Gweagal Spears Repatriated to Australia

News April 25, 2024

Australia Gweagal Spears
(Jenny Magee)
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Australia Gweagal Spears

CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND—The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the Gweagal spears, a collection made up of one hunting spear and three fishing spears that were taken from the Gweagal people of Kamay in 1770 by James Cook, have been repatriated to the La Perouse Aboriginal Community. Cook, a British naval lieutenant at the time, traveled to Australia on the HMB Endeavour. He recorded removing 40 spears from the Gweagal people during his eight-day stay at Botany Bay. Cook also wrote in his journal that two of the men threw rocks and spears at the ship’s crew while the British fired a warning shot. This meeting is thought to be the first contact between the British and Aboriginal peoples of Australia, said Ray Ingrey of the Gujaga Foundation. “I have an ancient and unbroken connection to Sydney,” Ingrey said. “I heard from my elders, particularly my great aunty, who told us of the arrival of the Endeavour. She would talk about the conflict and also some of the artifacts and materials that were taken,” he added. The spears were given to Cambridge University’s Trinity College in 1771, and have been held at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology since 1914. The weapons will be soon be kept at a new visitor center in Kamay. “Ultimately, they’ll be put on permanent display for everyone to go see, at the very spot they were taken from 250 years ago,” Ingrey said. To read about Europeans’ disastrous first voyage to Australia, go to “Letter from Australia: Murder Islands.”

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