File:Governor Thomas Davey 1816 proclamation to aborigines.jpg

Lithographic reproduction of "Governor Davey's Proclamation to the Aborigines".

In 1830 in Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) small wooden panels known as "Proclamation to the Aborigines" were nailed to trees. Based on drawings by the Surveyor General George Frankland (1800–1838) these pictograms heralded an apparent official aim of peace and equality between black and white. This action post-dated by 2 years the martial law passed by Lieutenant Governor George Arthur (1784–1854) that had forbidden Aboriginal people from entering "settled" areas and a bounty offered of 5 pounds per Aboriginal adult and 2 pounds per Aboriginal child captured.

Some decades after these panels (of unknown number and artist/s) were created, an original was located and mistakenly thought to have been produced during the much earlier leadership of Thomas Davey, Lieutenant Governor from 1813 to 1817. Hence posters such as this were produced dating the proclamations at 1816, instead of the correct date, 1830. Governor Davey also proclaimed martial law, but against bushrangers.

Original version of image:

See also: http://nationaltreasures.nla.gov.au/index/Treasures/item/nla.int-ex6-s52

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