David Unaipon
David Ngunaitponi | |
---|---|
Born | David Ngunaitponi 28 September 1872 |
Died | 7 February 1967 Tailem Bend, South Australia, Australia | (aged 94)
Nationality | Aboriginal Australian (Portaulun)[1] |
Other names | David Unaipon (Anglicisation) |
Education | Raukkan mission school |
Spouse | Katherine Carter (née Sumner) |
Parents |
|
David Ngunaitponi (28 September 1872 – 7 February 1967), known as David Unaipon, was an
Biography
David Ngunaitponi was born on 28 September 1872 at the
Unaipon left school at 13 to work as a servant for C.B. Young in Adelaide where Young actively encouraged Unaipon's interest in literature, philosophy, science and music. In 1890, he returned to Point McLeay where he apprenticed to a bootmaker and was appointed the mission organist.[4] In the late 1890s he travelled to Adelaide but found that his colour was a bar to employment in his trade and instead took a job as storeman for an Adelaide bootmaker before returning to work as book-keeper in the Point McLeay store.
He was later employed by the Aborigines' Friends' Association as a deputationer, in which role he travelled and preached widely in seeking support for the Point McLeay Mission.[5] Unaipon retired from preaching in 1959 but continued working on his inventions into the 1960s.[2]
Inventor
Unaipon spent five years trying to create a
Unaipon took out provisional
Other inventions included a centrifugal motor and a mechanical propulsion device. He was also known as the Australian Leonardo da Vinci for his mechanical ideas, which included pre World War I drawings for a helicopter design based on the principle of the boomerang and his research into the polarisation of light; he also spent much of his life attempting to achieve perpetual motion.[12] In his old age, he went back to his birthplace, where he worked on inventions further.
Writer and lecturer
Unaipon was obsessed with correct English and in speaking tended to use classical English rather than that in common usage. His written language followed the style of John Milton and John Bunyan.[5]
Unaipon was the first Aboriginal author to be published, after he was commissioned in the early 1920s by the
His employment with the Aborigines' Friends' Association collecting subscription money allowed him to travel widely. The travel brought him into contact with many intelligent people sympathetic with the cause of Aboriginal rights, and gave him the opportunity to lecture on Aboriginal culture and rights. He was much in demand as a public speaker.
Unaipon was the first Aboriginal writer to publish in English,
Five of Unaipon's traditional stories were published in 1929 as Native Legends, under his own name and with his picture on the cover.[16]
Some of Unaipon's traditional Aboriginal stories were published in a 1930 book, Myths and Legends of the Australian Aboriginals, under the name of anthropologist William Ramsay Smith.[9] They have been republished in their original form, under the author's name, as Legendary Tales of the Australian Aborigines.[17]
Other work
Unaipon was a recognised authority on ballistics.[6]
Unaipon was also involved in political issues surrounding Aboriginal affairs and was a keen supporter of
In 1936, he was reported to be the first Aboriginal person to attend a
Unaipon's stance on Aboriginal issues put him into conflict with other Aboriginal leaders, including William Cooper of the Australian Aborigines' League, and Unaipon publicly criticised the League's "Day of Mourning" held on the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet, arguing that the protest would only harm Australia's reputation abroad and would cement a negative public opinion of Aboriginal people.[19]
Honours and awards
At the age of 81, Unaipon was awarded a
In 1985 he posthumously received the
Personal life
On 4 January 1902 he married Katherine Carter (née Sumner), a Tangane woman who died in 1928, but theirs was not a happy marriage.[2]
Unaipon was inquisitively religious, believing in an equivalence of traditional Aboriginal and Christian
Death and legacy
Unaipon died in the
Fifty-dollar note
In 1995, Unaipon was featured on the first $50 polymer banknote. In 2018, the $50 note was upgraded, and the design enhanced to include representation of his Ngarrindjeri identity.[23][24]
In late 2008, Aboriginal activist Allan "Chirpy" Campbell, a great-nephew of David Unaipon, failed in an attempt to negotiate a settlement with the Reserve Bank of Australia for using an image of Unaipon on the banknote without the permission of the family. Campbell's argument was that the woman (who had since died) originally consulted by the Reserve Bank was not related to Unaipon.[25][26] Campbell, who said that there was no evidence that the woman from whom permission was obtained in 1994, Melva Linda Carter, was in fact Unaipon's great-niece,[27][28] as she claimed. He was seeking A$30 million in compensation, which he said he would use to establish a charity for mentally ill children.[29][30] He was continuing to advocate on Facebook on this issue as of 2015.[28]
Other recognition
Many tributes were paid to his life and work.
In 1988, two literary awards were created to honour Unaipon's contributions:
- The David Unaipon Literary Award, an annual award presented for the best of writing of the year by unpublished Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors[31][13]
- The David Unaipon Award for Aboriginal Writers, a national award[2]
Also in 1988, the annual Unaipon lecture in Adelaide was established.[32][2][33]
In 1992, Unaipon Avenue in the Canberra suburb of Ngunnawal was named after him.[34][32]
In 1996, the Unaipon School, later named the
In 2004, An interpretive dance based on Unaipon's life, Unaipon, was created and performed by the Bangarra Dance Theatre.[39][40]
Works
- Unaipon, David (2001). Legendary Tales of the Australian Aborigines. Melbourne University Press. ISBN 0-522-84905-9.
- Volume 1 Manuscript of Legendary Tales of Australian Aborigines' by David Unaipon, 1924–1925, acquired with the Publishing Archive of Angus & Robertson in 1933 by the State Library of New South Wales
- Volume 2 Typescript of Legendary Tales of Australian Aborigines' by David Unaipon, 1924–1925, acquired with the Publishing Archive of Angus & Robertson in 1933 by the State Library of New South Wales
- 8. Unaipon, David, 1925–1927, Volume 85 Item 2: Angus & Robertson correspondence files from Lilian Irene Turner to Arthur Styles Vallack, 1896–1931, acquired with the Publishing Archive of Angus & Robertson in 1933 by the State Library of New South Wales
- Aboriginal legends (Hungarrda) by David Unaipon, 1924–1925, published by Adelaide: S.n, State Library of New South Wales, 398.20994/41
- Unaipon, David (2 August 1924). "ABORIGINALS: Their Traditions and Customs - Where Did They Come From?". The Daily Telegraph. No. 13, 932. New South Wales, Australia: National Library of Australia. p. 13. Retrieved 16 April 2021 – via Trove.
See also
- James Unaipon
- Raukkan, South Australia
- Ngarrindjeri
- List of Indigenous Australian historical figures
Footnotes
- ^ The only primary source for the name Nymbulda is George Taplin. The Yaraldi genealogy compiled by Ronald Berndt names her as Nymberindjeri with Nymbulda being her father's first wife, and there was also another of that name married to another relative. It cannot be ruled out that she was known by both names. Aboriginal tradition required that after a death, the deceased person's name could no longer be used and those with the same name would take a new name (Berndt, Berndt & Stanton 1993, pp. 515–516)
References
Citations
- ^ Tindale 1974, p. 217.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i AuDB 1990.
- ^ Jenkin 1979, p. 185.
- ^ HToSA.
- ^ a b Harris 2004.
- ^ a b c Jenkin 1979, pp. 234–236.
- ^ Hosking 1995, p. 89.
- ^ Unaipon, Muecke & Shoemaker 2001, p. xvi.
- ^ a b Miller 2005, p. ?.
- ^ AusPat 1909.
- ^ Aus. Pat 15624
- ^ ABC 2009.
- ^ a b c d Australian Geographic 2014.
- NITV. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
- ^ Gale 1997, p. 41.
- ^ Hosking 1995, p. 94.
- ^ Unaipon, Muecke & Shoemaker 2001.
- ^ The Times 1936, p. 15.
- ^ Attwood & Marcus 2004, pp. 86–88.
- ^ a b "David Unaipon - Legendary Tales". State Library of New South Wales. 30 May 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
- ^ AustLit.
- ^ Hosking 1995, p. ?.
- ^ "Innovation". Reserve Bank of Australia Museum. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
- ^ "$50 Banknote". Reserve Bank of Australia Banknotes. 4 October 1995. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
- ^ Statham 2008.
- ^ "Family of Indigenous man on $50 note want compensation". The Sydney Morning Herald. 27 November 2008. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
- ^ John Gregory Campbell (12 July 2015). "This is a photo of Melve linda Carter..." Facebook. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
- ^ a b Allan Chirpy Campbell (21 April 2015). "They the Aboriginal people of Point McLeay Mission,..." Facebook. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
- ^ "Australia 50-dollar note (B228) portrait used without permission?". BanknoteNews. 4 December 2008. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
- ^ "Compensation bid for '$50 note nephew' denied". ABC News. 27 November 2008. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
- ^ The Australian.
- ^ a b Unaipon Avenue.
- ^ PSA 2018.
- ^ "Words in Place: A digital cartography of Australian writers and writing in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra". Macquarie University. 13 June 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
- ^ David Unaipon College.
- ^ "Our milestones". University of South Australia. 2 May 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
- ^ "SA Indigenous college to close". SBS News. 14 September 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
- ^ Liddle, Celeste (21 September 2015). "David Unaipon Centre at UniSA to be disestablished". NTEU. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
- ^ Whitehorn 2010, p. 16.
- ^ "Creating Unaipon". Bangarra. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
Sources
- Attwood, Bain; Marcus, Andrew (2004). Thinking Black: William Cooper and the Australian Aborigines League. ISBN 978-0-855-75459-4.
- "Australian Aboriginal at Leveé". The Times. London. 24 June 1936. p. 15.
- ISBN 978-0-774-80478-3.
- "The David Unaipon College of Indigenous Education and Research". University of South Australia. Archived from the original on 7 March 2009.
- "David Unaipon Lecture 2018: Aboriginalising Australian Centres of Power". Political Studies Association (PSA). 28 November 2018. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- "David Unaipon Preacher, Inventor, Musician & Writer". History Trust of South Australia. Archived from the original on 13 March 2011.
- "FAW Patricia Weickhardt Award to an Aboriginal Writer". AustLit. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- Gale, Mary-Anne (1997). Dhanum Djorra'wuy Dhawu: A history of writing in Aboriginal languages. ISBN 978-0-868-03182-8.
- Grossman, Michèle (2013). Entangled Subjects: Indigenous/Australian Cross-Cultures of Talk, Text, and Modernity. ISBN 978-9-401-20913-7.
- Harris, John (2004). "Unaipon, David (1872-1967)". Evangelical History Association of Australia. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011 – via webjournals.
- Hosking, Susan (1995). "David Unaipon-His Story". In Butterss, Philip (ed.). Southwords: Essays on South Australian Writing. Wakefield Press. pp. 85–100. ISBN 978-1-862-54354-6.
- "Improved mechanical motion device (application number 1909015624)". Australian Government – IP Australia. 1909.
- ISBN 978-0-727-01112-1.
- Jones, Philip (1990). "Unaipon, David (1872 - 1967)". ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 13 January 2009.
- "The man on our $50, David Unaipon, was born on this day". Australian Geographic. 28 September 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
- Miller, Benjamin (2005). "Confusing Epistemologies: Whiteness, Mimicry and Assimilation in David Unaipon's 'Confusion of Tongue'" (PDF). Altitude: An e-Journal of Emerging Humanities Work. 6: 1–13.
- "On the shore of a strange land: David Unaipon". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 7 March 2009. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
- "Rookie writer Amy Barker joins literati". The Australian. Retrieved 16 October 2009.[dead link]
- Statham, Larine (27 November 2008). "Family wants compo for $50 note image". news.com.au. AAP. Archived from the original on 27 May 2009. Retrieved 28 November 2008..
- ISBN 978-0-708-10741-6. Archived from the originalon 25 March 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
- "Unaipon Avenue". ACT Planning and Land Authority. Archived from the original on 15 March 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2010.
- Unaipon, David; Muecke, Stephen; Shoemaker, Adam (2001). "Repatriating the Story". In Muecke, Stephen; Shoemaker, Adam (eds.). Legendary Tales of the Australian Aborigines. ISBN 978-0-522-84905-9.
- Whitehorn, Zane (March–May 2010). "The legacy of David Unaipon". Indigenous Newslines. p. 16.
External links
- Biographical notes by choreographer Frances Rings
- David and James Unaipon at Unaipon School, University of South Australia
- The David Unaipon Award at University of Queensland Press
- Legendary Tales Digital Art Exhibition
- David Unaipon online collection – State Library of NSW