Nemarluk facts for kids

Nemarluk (born around 1911 – died August 1940) was a brave Aboriginal leader and warrior. He lived near what is now Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. Nemarluk strongly protected his people's land from outsiders, including white settlers and Japanese pearl divers.

He was said to be very tall, about 6 feet 2 inches. Nemarluk was the leader of a group called the Chul-a-mar, also known as the "Red Band." His most loyal friends were Minmara, Mankee, Mangue, and Lin. People who knew him described him as a "proper fighting man and funny man." When they went to fight, the men would paint themselves red. Nemarluk and his followers mostly lived and camped on the Moyle Plain and near the mouth of Port Keats (now Wadeye).

One well-known event involving Nemarluk and his men happened in 1933. It involved a Japanese boat called the Ouida at Injin Beach, near Port Keats. In the 1930s, Nemarluk was put in prison in Darwin's Fannie Bay Gaol. But he was very clever and managed to escape! He swam eight kilometres across Darwin Harbour to the Cox Peninsula, which was a remote area back then.

Nemarluk in Stories and Film

A popular writer named Ion Idriess wrote a book about the last three years of Nemarluk's life. This book especially focused on his struggles against a tracker named Bul-Bul. The Northern Territory Police had brought Bul-Bul in to try and catch Nemarluk.

Nemarluk also reportedly inspired the main character in the movie Jedda, which came out in 1955.

The End of His Journey

At some point, probably around 1940, Nemarluk became very sick with a lung illness called pneumonia. He was taken to a hospital in town. There are many different stories about how Nemarluk died. Some say he passed away in the hospital. Others believe he got better and was set free when many prisoners were released after the bombing of Darwin.

Remembering Nemarluk Today

Nemarluk is remembered in the Northern Territory in several ways. A street in the Darwin suburb of Ludmilla is named after him. There is also an Aboriginal community near Wadeye, a place shared by the Victoria Daly Region and the West Daly Region, and a special needs school in Darwin, all named in his honour.