Pemulwuy facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

This page is about the Aboriginal leader. For the suburb named after him, see Pemulwuy, New South Wales. For the Sydney Harbour ferry named after him, see Emerald-class ferry.

Pemulwuy
Quick facts for kids
Born	c. 1750 Botany Bay, New South Wales
Died	2 June 1802 New South Wales
Nationality	Bidgigal
Other names	Pimbloy, Pemulvoy, Pemulwoy, Pemulwy, Bimblewove, Bumbleway, Bembulwoyan
Occupation	Leader
Known for	Resistance to the European colonisation of Australia
Movement	Aboriginal resistance
Children	Tedbury

Pemulwuy (also known as Pimbloy or Bumbleway) was a Bidjigal man from the Eora nation. He was born around 1750 near Botany Bay in New South Wales, Australia. He is famous for leading the Aboriginal resistance against European settlers. This resistance began when the First Fleet arrived in January 1788.

Pemulwuy lived near Botany Bay, which his people called Kamay in the Dharug language. He was seen as a carradhy, a special spiritual healer and culture keeper among the Eora people.

Before the resistance, Pemulwuy would hunt and trade meat with the new colony. He exchanged it for goods.

In 1790, Pemulwuy started a twelve-year guerrilla war against the colonists. This fight continued until he was killed.

When Pemulwuy became a man, he was called Bembul Wuyan. This name means "the earth and the crow". According to Richard Green, an Indigenous activist, Pemulwuy did not like the mixing of cultures. He preferred that people stayed within their own groups. Another name for him was Butu Wargun, meaning "crow".

Early Life and Special Abilities
Fighting the Settlers
Death of Pemulwuy
Pemulwuy's Legacy
See also

Early Life and Special Abilities

Pemulwuy was born with a turned eye or a mark in his left eye. Usually, a child with such a mark might be expected to be "reborn". However, Pemulwuy was different.

Historian Eric Willmot said that Pemulwuy was better than everyone else. He could run further and was the best at using a spear. Because of this, people believed he had special powers. He was known as a "clever man," someone who understood spiritual matters.

His friend Colebe mentioned that Pemulwuy's left foot was unique. It had been hurt by a club, perhaps to show he was a carradhy or healer.

Pemulwuy's people, the Bidjigal, were the first people to live in areas like Toongabbie and Parramatta in Sydney.

Fighting the Settlers

Pemulwuy's War

Date	1790-1802
Location	Botany Bay, Liverpool, Parramatta, Hawkesbury River, New South Wales
Result	British victory

Belligerents

British colonists

Aboriginal Australians

Commanders and leaders

Governor Arthur Phillip (1790–1792)

Governor John Hunter (1795–1800)

Governor Philip Gidley King (1800–1802)

Pemulwuy †

The Attack on McIntyre

On December 9, 1790, a group of settlers went hunting near Botany Bay. One of them was John McIntyre, Governor Phillip's gamekeeper. Two Aboriginal men with spears approached them. McIntyre, thinking he knew them, put down his gun and spoke to them.

One of the men, described as young with a mark on his left eye, threw a spear at McIntyre. McIntyre was badly hurt. The settlers chased the Aboriginal men, but they got away.

Historian Watkin Tench thought McIntyre might have hurt Aboriginal people before. He noted that Aboriginal people, including Bennelong, were afraid of McIntyre.

Governor Phillip's Response

Governor Phillip was very angry about the attack. He ordered Lieutenant Tench to lead soldiers to find the Bidjigal people. Phillip wanted two Bidjigal captured and ten killed.

Tench suggested a different plan. He proposed capturing six Bidjigal and bringing them to Sydney Cove, but not killing anyone. Phillip agreed.

On December 14, the expedition began. It was the largest military operation since the colony started. Tench, Lieutenants William Dawes and John Poulden, and 46 soldiers searched for three days. They found no sign of the Bidjigal. On December 17, they returned to Sydney Cove.

Pemulwuy's Resistance Efforts

Pemulwuy convinced the Eora, Dharug, and Tharawal people to join his fight. From 1792, he led attacks on British settlers. These attacks happened in places like Parramatta, Georges River, Prospect, Toongabbie, and Hawkesbury River.

His main method was to burn crops and kill farm animals. In May 1795, Pemulwuy or one of his followers speared a convict near what is now Chippendale.

In December 1795, Pemulwuy and his warriors attacked a work group at Botany Bay. This group included "Black Caesar", an early settler of African background. Caesar managed to hit Pemulwuy's head, and many thought he had died. But Pemulwuy survived.

Escape and Continued Fight

Even with his injuries and wearing a leg-iron, Pemulwuy escaped from the hospital. This made people believe even more that he was a carradhy (a clever man with special powers).

Pemulwuy continued his fight against the colonists by November 1797. However, his injuries affected his fighting ability. His resistance became smaller and happened less often for the rest of his life.

Two convicts, William Knight and Thomas Thrush, escaped and joined the Aboriginal resistance.

According to Richard Green, Pemulwuy fought the British army with simple spears, rocks, and boomerangs. He says that almost every soldier sent after Pemulwuy either returned defeated or did not return at all.

Death of Pemulwuy

On November 22, 1801, Governor Philip Gidley King ordered that Pemulwuy be captured, dead or alive. A reward was offered. The order stated that Pemulwuy was responsible for killing two men, hurting several others, and many robberies.

On June 2, 1802, Pemulwuy was shot and killed by explorer and sailor Henry Hacking. Hacking was the first mate of the Royal Navy ship Lady Nelson.

Richard Green said that after being wounded, people believed Pemulwuy was immune to British bullets. He would stand in front of them and take them on. After 12 years, his time ran out.

After Pemulwuy's death, the Governor gave new orders. He told people not to "molest or ill-treat any native". Aboriginal people were allowed back into areas like Parramatta and Prospect, from which they had been forced out.

Pemulwuy's son, Tedbury, continued fighting for several years. He was killed in 1810.

The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper called the events around Pemulwuy's death "Australia's oldest murder mystery" in 2003.

Pemulwuy's Legacy

The Sydney suburb of Pemulwuy, New South Wales is named after him. So is Pemulwuy Park in Redfern, New South Wales.

In the 1980s, the band Redgum wrote a song about Pemulwuy called "Water and Stone".

The first song on James Asher's 1996 album Feet in the Soil is called "Pemulwuy". The last song is "Pemulwuy Returns". Both songs feature didgeridoos.

Australian composer Paul Jarman created a choral music piece called Pemulwuy. It is now a well-known Australian choral work. The Biralee Blokes performed it when they won the ABC Choir of the Year in 2006.

In 1987, Weldons published Pemulwuy: The Rainbow Warrior by Eric Willmot. This popular novel tells a fictional story based on early colonial records. Matilda Media re-released the book in 1994.

The rebuilding project of The Block in Redfern was named the Pemulwuy Project. This project was led by the Aboriginal Housing Company.

In 2008, Marlene Cummins released a song about Pemulwuy. This song was later given to Prince William. It came with a request to bring Pemulwuy's head back to his people.

In 2009, a boxing game for the Wii console called Pemulwuy Dream Team was created.

In 2015, the National Museum of Australia placed a plaque honoring Pemulwuy. This was part of their Defining Moments project, recognizing his role in Australian history.

In 2017, a Sydney Ferries Emerald-class ferry was named Pemulwuy.