Scott Eathorne.Quikmark Media
New book shares the stories of shipwreck survivors and convict escapees who were taken in by Indigenous communities
Between the 1790’s to the 1870’s, many shipwreck survivors and convict escapees managed to survive after being taken in by Australia’s Indigenous communities. In the forthcoming book, Living with the Locals (NLA Publishing $44.99, 1 November 2016), co-authors John Maynard and Victoria Hoskins share the compelling true stories of thirteen men, women and children who were taken in by the Indigenous people of the Torres Strait islands and eastern Australia, and lived in their communities for up to 30 years.
Many were given Indigenous names and assimilated into an Indigenous way of life—several marrying and learning the language—and, for the most part, both mourned the white people’s return to European life, with many whites standing up for Indigenous mistreatment, and advocating for conciliation and land rights. The book covers well-known stories, such as convict William Buckley, and shipwreck survivor Eliza Fraser, and also the lesser known, such as convict escapees James Davis and David Bracefell, shipwreck survivor Barbara Thompson and marooned French cabin boy Narcisse Pelletier. Readers gain an insight into life in Indigenous communities—the burial rituals, food gathering and hunting techniques, retributive justice, law and punishment, marriage practice, body decorations and beliefs and worship.
With the events relayed from an Aboriginal point of view, Living with the Locals provides a fascinating insight into the early encounters between Indigenous people and the white people who became part of their families.
