Chinese Graves and Burner at Nyngan Cemetery facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chinese Graves and Burner at Nyngan Cemetery
Graves and Burner at Nyngan Cemetery
Location	Nyngan, Bogan Shire, New South Wales, Australia
Built	1913–1924
Owner	NSW Land Registry Services
New South Wales Heritage Register
Official name: Chinese Graves and Burner at Nyngan Cemetery
Type	State heritage (complex / group)
Designated	13 March 2009
Reference no.	1783
Type	Isolated Grave/Burial Site
Category	Cemeteries and Burial Sites
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The Chinese Graves and Burner at Nyngan Cemetery is a special heritage-listed burial site in Nyngan, New South Wales, Australia. It includes graves and a unique burner built between 1913 and 1924. This site is owned by NSW Land Registry Services. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 13 March 2009 because of its historical importance.

History of Nyngan

Early People of Nyngan

The Bogan River in Bogan Shire was a boundary for two Aboriginal groups. These were the Wongaibon to the east and the Nyaampiyaa to the west. Early European explorers like Thomas Mitchell visited the area. His good reports led more settlers to move in. There were some conflicts as European settlers arrived.

European Settlement in Nyngan

Explorers like John Oxley and John Sturt first explored the Nyngan area in the early 1800s. By the 1830s, people called squatters started raising cattle and sheep here. At first, cattle were more popular because they needed fewer workers. After 1860, sheep farming grew as wool prices went up.

Nyngan became a town because of its water supply. In 1883, a new train line made Nyngan a key stop. The town grew very fast after the railway arrived. By 1891, it was a proper town with all the necessary services. The Nyngan cemetery was set up around the 1850s. The first recorded burial there was in 1878.

Chinese Community in Nyngan

Many Chinese people came to Australia hoping to find work and support their families back home. By 1861, about 13,000 Chinese people were working in the goldfields of New South Wales. After the gold rush ended, many stayed in Australia. They found jobs in other industries.

In Nyngan, Chinese people mainly worked in timber-felling and clearing land. They cut down trees like mulga and bimble box. This helped make land ready for farming and grazing. They also worked as market gardeners, growing fresh food. Oral stories suggest Chinese people lived in Nyngan until the 1950s. Today, there is no longer a Chinese community in Nyngan. The oldest Chinese grave marker here dates back to 1913.

Chinese Burial Traditions

Why Burials Were Important

Chinese traditions say that "upon the roots of the tree rest falling leaves." This means people wanted to be buried near their home village and family. Being buried close to relatives allowed families to perform special rituals. These rituals included burning offerings to the person's soul. This was believed to bring good fortune to the family. If the rituals were not done right, it could bring bad luck.

Chinese people living outside China tried to follow these traditions. Often, single men came to Australia, so their families were not always there. This led to some changes in burial practices. However, the main parts of the rituals stayed the same. When a Chinese person died overseas, the goal was often to return their bones to their home village in China.

The Burial Process

The rituals helped the soul get used to the underworld. To do this, the body was buried for about seven years. After this time, the body was dug up, and the bones were placed in an urn. These urns were then either sent back to China or reburied. Because bones were often dug up, burials in Australia were usually shallow. They were only about 500mm (about 20 inches) deep. Family groups often helped send the bones back to China.

Burners for Offerings

Chinese funeral rituals include giving offerings to the spirit of the person who died. Burners were often built in cemeteries for this purpose. These are usually brick structures, often about 2.1 meters (about 7 feet) tall. They are safe places to burn special tributes. These tributes include paper copies of money, clothes, possessions, and houses. Burning these items sends them to the spirit world. They are meant to help the person in the afterlife.

The brick burner at Nyngan is quite simple. Other burners in New South Wales are in Tumut, Albury, and Deniliquin. These have more detailed brickwork than the Nyngan one. The burner closest to Nyngan is in Condobolin. Simple burners are also common in Chinese cemeteries in California, USA. Some grander burners can be found in places like Ballarat and Beechworth in Victoria. Many early burners were made of wood and tar. These did not last long because of fire and rot.

Local stories say the burners at Nyngan and Condobolin were used for burning cooked food offerings. This matches Chinese grave practices in Hong Kong.

Grave Markers and Other Structures

Like in European cemeteries, grave markers were important in Chinese cemeteries. They helped identify the person for those who came to dig up the bones. They also served as a guide for family members doing rituals. The markers usually showed the person's name, date of death, and home village. Women's graves were sometimes unmarked.

Stone was the most common material for grave markers in the 1800s. In the 1900s, concrete became more common. Wooden markers were also used but often decayed or burned. The graves at Nyngan are special because all the remaining markers have a traditional shape and style. Other Chinese cemeteries often have fewer markers or more European-style ones.

Many Chinese cemeteries were designed using feng shui principles. This influenced their location and direction. The nine Chinese grave markers at Nyngan Cemetery were not originally in a neat row. They were placed randomly in the eastern part of the cemetery. In the early 1990s, the Bogan Shire Council moved them. They are now in a row near the burner, similar to other Chinese cemeteries. This move might have been to make space for a new lawn cemetery.

In 1994, the Bogan Shire Council recorded the names and dates from ten grave markers. These were translated from Chinese. Nine markers date from 1914 to 1918. One marker is for "No Wood," who died in 1924. It is believed one marker has gone missing since then.

The cemetery records list 13 names in the Chinese section. Only the name "No Wood" (also listed as "Ah Wood") matches a grave marker. The differences in names might be due to language differences. It's also possible that some graves were unmarked or had wooden markers that are now gone. Some bodies might have been exhumed, and their records removed. A special radar survey could help understand this better.

What the Site Looks Like

The Nyngan Cemetery is at the eastern end of Nyngan town. The Chinese section is on the far western side, next to Cemetery Road. The Chinese grave markers were moved here in the early 1990s. They are now neatly lined up near the burner.

The burner is made of brick. It has a square base, about 2.1 meters (7 feet) on each side. It stands about 2.15 meters (7 feet) high. The roof has nine steps of bricks. On the north side, there is an opening made by leaving out six bricks. This opening allows access to a metal grate. Offerings can be placed on this grate to be burned. The grate is raised to allow air to flow. Small vents are on the other three sides. The burner narrows to a single brick-sized hole at the top.

Today, the Chinese grave markers are in a single row facing north. Each stone is about 700mm (27 inches) high. They are spaced evenly and stretch about 14 meters (46 feet) from the burner. Behind the markers, there are three dips in the ground. These might show where three more grave markers once stood.

Of the stones, six are sandstone or limestone. Two are marble, and one is red granite. All the stones are roughly rectangular. Some have flat round tops, some are rounded, and others have angled tops. The markers have writing in both Mandarin Chinese and English. The names are usually in Mandarin, and any poems or tributes are in English. One stone recorded in 1994 is now missing.

Here are some examples of what the inscriptions say:

• "Kime Moon... We never knew what pain he bore. We never saw him die. We only know he passed away and never said goodbye."
• "Grave of Mr. Tan Qi Wen... aged 61 years from Tiau he Boa Ping Village."
• "No Wood... Born in Yao County. Lived in Mei Village, Liang City. 23/06/1924 aged 68 years."

Condition of the Site

Since 1994, the Chinese grave markers have worn down. One stone is broken in half, and two are cracked. Two have fallen over, and one is completely missing. The three stones that look best are the ones with angled tops on the western end. They seem to be on their original stone bases. Some stones also show signs of being repaired.

The site has a high chance of having interesting archaeological finds. It is not known if the bodies linked to the grave markers were dug up, which was a common practice. Small pieces of glass and pottery are often found at Chinese cemetery sites. These are signs of ritual offerings. Digging here could reveal more such items.

Nine of the original ten grave markers are still there. Even though they were moved in the 1990s, they are mostly in good shape. They are arranged in a neat row, like other Chinese grave markers.

Why This Site is Important

The Chinese section of the Nyngan General Cemetery is very important to the history of New South Wales. It is one of the largest groups of Chinese grave stones with a burner in the state. The nine grave stones are near a brick burner. This burner was used to burn food and money offerings for the spirits of the dead.

The burner itself is also very important. It has an unusual, simple design. This design is also seen in California. It shows how Chinese people adapted their traditions when living outside China. Both the burner and the markers show Chinese burial practices in New South Wales. They also offer a chance to learn more about how many burials were dug up and sent back to China.

Showing History and Culture

The Nyngan Chinese graves and burner remind us of the Chinese people who lived in central and western New South Wales. They helped build this area. Chinese workers in Nyngan were important for clearing land and growing food. They made land ready for farming and raising animals. This work helped the area grow.

The site also shows how Chinese burial practices changed in Australia. The tradition of wanting to be buried with ancestors was strong. It was believed to bring good fortune to the family. Bodies were often buried shallowly for about seven years. Then, the bones might be dug up and sent back to China.

Unique Design and Beauty

The burner is important because of its simple design. Many Chinese communities in Australia were wealthy from gold or business. They built very fancy burners. The Nyngan burner shows the economic situation of its community. Its simple, functional design makes it unique.

The graves at Nyngan are also special because they are a rare collection of markers. They keep their traditional shape and style.

Connection to the Community

These graves are important to the Chinese community in New South Wales. They remind us of the wide contributions Chinese people made to the state. This includes opening up land for farming. Chinese people in these small communities continued their traditional death rituals. The grave markers and burner in Nyngan Cemetery have a special link to the Chinese community. They are the resting place for people who lived and worked here. It is not known if all the bodies were dug up, so some may still be buried here.

The graves also have local importance for the people of Nyngan. They remember the Chinese people and their activities in the town.

Learning from the Site

The Chinese burner can help us learn more about Chinese cemetery practices. Each burner is slightly different. This is due to available materials, community resources, and the people who built it. We can learn more about how many bodies were sent back to China. We can also learn where the graves were originally located.

A Rare Find

The Nyngan graves and burner are a rare physical reminder of Chinese presence in Central and Western New South Wales. Many Chinese communities no longer live in these areas. So, other signs of their presence are gone. The burner itself is rare. Only five others have been found in New South Wales. None of them are with so many grave markers. Markers at other cemeteries have often been removed or destroyed over time.

Showing Common Practices

The Nyngan graves and burner show typical Chinese burial practices in Australia. It is the largest and most traditional group of markers with a burner in New South Wales. The markers are traditional in their shape and use of Mandarin Chinese. Some also have English text. They use stone instead of concrete. The burner shows the simple style built by smaller Chinese communities. It is typical of burners built by Chinese people who worked in farming or labor. It is not as fancy as those in richer goldfield towns.

The Chinese section of the Nyngan Cemetery also shows a common practice. Cemeteries often had separate sections for Chinese burials. This was sometimes requested by the European community. It shows the challenges Chinese immigrants faced.