A Song of Welcome: The First Century of the British Colonisation of Van Diemen's Land in three Indigenous Biographies

Diving head-first into the colonial archive, this thesis embodies a necessary re-evaluation of the first century of British colonisation in Tasmania. Utilising decolonising methodologies, the research focuses on constructing three comprehensive historical biographies of Tarenootairer c.1806-1858, Mary Ann Arthur c.1819/21-1871 and Fanny Cochrane Smith c.1832-1905. From the abduction and slavery of the early Bass Strait sealing and whaling industries, to George Augustus Robinson’s ‘conciliation’ missions, and to the captivity of the Aboriginal establishments on Finders Island and Oyster Cove, through their extraordinary lives is rewritten this century from their own unique perspectives.