THE STORY OF THE DARUG ABORIGINAL PEOPLE

 

The Aboriginal People known to us as the Darug were one of the first to suffer from the colonisation of Australia in 1788, this is but one of their stories. Within the first year of the arrival of the tall ships disease spread through Darug land. This horror was known as Gal Gal (the smallpox). Approximately two thirds of the Darug Nation died within the first 5 years of settlement. This tragedy is but a small part of the Darug Nation's sorrow. What came after that time was a complete misunderstanding of the sustainable lifestyle of the Darug and the desecration of that which the Darug do hold so sacred, Mother Earth. Fences started to scar our land, areas where food was once abundant, now became the possession of the colonisers who held guns at our people who dared to "trespass"or assert their rights. Massacres took place and many great Warriors fought and died in the defence of their country.

Yarramundi was a Karadji (cleverman/healer) and Elder of the Buruberongal know today as the Darug people. His family were noted to have been scarred by the smallpox. He and his father Gomoberre met with Governor Phillip on the first explorations by the British of the woodland areas around the Deerubbin (Nepean/Hawkesbury River) in 1791. The initial meetings were friendly affairs; but as the colony spread our people were dispossessed of their land. They soon found themselves at war with the colonisers who would not share the land they took.

Yarramundi put his daughter known as Maria Lock, into the Native Institute first in Parramatta, later established in Blacktown. The Native Institute was set up to train Aboriginal people in the English ways and would equip Aboriginal children to undertake domestic duties. Oral history tells of Maria topping the State wide examination of colonisers and aboriginal people. Maria Lock was the first Aboriginal woman to be offically married to an Englishman. His name was Robert Lock and being an convict, he was assigned to Maria on the basis that she could return him back to the government if she desired. Maria and Robert were married in St. John's Church in Parramatta on the 26th January (Australia Day)1824. With the commencement of this marriage, Maria was given a cow and promised land which she eventually recieved. In her will, the land was to be divided equally amongst her nine children and remained in her family up until the1940,s when the Aboriginal Protection Board dispossessed the Lock family yet again from the land of their Dreaming.

Darug people today are still denied land in their home country. Some of our people long for a home where Darug can continue their spiritual and physical maintenance of the land, people and culture. We may yet again practise a sustainable existence with respect for the Goomeda (Spirit) in all things the Creator has given us. In this first mixing of the bloodlines, many Darug people today are able to trace their family history. Maria and Robert's descendant's have lived through troubled times. A part of this trouble was speaking language for it was forbidden and the rituals and ceremonies were looked upon as heresy. In the early times of colonisation, for more than 5 Aboriginal people to meet in public meant possible incarceration. In later times children were forcibly taken away from families and placed in white fostercare as part of the assimilation policies, devastating great numbers of Aboriginal families throughout Australia. The passing on of Aboriginal culture has been a long and arduous struggle for our people through these difficult years.

What has happened to our land in the span of 200 years is just as devastating. In this short span of time, the area known as Sydney is now facing an environmental crisis. Once described as a parkland with pristine air and water, the country now suffers with water unfit to even swim in and a pollution cloud which is visible from the Blue Mountains. Our waterways, wildlife and bush are in serious danger of extinction. Now more than ever we as a society need to relearn respect for for this land and strenghten our relationship with her.

 

Darug Goomeda Ngallowan - Darug Spirits they live they remain

The Darug Story is an 8 page booklet by Chris Tobin and is available to purhcase from this website. You can order by going to the Goodies Link at the bottom of this page...

 

 

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