The extinct indigenous peoples of Oceania-Tasmania
Website photo location Tasmanians are indigenous people on Tasmania in southeastern Australia. It belongs to the Melanesian type of the Negro Australia species. The language is unknown and there is no writing. Worship totems, the moon, and spirits, prevalence of witchcraft, and many taboos. Its ancestors immigrated through Melanesia in the late Paleolithic period.
Before the 18th century, there were about 10,000 Tasmanians living on Tasmania in southeastern Australia. They were divided into 20 tribes and spoke different dialects. Each tribe operated within a certain area and strictly abided by borders. These people share a common ancestor with the indigenous people of mainland Australia because Tasmania and mainland Australia were connected in the past. About 11,000 years ago, the land between Tasmania and the Australian mainland was submerged by sea water, forming the Bass Strait. Since then, Tasmanians have thrived generation after generation on this isolated island.
The photo location on the website is similar to the physical characteristics of the indigenous people in mainland Australia. They are medium to short in stature, dark brown skin, curly hair, broad noses and protruding jaws, broad faces, and not too thick lips. They belong to the Negro-Australia ethnic group Melanesian type. Speaks a language that is difficult to understand by the Aboriginal people of mainland Australia. The language is unknown and has no writing. Worship totems, the moon, and spirits, prevalence of witchcraft, and many taboos. Tasmanian society at that time was in the early stage of primitive communes, and exogamy was practiced among the clans. Although some have transitioned to pairing marriage, they still retain the remnants of group marriage and are passed down according to the matriarchal line. They used stone, wood, and shellfish to make tools, engaged in gathering and hunting, and lived a wandering life.
In 1642, the Dutch navigator Tasman changed his course north because of the cold weather and accidentally discovered Tasmania, which faces the Australian mainland across the sea. One hundred and sixty years later, European immigrants came in droves.
In 1770, the British declared the land their own and turned it into a prison. In 1803, Britain began transporting the most brutal criminals to Tasmania and established the first permanent settlement. From then on, the peaceful life of Tasmanians living on the island came to an end. The tragedy of their being bullied, slaughtered, and ultimately extinct began.
In fact, judging from what happened next, the most cruel thing was not the criminals who came from afar, but the governor here, George Arthur. Governor Arthur issued an order to the colonists under his jurisdiction: a reward of £ 5 for capturing an indigenous adult alive and a reward of £ 2 for a child.
Before the arrival of the British, there were 6000 to 10000 indigenous people on Tasmania. After Governor Arthur issued a massacre order, the indigenous people were quickly reduced to 2000. But the Governor was very dissatisfied. His goal was to have no one left. This time, he sent 5000 soldiers and prisoners to carry out the final cleanup of the indigenous people. In 1832, Tasmania's aborigines were left with less than 200 elderly, sick and disabled people. Mr. Arthur still refused to let go. He ordered them all to be driven to a narrow island called Flinders, leaving them to fend for themselves in this swamps and wasteland.
The last indigenous man in Tasmania died in 1869. The last woman was named Trugnini. She knew she was the last of their nation. She begged the British who often came to "visit" her not to autopsy her body after her death. In 1876, when she had just died, the British quickly took out a scalpel. After the autopsy, the British put her bones on display at the Hobart Museum in Australia.
Whites became Tasmania's new residents-yes, the aborigines were extinct, and soldiers and prisoners, as well as descendants of immigrants, became the new owners.
The website picture location and the starting point of the extinction of Tasmania's indigenous people-Port Arthur Prison has become the most mysterious tourist attraction in Australia and receives the most tourists. However, people come here not to miss the indigenous people, but to feel the terror of prison.