAULTSORT:Colbung, Ken 1931 births 2010 deaths Members of the Order of Australia Members of the Order of the British Empire Art and cultural repatriation Australian Indigenous rights activists Noongar elders Members of the Stolen Generations Australian stockmen