Local Kaurna Information
Post-Colonisation Kaurna Information
Indigenous history is problematic for many reasons, not least of which is the fact that almost all of the early Colonial period accounts are written by Europeans, from a purely European perspective. It is almost impossible to determine the objective facts, as we only have a one-sided point of view. Many of the early colonists brought with them existing prejudices from their time in other colonies, such as Tasmania and New South Wales.
There is also a surprising silence regarding Indigenous people in the letters and diaries of many of the early European colonists. It is not until the 1920s, when most of the earliest colonists had died, that accounts of contact with Indigenous people become more frequent. This long silence calls into doubt the accuracy of these later accounts, which might be misremembered or exaggerated by time.
There are other challenges such as many of the primary source documents, such as inquests, mounted police records, etc. have not survived, due to fires and other natural disasters, leaving only second-hand accounts in newspapers and other publications, which are often inaccurate or lacking in detail. There was a lack of understanding of Indigenous culture by misidentifying cultural groups, and by lumping disparate groups together. While other accounts have clearly misinterpreted cultural practices, such as mourning rites.
It is also difficult to place events in the modern landscape as references to landmarks are often vague and misleading, for example, ‘Magill’ once referred to a large amorphous area that included much of present-day Campbelltown and beyond, as Magill was the most populous village in the area.
Council continues to build its knowledge of local Aboriginal culture.
The presentation below was prepared by Helen Thiselton, Campbelltown Local History Officer on post-colonisation Kaurna information.