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Tongerlongeter: First Nations Leader and Tasmanian War Hero
Australia has no war hero more impressive than Tongerlongeter. Leader of the Oyster Bay nation of south-east Tasmania in the 1820s and ’30s, Tongerlongeter and his allies led the most effective frontier resistance ever mounted on Australian soil. They killed or wounded some 354—or 4 per cent—of the invaders of their country. Tongerlongeter’s brilliant campaign inspired terror throughout the colony, forcing Governor George Arthur to launch a massive military operation in 1830—the infamous Black Line. Tongerlongeter escaped but the cumulative losses had taken their toll. On New Year’s Eve 1831, having lost his arm, his country, and all but 25 of his people, the chief agreed to an armistice. In exile on Flinders Island, this revered warrior united most of the remnant tribes and became the settlement’s ‘King’—a beacon of hope in a hopeless situation.
320 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2022
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194 people want to read
About the author
Henry Reynolds
58 books52 followersHenry Reynolds is currently an ARC Senior Research Fellow at the University of Tasmania at Launceston. He was for many years at James Cook University in Townsville. He is the author of many well-known books including The Other Side of the Frontier, Law of the Land, Fate of a Free People and Why Weren’t We Told?
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
October 14, 2021
I read this book with a red pen, and marked everything I found wrong with it – that should give you a good idea of my view of it. Tongelongeta is my ancestor (Reynolds and Clements, I would point out, spell the name incorrectly, with English phonetics – the colonial spelling if you will, that does not match how it sounds. I imagined as I picked up the book, thousands of people now saying my ancestor’s name wrong). Thousands of people now know my ancestor’s story wrong, too.
Reynolds and Clements, I should point out, never engaged with us (the Paredarerme Nation - yes, we are still here) – Tongelongeta’s people, his kin. We feature not at all in this text – and I do not think we are ever meant to. For this book to succeed, our presence must be a footnote; the past. The book was marketed on its release, and in subsequent reviews in various newspapers etc., as a part of ‘reconciliation’; of ‘truth-telling’. What reconciliation, or truth-telling is it, I ask you, if the very people who Tongelongeta fought for, are excluded entirely from the process? We have had no voice here, and the book suffers for it.
Most crucially, key pieces of information are either wholly untrue, or missing altogether. In the first few pages, the authors label us, and Tongelongeta, as Oyster Bay (a fiction), and state that there is no recorded name for us. I should inform you here, that there is – we are Paredarerme. This is the actual name for the colonial name 'Oyster Bay' nation. It comes up if you google ‘Oyster Bay’ and has been recorded in colonial texts ("Parrdarrama") and passed down in oral history, and community spaces, and known beyond any doubt. Much of this conflict is dismissed in the book by the authors' claiming there is 'no consensus' on these things - naming practices, for example, and what is or isn't known in the (Aboriginal) community. I can tell you that there most certainly is. Had the authors asked us, they would know too.
This is perhaps what I find most frustrating, and degrading, with this book. The very real facts that our communities hold become nothing; what is in fact self-evident becomes murky and confused. The authority of the book and its claims, which comes from settler historians' perceptions of us, both then and now (I include here, both Reyonolds and Clements), is no small thing.
It is important to tell these stories – but at what cost? This is not an accurate telling (I want to go more into every fault or error, but to do so would take up nearly every page of the book), and the repeated un-truths ruin the power of the book entirely for me.
Reynolds and Clements, I should point out, never engaged with us (the Paredarerme Nation - yes, we are still here) – Tongelongeta’s people, his kin. We feature not at all in this text – and I do not think we are ever meant to. For this book to succeed, our presence must be a footnote; the past. The book was marketed on its release, and in subsequent reviews in various newspapers etc., as a part of ‘reconciliation’; of ‘truth-telling’. What reconciliation, or truth-telling is it, I ask you, if the very people who Tongelongeta fought for, are excluded entirely from the process? We have had no voice here, and the book suffers for it.
Most crucially, key pieces of information are either wholly untrue, or missing altogether. In the first few pages, the authors label us, and Tongelongeta, as Oyster Bay (a fiction), and state that there is no recorded name for us. I should inform you here, that there is – we are Paredarerme. This is the actual name for the colonial name 'Oyster Bay' nation. It comes up if you google ‘Oyster Bay’ and has been recorded in colonial texts ("Parrdarrama") and passed down in oral history, and community spaces, and known beyond any doubt. Much of this conflict is dismissed in the book by the authors' claiming there is 'no consensus' on these things - naming practices, for example, and what is or isn't known in the (Aboriginal) community. I can tell you that there most certainly is. Had the authors asked us, they would know too.
This is perhaps what I find most frustrating, and degrading, with this book. The very real facts that our communities hold become nothing; what is in fact self-evident becomes murky and confused. The authority of the book and its claims, which comes from settler historians' perceptions of us, both then and now (I include here, both Reyonolds and Clements), is no small thing.
It is important to tell these stories – but at what cost? This is not an accurate telling (I want to go more into every fault or error, but to do so would take up nearly every page of the book), and the repeated un-truths ruin the power of the book entirely for me.
September 21, 2023
‘The subject of this book, the warrior chief Tongerlongeter, is first named in the records four days before the end of the Black War – the vast frontier conflict that consumed eastern Tasmania from 1823 to 1831.’
When I was a school child in Tasmania in the 1960s, I was taught that Truganini, the last Tasmanian Aborigine, had died in 1869. The how, the who and the why was not part of the curriculum. It was not until the 1970s that I learned this was untrue. Since then, I have been trying to learn more.
Who was Tongerlongeter, and why is he a war hero? Firstly, while I understand that Indigenous names often have different spellings according to who recorded them, I understand that members of the Paredarerme Nation prefer the English spelling of his name as ‘Tongelongeta’. Except for direct quotes from the book, I will use that spelling.
This book is both the history of a war (The Black War of 1823-1831) and of Tongelongeta. Colonial records tell us more about the war than the individuals. I read that Tongelongeta and his ally Montpelliatta embarked on 710 attacks during this period, killing 182 colonists and wounding a further 176. So exact, so precise. While we have no numbers of the Indigenous people killed, we are told that the ‘casualties were up to three times greater, and their population plummeted.’
‘The most important lesson driven home by the war was the central importance of the ownership
and control of land.’
The British established their first settlement at Risdon Cove, opposite today’s Hobart, in 1803. From the 1820s settlement accelerated along the fertile valleys of the southeast. While Tongelongeta initially restricted his warriors to targeted retribution, the violence against his people continued to grow resulting in accelerated attacks.
By night, Tongelongeta and his people were vulnerable to ambush. They did not attack at night because they were wary of evil spirits. Tongelongeta ’s first wife was taken in one of these ambushes. But during daylight hours, Tongerlongeta and his warriors were formidable foes. They would typically surround a hut, kill the occupants, take what they wanted and then set fire to the hut. They would then vanish. And so, the war continued until an armistice was brokered.
‘After eight gruelling years, the fighting was over.’
On Saturday 7 January 1832, Tongerlongeta and the remaining 25 men, women, and one child, walked down the centre of Hobart with their hunting dogs, spears, ‘shrieked their war song’ to meet the Governor. They were exiled to Flinders Island where Tongerlongeta died in 1837.
I’ll leave the history there. History is usually written by the victors and often not questioned by those on the ‘winning’ side. Perhaps the greatest strength of this book is that it invites us, uncomfortable as it is, to reconsider what we think we know and mourn what has been lost.
‘There is nothing in the Tasmanian landscape to remind locals or visitors that once an island of patriots fought a desperate war against an invader.’
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
When I was a school child in Tasmania in the 1960s, I was taught that Truganini, the last Tasmanian Aborigine, had died in 1869. The how, the who and the why was not part of the curriculum. It was not until the 1970s that I learned this was untrue. Since then, I have been trying to learn more.
Who was Tongerlongeter, and why is he a war hero? Firstly, while I understand that Indigenous names often have different spellings according to who recorded them, I understand that members of the Paredarerme Nation prefer the English spelling of his name as ‘Tongelongeta’. Except for direct quotes from the book, I will use that spelling.
This book is both the history of a war (The Black War of 1823-1831) and of Tongelongeta. Colonial records tell us more about the war than the individuals. I read that Tongelongeta and his ally Montpelliatta embarked on 710 attacks during this period, killing 182 colonists and wounding a further 176. So exact, so precise. While we have no numbers of the Indigenous people killed, we are told that the ‘casualties were up to three times greater, and their population plummeted.’
‘The most important lesson driven home by the war was the central importance of the ownership
and control of land.’
The British established their first settlement at Risdon Cove, opposite today’s Hobart, in 1803. From the 1820s settlement accelerated along the fertile valleys of the southeast. While Tongelongeta initially restricted his warriors to targeted retribution, the violence against his people continued to grow resulting in accelerated attacks.
By night, Tongelongeta and his people were vulnerable to ambush. They did not attack at night because they were wary of evil spirits. Tongelongeta ’s first wife was taken in one of these ambushes. But during daylight hours, Tongerlongeta and his warriors were formidable foes. They would typically surround a hut, kill the occupants, take what they wanted and then set fire to the hut. They would then vanish. And so, the war continued until an armistice was brokered.
‘After eight gruelling years, the fighting was over.’
On Saturday 7 January 1832, Tongerlongeta and the remaining 25 men, women, and one child, walked down the centre of Hobart with their hunting dogs, spears, ‘shrieked their war song’ to meet the Governor. They were exiled to Flinders Island where Tongerlongeta died in 1837.
I’ll leave the history there. History is usually written by the victors and often not questioned by those on the ‘winning’ side. Perhaps the greatest strength of this book is that it invites us, uncomfortable as it is, to reconsider what we think we know and mourn what has been lost.
‘There is nothing in the Tasmanian landscape to remind locals or visitors that once an island of patriots fought a desperate war against an invader.’
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
October 9, 2021
The story of the Tasmanian Black War of 1824-31 is one that has still to permeate popular consciousness, even in Tasmania. While growing up there in the 1970s and 80s, I was taught a version of it in school, though it was a very brief acknowledgement of some level of conflict and a story of the "Black Line" campaign of October 1830, with admiring acknowledgement of its failure and the cleverness of the Aboriginal fighters who successfully evaded this massive and futile operation. But the savage fighting before and after this event was only touched on lightly and the story quickly moved to a very benign account of George Augustus Robinson's "Friendly Mission" and then the sad but, apparently, inevitable end of traditional Tasmanian Aboriginal culture, usually finishing with Truganini being presented as "the last Tasmanian Aborigine". As recently as four years ago on visiting Shene Estate in the Jordan River Valley - a hot spot in the Black War - the gun loops in a sandstone barn from this period were explained by a helpful tour bus driver as "to defend against bushrangers", though the estate owner later confirmed my suspicion that they were actually there for defence against Aboriginal war parties during the Black War. Tasmania still has an uneasy amnesia about this War, and most other Australians know nothing about it.
This makes Clements and Reynold's book a useful contribution and a powerful effort toward educating the general reader about a conflict that has been too often forgotten or skimmed over. Reynolds, now in his 80s, has long been an advocate for better remembering and confronting the frontier conflicts on which Australia was built. Clements has recently focused on the Black War in his bookThe Black War: Fear, Sex and Resistance in Tasmania (UQP, 2014), which draws on his useful and detailed cataloguing of recorded attacks and casualties, which shows exactly how violent and extensive the conflict was. But this new book distils the source material into a narrative that brings the hard reality of the War into sharp focus, largely by turning the colonist sources around and presenting them, as much as possible, from the Aboriginal perspective.
Taking the tribal leader and war chief Tongerlongeter as the central point in this makes sense both as a tribute to a remarkable person and as a focus for the wider story. His life spans almost the whole breath of the interaction between the colonists and the Indigenous Tasmanians; from the first encounters between whites and the local people he may have been told about as child, to the first settlements he would have been aware of as a teenager, though his role as one of the leaders of the resistance fighting that made up the Black War and then his leadership at the ill-fated settlement at Wybalenna on Flinders Island, and then its legacy after his death. Each of the major phases of the interactions and conflicts in the first half of the nineteenth century can be examined through the events of his remarkable life. The figure that emerges from the often fragmentary evidence is one of a highly intelligent, adaptable, pragmatic and charismatic leader and an extremely effective military commander. The accounts of him by the colonists, who were generally not inclined to praise of the people they considered "savages", were consistently admiring. And any warrior who could use clever tactics and force multipliers to sustain a war in against a technologically superior enemy who outnumbered his people 200 to 1 for many years is to be admired from a purely military point of view.
Clements and Reynolds don't shy away from the violence of the conflict and, thankfully, don't romanticise the Tasmanians as pacific "noble savages" or pathetic passive victims. The brutal violence meted out by both sides in the War is presented in often graphic detail, though put in context so that it can be understood. The fiction that Australian Aboriginal people were naturally entirely peaceful and only driven to conflict by the invaders - something flirted with by Bruce Pascoe's problematic Dark Emu for example - is also avoided. The authors make it clear that Tasmanian nations had always fought each other on occasion and continued to do so even while fighting the colonists (though at least partially, in those latter cases, as a result of the pressures of the invasion and its consequences). Both sides in the War often acted out of both fear and vengeance and this resulted in some truly bloody and savage incidents. That said, the early provocation of the Aboriginal people, especially the systematic abduction and rape of Aboriginal women and the casual deadly violence against them, makes their relative restraint and limited actions early the in conflict quite remarkable. Though the authors don't avoid the fact that, when the War turned to a fight for survival for Tongerlongeter's people, absolutely no quarter was given to the settlers. That relatively small groups of highly effective fighters could inflict over 250 casualties in hundreds of attacks over a fairly short period is remarkable, especially when they were suffering far higher per capita causalities themselves.
The real strength of the book is the way its narrative approach and focus on the perspectives of its Aboriginal protagonists brings this story to life. Aside from Tongerlongeter himself other figures, who can be little more than names in the sources and in other books on the period, become far more vivid through this approach. The author's account often has to depend on (acknowledged) speculation, but Tongerlongeter's ally, the Big River chief Montpelliata, or the rather tragic figure of Kickertopoller, a man caught between two worlds, became more easily understood thanks to their careful and sympathetic analysis. The book's account of the harsh life of the Tasmanian fighters, living constantly on the run but still fighting with great effectiveness for years on end, is highly evocative, particularly for anyone who has spent time in the Tasmanian bush or high country in winter. And the details of the amputation of Tongerlongeter's arm after a musket wound are not for the faint-hearted and are a stark testament to exactly how tough and determined these people were.
The book also contains references to small details that give us brief flashes of insight into the usually obscured and often, to us, rather alien world of traditional Tasmanian Aboriginal society. References to abandoned bark huts decorated on the inside with paintings of hunting scenes and game, or a woman at Wybalenna honouring the dead with a ceremony using flat oval stones painted with red and black designs, or the way bones of the dead (including the skull of Tongerlongeter's baby son) were worn as revered sacred talismans give us fleeting, vivid insights into a lost cultural world that had existed for thousands of generations in total isolation before it was so violently interrupted and largely destroyed.
There is no way this story can be told without it being one of terrible sorrow - this is, in many ways, a desperately and bitterly sad book. But the authors certainly succeed in turning the picture around and showing it from the point of view of the indigenous Tasmanian defenders, not the white British invaders. This makes Reynolds' plea for an acknowledgement of Aboriginal resistance fighters like Tongerlongeter in the book's conclusion an effective one. He quotes multiple colonists who, at the time, recognised and acknowledged the great bravery, nobility and skill of the Tasmanian fighters and praised them for defending their lands against overwhelming odds. It is bizarre, therefore, that many modern Australians, who are very ready to acknowledge other military heritage often to an absurd degree, refuse to do so when it comes to these frontier wars. If New Zealand and even the United States can recognise the bravery of First Nations people who resisted colonisation, it's a sign of national immaturity that Australia still doesn't do so. In a nation studded with monuments to overseas wars, one to Tongerlongeter, Montpelliata and the other Tasmanian fighters would be a healthy addition.
This makes Clements and Reynold's book a useful contribution and a powerful effort toward educating the general reader about a conflict that has been too often forgotten or skimmed over. Reynolds, now in his 80s, has long been an advocate for better remembering and confronting the frontier conflicts on which Australia was built. Clements has recently focused on the Black War in his bookThe Black War: Fear, Sex and Resistance in Tasmania (UQP, 2014), which draws on his useful and detailed cataloguing of recorded attacks and casualties, which shows exactly how violent and extensive the conflict was. But this new book distils the source material into a narrative that brings the hard reality of the War into sharp focus, largely by turning the colonist sources around and presenting them, as much as possible, from the Aboriginal perspective.
Taking the tribal leader and war chief Tongerlongeter as the central point in this makes sense both as a tribute to a remarkable person and as a focus for the wider story. His life spans almost the whole breath of the interaction between the colonists and the Indigenous Tasmanians; from the first encounters between whites and the local people he may have been told about as child, to the first settlements he would have been aware of as a teenager, though his role as one of the leaders of the resistance fighting that made up the Black War and then his leadership at the ill-fated settlement at Wybalenna on Flinders Island, and then its legacy after his death. Each of the major phases of the interactions and conflicts in the first half of the nineteenth century can be examined through the events of his remarkable life. The figure that emerges from the often fragmentary evidence is one of a highly intelligent, adaptable, pragmatic and charismatic leader and an extremely effective military commander. The accounts of him by the colonists, who were generally not inclined to praise of the people they considered "savages", were consistently admiring. And any warrior who could use clever tactics and force multipliers to sustain a war in against a technologically superior enemy who outnumbered his people 200 to 1 for many years is to be admired from a purely military point of view.
Clements and Reynolds don't shy away from the violence of the conflict and, thankfully, don't romanticise the Tasmanians as pacific "noble savages" or pathetic passive victims. The brutal violence meted out by both sides in the War is presented in often graphic detail, though put in context so that it can be understood. The fiction that Australian Aboriginal people were naturally entirely peaceful and only driven to conflict by the invaders - something flirted with by Bruce Pascoe's problematic Dark Emu for example - is also avoided. The authors make it clear that Tasmanian nations had always fought each other on occasion and continued to do so even while fighting the colonists (though at least partially, in those latter cases, as a result of the pressures of the invasion and its consequences). Both sides in the War often acted out of both fear and vengeance and this resulted in some truly bloody and savage incidents. That said, the early provocation of the Aboriginal people, especially the systematic abduction and rape of Aboriginal women and the casual deadly violence against them, makes their relative restraint and limited actions early the in conflict quite remarkable. Though the authors don't avoid the fact that, when the War turned to a fight for survival for Tongerlongeter's people, absolutely no quarter was given to the settlers. That relatively small groups of highly effective fighters could inflict over 250 casualties in hundreds of attacks over a fairly short period is remarkable, especially when they were suffering far higher per capita causalities themselves.
The real strength of the book is the way its narrative approach and focus on the perspectives of its Aboriginal protagonists brings this story to life. Aside from Tongerlongeter himself other figures, who can be little more than names in the sources and in other books on the period, become far more vivid through this approach. The author's account often has to depend on (acknowledged) speculation, but Tongerlongeter's ally, the Big River chief Montpelliata, or the rather tragic figure of Kickertopoller, a man caught between two worlds, became more easily understood thanks to their careful and sympathetic analysis. The book's account of the harsh life of the Tasmanian fighters, living constantly on the run but still fighting with great effectiveness for years on end, is highly evocative, particularly for anyone who has spent time in the Tasmanian bush or high country in winter. And the details of the amputation of Tongerlongeter's arm after a musket wound are not for the faint-hearted and are a stark testament to exactly how tough and determined these people were.
The book also contains references to small details that give us brief flashes of insight into the usually obscured and often, to us, rather alien world of traditional Tasmanian Aboriginal society. References to abandoned bark huts decorated on the inside with paintings of hunting scenes and game, or a woman at Wybalenna honouring the dead with a ceremony using flat oval stones painted with red and black designs, or the way bones of the dead (including the skull of Tongerlongeter's baby son) were worn as revered sacred talismans give us fleeting, vivid insights into a lost cultural world that had existed for thousands of generations in total isolation before it was so violently interrupted and largely destroyed.
There is no way this story can be told without it being one of terrible sorrow - this is, in many ways, a desperately and bitterly sad book. But the authors certainly succeed in turning the picture around and showing it from the point of view of the indigenous Tasmanian defenders, not the white British invaders. This makes Reynolds' plea for an acknowledgement of Aboriginal resistance fighters like Tongerlongeter in the book's conclusion an effective one. He quotes multiple colonists who, at the time, recognised and acknowledged the great bravery, nobility and skill of the Tasmanian fighters and praised them for defending their lands against overwhelming odds. It is bizarre, therefore, that many modern Australians, who are very ready to acknowledge other military heritage often to an absurd degree, refuse to do so when it comes to these frontier wars. If New Zealand and even the United States can recognise the bravery of First Nations people who resisted colonisation, it's a sign of national immaturity that Australia still doesn't do so. In a nation studded with monuments to overseas wars, one to Tongerlongeter, Montpelliata and the other Tasmanian fighters would be a healthy addition.
November 1, 2022
I attended the launch of 'Tongerlongeter' in Hobart last year, and the book's been on my to-be-read pile since then. I've just completed the read (finally!) on some welcome days off.
The background to the story of Tongerlongeter has long intrigued me. His death came at the same place where my first authentic encounter with Tasmanian aboriginal history took place - at Wybalena, on Flinders Island. I stumbled across this place by accident back in the 1980s, not having the faintest idea of its historical and modern significance. I had no idea why I felt a strong sense of grief and bewilderment there - it was palpable. Little did I know then, this desolate patch of soil on Flinders' wind-blown west coast was the fateful place where the near final act in the exile and extinction of the original Tasmanians - the indigenous aboriginal nations from across the mainland island - would play out. And I had no clue of the incredible warrior and leader this man was, the story of how he came to be exiled on Flinders Island, and of his final years and death there.
This book changed that for me. Reynolds and Clements have created an important work here - and not only of Tasmanian history, but also of Australian history, and British colonial history. They have managed to create a work of substantial academic depth and rigour, while at the same time providing it in accessible language and prose which does not require a PhD to understand and appreciate. The real strength of this book is that it can be widely read by many - which is something I sincerely hope occurs.
Tongerlongeter's story, together with other important works such as 'Truganini' and 'The Black Wars' are, together, building a far more realistic and objective picture of life here in the early nineteenth century - from both indigenous and colonial perspectives. Tongerlongeter's story has filled many gaps for me and answered questions that have puzzled me for years. This book also torpedoed some of my own misconceptions about Tasmanian aboriginals and settlers/colonialists, and shook some biases I didn't know I had.
And the man himself - Tongerlongeter - was an amazing person that I, as a Tasmanian, had never heard of. I grew up in Tasmania and attended primary school, high school, college and university here, and never once was I taught about this war, Tongerlongeter, his people, and what became of them. What a great shame that is. I hope this book becomes part of the historical knowledge base that all Tasmanians are taught in the future. And I say that not in the interests of blame and division, but to promote true understanding of what occurred here, and what did not. We can't address the present and our future until we properly understand our past.
What struck me about this book was how humans are simply humans. No matter where we're from or the colour of our skins or how we go about living, we all have similar flaws, hopes, failures, strengths, fears and weaknesses. We are truly one race.
I would one-hundred percent support any official move to properly commemorate Tongerlongeter and those who fought with him. The integrity and sincerity of Anzac day celebrations, our National War Memorial, and any war memorial in Tasmania, would all be greatly enhanced by the genuine acknowledgement of the first war in which Australia was involved, and the heroic warriors that fought it.
We can start at Wybalena. We can start by agreeing that a patch of unmarked earth and overgrown weeds are no way to remember this man. We can start, at least, by righting that wrong.
The background to the story of Tongerlongeter has long intrigued me. His death came at the same place where my first authentic encounter with Tasmanian aboriginal history took place - at Wybalena, on Flinders Island. I stumbled across this place by accident back in the 1980s, not having the faintest idea of its historical and modern significance. I had no idea why I felt a strong sense of grief and bewilderment there - it was palpable. Little did I know then, this desolate patch of soil on Flinders' wind-blown west coast was the fateful place where the near final act in the exile and extinction of the original Tasmanians - the indigenous aboriginal nations from across the mainland island - would play out. And I had no clue of the incredible warrior and leader this man was, the story of how he came to be exiled on Flinders Island, and of his final years and death there.
This book changed that for me. Reynolds and Clements have created an important work here - and not only of Tasmanian history, but also of Australian history, and British colonial history. They have managed to create a work of substantial academic depth and rigour, while at the same time providing it in accessible language and prose which does not require a PhD to understand and appreciate. The real strength of this book is that it can be widely read by many - which is something I sincerely hope occurs.
Tongerlongeter's story, together with other important works such as 'Truganini' and 'The Black Wars' are, together, building a far more realistic and objective picture of life here in the early nineteenth century - from both indigenous and colonial perspectives. Tongerlongeter's story has filled many gaps for me and answered questions that have puzzled me for years. This book also torpedoed some of my own misconceptions about Tasmanian aboriginals and settlers/colonialists, and shook some biases I didn't know I had.
And the man himself - Tongerlongeter - was an amazing person that I, as a Tasmanian, had never heard of. I grew up in Tasmania and attended primary school, high school, college and university here, and never once was I taught about this war, Tongerlongeter, his people, and what became of them. What a great shame that is. I hope this book becomes part of the historical knowledge base that all Tasmanians are taught in the future. And I say that not in the interests of blame and division, but to promote true understanding of what occurred here, and what did not. We can't address the present and our future until we properly understand our past.
What struck me about this book was how humans are simply humans. No matter where we're from or the colour of our skins or how we go about living, we all have similar flaws, hopes, failures, strengths, fears and weaknesses. We are truly one race.
I would one-hundred percent support any official move to properly commemorate Tongerlongeter and those who fought with him. The integrity and sincerity of Anzac day celebrations, our National War Memorial, and any war memorial in Tasmania, would all be greatly enhanced by the genuine acknowledgement of the first war in which Australia was involved, and the heroic warriors that fought it.
We can start at Wybalena. We can start by agreeing that a patch of unmarked earth and overgrown weeds are no way to remember this man. We can start, at least, by righting that wrong.
October 24, 2024
The best book I've read this year by far, an absolute page turner.
Covering the leadership and struggle of Tongerlongeter in the Tasmanian Black Wars of 1820s to 1830s, the book presents, without gloss or pity, the existential war of resistance that Tongerlongeter waged against settlers invading his land, while objectively setting out the complexities (like continued intertribal violence and collaboration with settlers such as the 'tame mob') and horrors (of sexual violence, ambush and brutality) involved in that war.
A quote that stood out to me was: "It seems much easier for Australians to remember white soldiers than black warriors; to commemorate wars fought far away than those that ravaged our own continent" Indeed, as the authors convey, more Australians (settler and Indigenous) died in the Black War in Tasmania than in the Korean and Vietnam war combined.
This book is a great contribution to celebrating the Australian heroes who fought for their land and resisted colonisation.
Covering the leadership and struggle of Tongerlongeter in the Tasmanian Black Wars of 1820s to 1830s, the book presents, without gloss or pity, the existential war of resistance that Tongerlongeter waged against settlers invading his land, while objectively setting out the complexities (like continued intertribal violence and collaboration with settlers such as the 'tame mob') and horrors (of sexual violence, ambush and brutality) involved in that war.
A quote that stood out to me was: "It seems much easier for Australians to remember white soldiers than black warriors; to commemorate wars fought far away than those that ravaged our own continent" Indeed, as the authors convey, more Australians (settler and Indigenous) died in the Black War in Tasmania than in the Korean and Vietnam war combined.
This book is a great contribution to celebrating the Australian heroes who fought for their land and resisted colonisation.
October 31, 2021
I have a lot I want to say about this book. I will include tidbits I found interesting and some other ramblings. I am a white ~5-7th generation Tasmanian of English/Irish descent which obviously limits my perspective. In the process of writing I may inadvertently express something ignorant or naive but I’ll do my best not to and I’m always open to learning.
I am fascinated by the history of the Tasmanian people before European arrival. There is thought to have been around 3000-5500 individuals on the island before it was discovered by European explorers. It is also thought they had been there for 40,000 years, or around 300 generations since Bass Strait flooded. They were uncannily skilled at forecasting Tasmanian weather (which even locals now would agree is no mean feat), among many other things that take generations of learning and teaching.
Tongerlongeter’s story has been pieced together from the extensive journals of European settlers of the time, most notably George Augustus Robinson. Tongerlongeter was by all accounts an extraordinary man and respected role model. He lived to see the governance of Tasmania and history of his people change drastically. He was driven to rally his people to fight back. When the situation was becoming dire, he was successfully involved in arranging an armistice.
The authors I believe have provided an important interpretation and acknowledgment of these original Tasmanian’s endeavours to protect their land and livelihood. I thought the content was empathetic to both sides, and critical in the right places. Both the European settlers as a whole, and native Tasmanians were trying to do the right thing through their own cultural lens, albeit were hopelessly ignorant of the other’s culture and people.
The unprecedented humanitarian events inspired the local poets and artists of the time. John Glover’s iconic paintings are a peaceful snapshot of simple Tasmanian life before conflict. To me they portray a connection to land and home in this beautiful island state. The older I get, the more I love the natural scenery here. I can only imagine how that feeling must swell over 300 generations and become otherworldly. This only amplifies the tragedy of what happened.
Big European ships arriving very much would have been like an alien invasion. The highly spiritual locals believed the ships were floating islands carrying their deceased ancestors.
Sadly, the sinister Black Line covered in the book wasn’t the most tragic part of the story. The Flinders Island exile - agreed to by the remainder of Tongelongeter’s people, was a farcical attempt at segregation and assimilation by the Europeans, sold under the false pretense that the remaining Aboriginals would be allowed to return to their homeland after a short stay on the island. Here they were encouraged to partake in schooling and church services, dress like white Europeans, all in clear view of the homeland they were pining for. This half-baked attempt at assimilation did untold physical and mental damage. The majority of the Indigenous Tasmanian colony on Flinders died from European-introduced influenza (which the Aboriginals believed was a bodily possession by evil spirits).
As an outsider I am impressed by how Maori culture appears to be celebrated in New Zealand. The same hasn’t been true for Indigenous culture in Tasmania but I think I can see things slowly changing. I gather that the proceeding European settlement of New Zealand must surely have taken some lessons from the botched settlement in Tasmania.
I inferred during my reading that the Meehan Range near Mornington was named after surveyor James Meehan, who was involved in the first recorded incident of conflict and firing a weapon upon local Aboriginals. If this was the case, the Range could probably do with an updated name, especially with the area’s explosion in mountain biking popularity in recent years.
I have rated the book 5/5 because to me it was a meaningful historical record of tragic human events. What could have elevated the book’s impact for me even more would have been to include the perspectives of current Indigenous Tasmanians/Australians.
“Today, the graves of Tongerlongeter and the other heroes of the Black War are marked not by wreaths or ornate memorials but by thistles.”
“There has never been a ceremony of any kind to commemorate the Black War. Not once in nearly 200 years. Nor are there any official monuments “
I hope generations of the future will better recognise national heroes such as Tongerlongeter, remembering Tasmania’s fierce warriors, a people to inspire awe and be proud of. It should be taught in schools, perhaps in the renaming of locations and parks, printed on money or physical statues. Books like this will contribute. I also hope the Acknowledgment of Country becomes more widespread and part of our national identity. I hear they have started to do it on airline services. Tasmanian’s shouldn’t shy away from the human cost of building the state we live in.
I am fascinated by the history of the Tasmanian people before European arrival. There is thought to have been around 3000-5500 individuals on the island before it was discovered by European explorers. It is also thought they had been there for 40,000 years, or around 300 generations since Bass Strait flooded. They were uncannily skilled at forecasting Tasmanian weather (which even locals now would agree is no mean feat), among many other things that take generations of learning and teaching.
Tongerlongeter’s story has been pieced together from the extensive journals of European settlers of the time, most notably George Augustus Robinson. Tongerlongeter was by all accounts an extraordinary man and respected role model. He lived to see the governance of Tasmania and history of his people change drastically. He was driven to rally his people to fight back. When the situation was becoming dire, he was successfully involved in arranging an armistice.
The authors I believe have provided an important interpretation and acknowledgment of these original Tasmanian’s endeavours to protect their land and livelihood. I thought the content was empathetic to both sides, and critical in the right places. Both the European settlers as a whole, and native Tasmanians were trying to do the right thing through their own cultural lens, albeit were hopelessly ignorant of the other’s culture and people.
The unprecedented humanitarian events inspired the local poets and artists of the time. John Glover’s iconic paintings are a peaceful snapshot of simple Tasmanian life before conflict. To me they portray a connection to land and home in this beautiful island state. The older I get, the more I love the natural scenery here. I can only imagine how that feeling must swell over 300 generations and become otherworldly. This only amplifies the tragedy of what happened.
Big European ships arriving very much would have been like an alien invasion. The highly spiritual locals believed the ships were floating islands carrying their deceased ancestors.
Sadly, the sinister Black Line covered in the book wasn’t the most tragic part of the story. The Flinders Island exile - agreed to by the remainder of Tongelongeter’s people, was a farcical attempt at segregation and assimilation by the Europeans, sold under the false pretense that the remaining Aboriginals would be allowed to return to their homeland after a short stay on the island. Here they were encouraged to partake in schooling and church services, dress like white Europeans, all in clear view of the homeland they were pining for. This half-baked attempt at assimilation did untold physical and mental damage. The majority of the Indigenous Tasmanian colony on Flinders died from European-introduced influenza (which the Aboriginals believed was a bodily possession by evil spirits).
As an outsider I am impressed by how Maori culture appears to be celebrated in New Zealand. The same hasn’t been true for Indigenous culture in Tasmania but I think I can see things slowly changing. I gather that the proceeding European settlement of New Zealand must surely have taken some lessons from the botched settlement in Tasmania.
I inferred during my reading that the Meehan Range near Mornington was named after surveyor James Meehan, who was involved in the first recorded incident of conflict and firing a weapon upon local Aboriginals. If this was the case, the Range could probably do with an updated name, especially with the area’s explosion in mountain biking popularity in recent years.
I have rated the book 5/5 because to me it was a meaningful historical record of tragic human events. What could have elevated the book’s impact for me even more would have been to include the perspectives of current Indigenous Tasmanians/Australians.
“Today, the graves of Tongerlongeter and the other heroes of the Black War are marked not by wreaths or ornate memorials but by thistles.”
“There has never been a ceremony of any kind to commemorate the Black War. Not once in nearly 200 years. Nor are there any official monuments “
I hope generations of the future will better recognise national heroes such as Tongerlongeter, remembering Tasmania’s fierce warriors, a people to inspire awe and be proud of. It should be taught in schools, perhaps in the renaming of locations and parks, printed on money or physical statues. Books like this will contribute. I also hope the Acknowledgment of Country becomes more widespread and part of our national identity. I hear they have started to do it on airline services. Tasmanian’s shouldn’t shy away from the human cost of building the state we live in.
February 4, 2022
Such a good book - I hope many people get to read it to help us unlearn our history. Should be on the history curriculum. A deep and respectful understanding of Aboriginal leaders and war heroes and their resistance to colonisation in Tasmania. I love Tassie, but the landscape will look different to me next time I go there.
November 26, 2022
The closest I’ve gotten to learning about Tasmania’s history with First Nations people was ‘The Black Line’ and only because I taught it to my year 9’s this semester. This novel gave me more of an insight into the ongoing resistance that was happening in Tasmania. This is one I would recommend to assist in understanding more about First Nations history and the damaging impacts European “colonisation” has had on Australia.
February 19, 2023
An amazing book covering a topic which is generally only hinted at in most Australian history classes.Well written and researched, it gives a glimpse at the often violent history of this country during the invasion/colonisation period, knowledge of which is a critical necessity as we move towards a Voice to Parliament. The faults and evils of the past need to be known so we can move forward with confidence.
October 5, 2022
I was raised in Tasmania. We were taught a basic history of indigenous people, mainly centred around the Black Line as it was known, and the eventual extinction of the race by 1872. I believed they were a gentle, timid people who were grievously treated by the colonists. This book destroys that myth and tells the tale of incredible courage, tenacity and endurance displayed by Aboriginal people on this tiny but beautiful island. It was touching, sad and heart rendering to read, and made me feel anger at the collective amnesia Australians have developed about an incredible war that killed more victims than the Boer War, Korea and Vietnam, and yet there are no monuments to, no real records of, Tongerlongeter and his fellow warriors who faced overwhelming odds for close to 20 years of constant battle. This is a book that needed to be written, this is a book that should be read by all Australians.
Edit. As stated by others, after reading Elena's comment in this review thread, I agree it would be good to have seen input from the Paredarerme people. Perhaps this could be redressed in future editions.
Edit. As stated by others, after reading Elena's comment in this review thread, I agree it would be good to have seen input from the Paredarerme people. Perhaps this could be redressed in future editions.
June 9, 2022
Great account of the lead-up to, execution of and aftermath of the war (1827-32) conducted in South-east Tasmania (Van Diemens land) in defence of the country of the Oyster Bay and Big River aboriginal mobs. Framed around the leadership of Tongerlongeter - later to be King William of Wybalena - it evokes a clear narrative of a people defending their homeland with courage and skill. When they were led down Hobart's Elizabeth St. in the expectation that their armistice would enable them to resume their previous lives in their home country, they were to discover that they had been misled. Banished within a fortnight to Furneaux's (Flinders) Island, Tongerlongeter lies buried there, a general in the only war fought by Tasmanians in defence of their homeland. When later generations of Tasmania went to fight in wars in other's country, they did so in the knowledge that home was peaceful and secure. The first Tasmanians fought their war on home country. That war does not have place in the war memorials erected in any Tasmanian towns.
September 30, 2021
This is the history of a war as well as a man, and due to the nature of the record, the war comes through more strongly than the man. Reynolds and Clements - Reynolds on big picture, Clements on the detail - briefly reconstruct what we know of this leaders' life before the Black War, before getting into the main section of the book.
I'm not naturally inclined towards military history, and I'd be lying if I said I found every sentence fascinating, but this builds such a compelling case for acknowledging this as a foundational war in Australia that I was gripped by the narrative as a whole. Those who do quite enjoy military history are going to love it.
I'm not naturally inclined towards military history, and I'd be lying if I said I found every sentence fascinating, but this builds such a compelling case for acknowledging this as a foundational war in Australia that I was gripped by the narrative as a whole. Those who do quite enjoy military history are going to love it.
July 17, 2022
This is a must read for all Tasmanians and Australians.
Edit. After reading Elena's comment in this review thread, I agree it would be good to have seen more input from the Paredarerme people.
Edit. After reading Elena's comment in this review thread, I agree it would be good to have seen more input from the Paredarerme people.
March 26, 2023
Henry Reynolds and Nicholas Clements have, over years, provided a remarkable service of empathy and historical reconstruction to present aspects of Australia's frontier history – in all its terror and also its complexity – in the face of long-established indifference, and even hostility, to the very notion of speaking the truth about the dispossession, displacement and destruction, of the lives and societies of First Nations Australians as British colonists took violent hold of their sovereign lands. They are both known for a judicious examination of evidence, without knee-jerk judgement and, although the moral stakes are high in all truth-telling, with an empathy that does not excuse but certainly seeks to understand the perspectives and actions of all involved.
In this remarkable and hybrid work of military history, social and political history, and even biography, they sketch the wider story of Black resistance to colonisation and invasion in Tasmania – particularly the period from 1823 until 1831, particularly as seen through the eyes of the Poredareme tribes of South-Eastern Tasmania and the colonists who set about dispossessing and murdering them.
Reynolds, the senior historian, writes chapters focused on the wider context of Tasmania's Black War and the extermination of the First Tasmanians as organised social groups. Clements, a Tasmanian himself, writes detailed chapters attempting to reconstruct the life and campaign of Tongerlongeter, a Poredareme leader and warrior.
Together, they mount a convincing case that Tongerlongeter should be viewed as one of Australia's, and the world's, most significant military leaders in the context of European colonisation, contributing to a remarkably effective campaign of guerilla warfare against a vastly larger and technologically superior foe. Spurred initially by desires for vengeance or redress for such crimes as the abduction and rape of women and children, or violence against Poredareme more generally, Tasmanian resistance soon became a desperate, and increasingly hopeless, war for survival with no prospect of victory, and even little prospect for the continued social existence as their communities were decimated and forced to reckon with starvation, violence, heartbreak and grief, the need to remain constantly on the move, and the ever-present fear of night-time ambushes by well-armed and organised settlers.
Tongerlongeter is rich in information and context from colonial records (newspapers, diaries, decrees and the like), though – understandably – less well supported when it comes to information and perspectives directly from the Tasmanians themselves. Indeed, without the diaries of the relatively sympathetic George Augustus Robinson, who undertook a mission to find and secure the surrender (or at least the laying down of arms) of the last free Tasmanians, there would be little in the written record about the beliefs and experiences of Tongerlongeter and other Tasmanians.
That said, Clements' reconstruction of Tongerlongeter as a skilled military leader, canny diplomat, and charismatic social leader, rings true from the specific evidence adduced and very reasonable conclusions or suppositions drawn from consideration of the wider context. Tongerlongeter's is a story that should be more widely known and told, although it is heartbreaking and harrowing in equal measure.
In this remarkable and hybrid work of military history, social and political history, and even biography, they sketch the wider story of Black resistance to colonisation and invasion in Tasmania – particularly the period from 1823 until 1831, particularly as seen through the eyes of the Poredareme tribes of South-Eastern Tasmania and the colonists who set about dispossessing and murdering them.
Reynolds, the senior historian, writes chapters focused on the wider context of Tasmania's Black War and the extermination of the First Tasmanians as organised social groups. Clements, a Tasmanian himself, writes detailed chapters attempting to reconstruct the life and campaign of Tongerlongeter, a Poredareme leader and warrior.
Together, they mount a convincing case that Tongerlongeter should be viewed as one of Australia's, and the world's, most significant military leaders in the context of European colonisation, contributing to a remarkably effective campaign of guerilla warfare against a vastly larger and technologically superior foe. Spurred initially by desires for vengeance or redress for such crimes as the abduction and rape of women and children, or violence against Poredareme more generally, Tasmanian resistance soon became a desperate, and increasingly hopeless, war for survival with no prospect of victory, and even little prospect for the continued social existence as their communities were decimated and forced to reckon with starvation, violence, heartbreak and grief, the need to remain constantly on the move, and the ever-present fear of night-time ambushes by well-armed and organised settlers.
Tongerlongeter is rich in information and context from colonial records (newspapers, diaries, decrees and the like), though – understandably – less well supported when it comes to information and perspectives directly from the Tasmanians themselves. Indeed, without the diaries of the relatively sympathetic George Augustus Robinson, who undertook a mission to find and secure the surrender (or at least the laying down of arms) of the last free Tasmanians, there would be little in the written record about the beliefs and experiences of Tongerlongeter and other Tasmanians.
That said, Clements' reconstruction of Tongerlongeter as a skilled military leader, canny diplomat, and charismatic social leader, rings true from the specific evidence adduced and very reasonable conclusions or suppositions drawn from consideration of the wider context. Tongerlongeter's is a story that should be more widely known and told, although it is heartbreaking and harrowing in equal measure.
November 20, 2021
Like the Sydney Wars, a book I read and reviewed here a couple of years ago, this book is well written and researched. It is also an important history of Australia that has not really been told. While there is scant records of Tongerlongeter by name in official records, there are numerous accounts of him in letters and newspapers of the time in question: 1824-1831, when a few small bands of central and southeastern Aboriginal bands formed an alliance and waged war against the white Invaders of their lands: The Big River and Oyster Bays nations. Tongerlongeter was instrumental in uniting these bands into a coordinated guerilla war lasting over those 8 years against massive odds using their knowledge of the landscape and slowly learning the weaknesses of their enemies, taking full advantage of them. In the end, when reduced to a couple of dozen warriors, a negotiated surrender was initiated by a trusted rarity, a Black Englishman of some wealth and influence: George Robinson. Mr Robinson had gained the trust of Tongerlongeter and it was to Mr Robinson that Tongerlongeter surrendered under promises made with Mr Robinson's understanding that Governor Arthur made. To be repatriated to what is now Flinder's Island for a short period to allow tempers to cool and then repatrated to their homeland. As with many British promises, these were abrogated. I was fortunate to see a display of this book at Petrarch's Bookshop in Launceston while visiting a friend. I went back a couple of days later to purchase as I was unsure how easy I'd find it back home in Adelaide and I am glad I did. It shall live with pride on my ever expanding shelf of Australian history. Australia has along tradition of honouring war heroes who fought overseas. It is well past time for the war heroes who fought defending their land and way of life on Australian soil to be added to those memorials and statuary with Tongerlongeter among the first to be added.
November 14, 2021
I found this book an engaging portrait of this man based on the colonial record, and a vast improvement on the earlier histories of this district that I have seen. I did have a question however about cultural consultation or input. I then saw Elena's comment in this review thread. Elena, if you read this, it would be wonderful to know where readers could find historical information produced by the Paredarerme Nation which is suitable for public access. I am a descendant of early settlers in the Oyster Bay area, and I have been trying for years to educate myself on this history, as best I can. Thank you for sharing your comments. I will keep trying to find out more.
October 10, 2022
https://denisenewtonwrites.com/?p=3836
I would highly recommend Tongerlongeter as a book to get you thinking; a narrative which presents another view of Australian history.
Tongerlongeter: First Nations Leader and Tasmanian War Hero
Henry Reynolds
Henry Reynolds
I would highly recommend Tongerlongeter as a book to get you thinking; a narrative which presents another view of Australian history.
Tongerlongeter: First Nations Leader and Tasmanian War Hero
Henry Reynolds
Henry Reynolds
September 4, 2022
This is an excellent work on the Tasmanian aboriginal warrior chief, Tongerlongeter (Black Tom). But it is in reality a retelling of the undeclared, and forgotten, Black War in Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) from the commencement of British colonisation in 1803 to approx 1842 from the perspective of Tongerlongeter. Meticulously researched, easy, yet at times harrowing to read. This should be of interest to anyone who has more than a passing curiosity about the fate of Tasmania's first peoples or colonial frontier wars.
December 26, 2021
3.5 stars. This is an interesting introduction to a story that I knew nothing of. It is based entirely on historical sources however, so is largely either interpreting the colonists' view, or making informed guesses to fill in the gaps. I would have really enjoyed a chapter, even if it was just an epilogue, written from an Aboriginal point of view, based on stories passed down rather than just the written historical record.
January 10, 2024
An interesting look into the life of this Tasmanian resistance hero, but with so much left up to conjecture, it doesn't feel like it was a necessary framing of the story. Other than the information about life post exile, I didn't think this brought anything new to our understanding of this period, especially in comparison to Nicholas Clements 'The Black War' which feels more comprehensive on all counts. Still enjoyed learning more about this specific region.
January 12, 2022
A sad, disturbing, and yet inspiring account of the fight of the Tasmanian first Nations people against British invasion. Informative and enlightening and addresses matters rarely spoken about in relation to this brutal period.
July 11, 2024
This felt a realistic capturing of the Aboriginal resistance to white settlement of Tasmania to me. Reflected in my rating. However I note other reviews by Tasmanian Aboriginals who disagree with the content.
October 11, 2021
A fascinating revision of hero-ism in colonial Tasmania by these two major historians.
April 29, 2022
Powerful, tough, heavy reading on the brutality of Australia’s wilfully forgotten frontier history in Tasmania.
September 24, 2022
The story of Australia's most remarkable (& yet uncelebrated) war leader "Tongerlongeter" (sic), reconstructed from the records of European settlers and administrators, is staggering and confronting. I acknowledge the problems with this book, as pointed out in the review written by a member of the Paredarerme Nation, but believe that this powerful story should be part of the school curriculum and impressed on the consciousness of all Australians. Many Australians are simply not aware of the extent or significance of the Black Wars in Tasmania or the achievements of this extraordinary Aboriginal leader. It is a story that needs to be told and remembered in both memorials and the national consciousness. The real power of the book, for me, and the part I liked most, is the commentary in the Conclusion written by Reynolds. This chapter draws out the national and international impact of Tongerlongeter and the Black War in Tasmania. I also liked Clements discipline of sticking to the records and the quotes he draws from letters and reports. Because I'm not a fan of military history, and I also struggle with some of the graphic detail of history, I found parts of the book hard going. I highly recommend this book, despite some of its limitations.
November 5, 2024
If you're going to read a book read this one....
May 18, 2025
Wonderfully and sensitively written recounting of one of Australia's greatest unsung Indigenous heroes against the aggressive destruction to them by the invading British in the 1800s.
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