Site Name Mirki Massacre
Aboriginal Place Name
Language Group Yolgnu
Colony SA
Present State/Territory NT
Police District
Latitude -12.104
Longitude 134.911
Date Between 1 Jan 1889 and 31 Dec 1896
Attack Time day
Victims Aboriginal People
Victims Killed 100
Victims Killed Notes Possibly hundreds, certainly dozens of Aboriginal people from a camp named Mirki.
Attackers Colonisers: Settler
Attackers Killed 0
Attackers Killed Notes
Transport
Motive Reprisal
Weapons Used Firearms
Narrative Aboriginal people from a camp at Mirki were killing cattle on Florida Station, near Milingimbi. After confessing to cattle killing, an Aboriginal person was murdered. In a surprise night attack, the adults at the camp were murdered and the surviving children were murdered the following day. The Aboriginal people at the camp hid in trees at the night and the ‘Balanda’ shot up at them - ‘And they all just went falling down onto the ground. Every one of them, just lying there, and not only a few, lots of them.’
Sources Read and Read 1991: 19-24; Gaunt 1934: (Sources PDF)
Corroboration Rating *