Dundalli Executed (1855)

Fri Jan 05, 1855

Dundalli, executed by the state on this day in 1855, was an Aboriginal lawman who mediated conflict between European settlers and indigenous aboriginal peoples in the area of Brisbane in South East Queensland.

Characterized by colonial authorities as a criminal, Dundalli was an indigenous leader who coordinated decade-long resistance to the process of colonization.

As tensions escalated between indigenous people and settlers around Brisbane, Dundalli’s role as a tribal leader led to widespread speculation that he instigated various violent conflicts. Despite this perception, modern historians note his restraint - he had not exacted revenge for his brother’s murder at the hands of a settler and rival tribe and had saved at least one settler’s life in a raid.

In 1854, Dundalli entered Brisbane to be paid for removing a felled tree and was arrested by the police. Tried and convicted for murder on flimsy evidence, he was hanged a few months later on this day in 1855. Historian Libby Connors writes that, from the gallows, Dundalli gave a speech addressed to his wife and Turrbal, Ningy Ningy, and Djindubari people gathered nearby, calling on them to avenge his death.

Connors states “In the end, the theatre of his own execution and gallows speech provides further evidence that a parallel system of justice was operating in the region which the colonial authorities refused to acknowledge.”

• Date: 1855-01-05
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, eprints.usq.edu.au.
• Tags: #Colonialism, #Indigenous.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org