Mannalargenna, also spelt Manalakina (1770–1835), was an

Aboriginal Tasmanian The Aboriginal Tasmanians (palawa kani: ''Palawa'' or ''Pakana'') are the Aboriginal people of the Australian island of Tasmania, located south of the mainland. At the time of European contact, Aboriginal Tasmanians were divided into a numb ...

leader and warrior.

Biography

Mannalargenna (or was Manalakina) a Chief of the Trawlwoolway clan in what is now the North East Nation. He is described as being 5' 8" and wearing grease and red ochre all over his body. Following the arrival of British in the area, he led a series of

guerrilla Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...

-style attacks against British settlers in the colony of

Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania during the European exploration of Australia, European exploration and colonisation of Australia in the 19th century. The Aboriginal Tasmanians, Aboriginal-inhabited island wa ...

during the period known as the

Black War The Black War was a period of violent conflict between British colonists and Aboriginal Tasmanians in Tasmania from the mid-1820s to 1832 that precipitated the near-extermination of the indigenous population. The conflict was fought largely as ...

. In 1829 he freed four Native women and a boy from

John Batman John Batman (21 January 18016 May 1839) was an Australian Pastoral farming, grazier, entrepreneur and explorer, who had a prominent role in the foundation of Melbourne, founding of Melbourne. He also was involved in many attacks against Indigen ...

's house where they had been held for a year. While it seems as though he joined George Robinson's mission to persuade Native people to "surrender", it is claimed that he was actually directing Robinson away from the people. He was promised that if he helped Robinson he would not be sent to

Flinders Island Flinders Island, the largest island in the Furneaux Group, is a island in the Bass Strait, northeast of the island of Tasmania. Today Flinders Island is part of the state of Tasmania, Australia. It is from Cape Portland, Tasmania, Cape Portl ...

, but this promise was broken and he died in captivity at Wybalenna in 1835. When he arrived at Big Green Island in 1835, Mannalargenna symbolically cut off his

ochre Ochre ( ; , ), iron ochre, or ocher in American English, is a natural clay earth pigment, a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colou ...

d hair and beard.

Family

Mannalargenna had two wives. His first wife's name is unknown, but together they had at least six children: a son, Neerhepeererminer, and daughters Nellenooremer, Woretemoeteryenner, Wottecowidyer, Wobbelty and Teekoolterme. His second wife was Tanleboneyer, with whom he had no children. She was one of George Robinson's early guides. During his life, Mannalargenna's sister and four daughters were married to seamen from the

Furneaux Islands The Furneaux Group is a group of approximately 100 islands located at the eastern end of Bass Strait, between Victoria and Tasmania, Australia. The islands were named after British navigator Tobias Furneaux, who sighted the eastern side of ...

and their babies were swapped around and documented incorrectly. Today, many Australian citizens claim a non-biological lineage through these colonially documented marriages.

Uncle Jack Charles Jack Charles (5 September 1943 – 13 September 2022), also known as Uncle Jack Charles, was an Australian stage and screen actor and activist, known for his advocacy for Aboriginal people. He was involved in establishing the first Indigenous t ...

(1943–2022) was his five times great-grandson, via his daughter Woretemoeteyenner (1797–1847).

Recognition and legacy

"Mannalergenna Day" has been celebrated in early December in Little Musselroe Bay in Tasmania since 2015, in commemoration of Mannalargenna and for celebrating Parlevar culture. There is a monument to Mannalargenna at Wybalenna Mission Site Cemetery. A sketch of Mannalargenna by artist

Thomas Bock Thomas Bock was an English-Australian artist and an early adopter of photography in Australia. Born in England he was sentenced to transportation in 1823. After gaining his freedom he set himself up as one of Australia's first professional a ...

is held in the

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England.

References

{{Authority control Indigenous Tasmanian people History of Australia (1788–1850) Year of birth uncertain 1835 deaths Australian Aboriginal elders

Biography

Family

Recognition and legacy

See also

References