Site Name | Lower Wearyan River |
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Place Name | Manangoora |
Language Group, Nation or People | Garawa, Yanuywa, Gudanji |
Present State/Territory | NT |
Colony/State/Territory at the time | SA |
Police District | Palmerston (Darwin) |
Latitude | -16 |
Longitude | 136.83 |
Date | Between 1 Jan 1888 and 31 Dec 1888 |
Attack Time | |
Victims | Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander People |
Victim Descriptions | |
Victims Killed | 40 |
Victims Killed Notes | Garawa, Yanyuwa and Gudanji people who were gathered for a funeral. |
Attackers | Colonists |
Attacker Descriptions | Stockmen/Drover(s), Pastoralist(s) |
Attackers Killed | 0 |
Attackers Killed Notes | |
Transport | Horse |
Motive | Opportunity |
Weapons Used | Firearm(s) |
Narrative | Roberts (2005, p 198) wrote: "Old Lhawulhawu went on to describe a major massacre there [Manangoora on the lower Wearyan River], possibly by the same people responsible for the one on McPherson Creek. 'Then the white men went to Mangoora and it was at this time where the Garrwa people, the Gudanji people and the Yanuwa people had come together for ceremonies. Some white people asked about bullocks. They hit people and they shot people and then left. The Yanyuwa, Garrwa and Gudanji people had been there for a Wambuyungu (funeral) ceremony. After the white people did this the people went south and hid themselves inside caves. The white people followed their tracks and saw the smoke of their fires and they heard the small children crying. Those white people found those people and they stood them up in a line and shot them, they shot them repeatedly and they shot all the old people inside that cave. They shot them until they were all dead. This was because of a milking cow. It was not like this at Borroloola; the white man did not shoot people there'." |
Sources | Roberts, 2005, p 198. (Sources PDF) |
Corroboration Rating | ** |