Hermannsburg, Northern Territory
Ntaria (Hermannsburg) Ntaria ( Federal division(s) | Lingiari |
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Hermannsburg, also known as Ntaria, is an
Established as a
The land was handed over to
Geography
Hermannsburg lies on the Finke River within the rolling hills of the MacDonnell Ranges in the southern Central Australia region of the Northern Territory.
It is within the jurisdiction of the
Demographics
At the 2011 census, Hermannsburg had a population of 625, of whom 537 (86 per cent) identified as Aboriginal.[1]
History
19th century
Hermannsburg was established on 4 June 1877 at a
They arrived with 37 horses, 20 cattle and nearly 2000 sheep,[3] five dogs and chickens. Construction began on the first building in late June 1877 made from wood and reed grass. By August a stockyard, kitchen and living quarters were also completed.[7] They had nearly no contact with Aboriginal people in the first few months, although their activities were being observed. At the end of August a group of 15 Arrernte men visited the mission camping near the settlement. Realising that communication was difficult, the missionaries quickly learnt the local Arrernte language.[8]
A third missionary, Louis Schulze (from Saxony[4]), arrived in Adelaide in October 1877, accompanying three additional lay workers and the wives of Kempe and Schwarz. With the additional workers, five buildings were complete by December 1878. By 1880 at church was constructed with the assistance of Aboriginal labour and the first church service took place on 12 November followed by school on 14 November.[9] The first Aboriginal baptisms took place and in 1887 as many as 20 young people were baptised.[9]
A 54-page dictionary of 1750 words was published in 1890.
While the population fluctuated, there were always about 100 people living at the mission as pastoralism increased and racial issues developed. Hostilities escalated in 1883 during a drought which saw local Aboriginal people hunt wandering stock.
Fried Schwartz left the mission in 1889 due to ill health, followed by Schulze in 1891. Kempe lost his wife and child during childbirth and was himself suffering from
The settlement was continued by lay workers until Pastor
20th century
In mid-1910, the Strehlows left on a break to Germany and placed their five eldest children with relatives and friends there, in order to secure a good education for them.
Many English-speaking people in the area mistrusted the German missionaries, and did not have a high opinion of the Aboriginal people.
The Strehlows finally left on 22 October 1922 when Pastor Strehlow contracted dropsy. He died the next day at Horseshoe Bend.[7]
The mission was without a missionary until Pastor Johannes Riedel arrived in late 1923, followed by Pastor Friedrich Wilhelm Albrecht on 19 April 1926 with his wife. They stayed until 1962. Drought struck again in 1927 causing ill heath and scurvy. There was yet another influx of Aboriginal people and 85 per cent of Aboriginal children died during this time. A delivery of oranges was considered "a miracle".[9]
Albrecht was integral to the development of the
The first two Aboriginal pastors were ordained in 1964, Conrad Rabaraba and Cyril Motna.
The mission land was handed over to traditional ownership in 1982 under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1976.[17]
The settlement and its satellite communities were funded as an outstation during the 1980s.[18]
21st century
By 2014, there were 24 Aboriginal pastors, and more than 40 trainees and female church leaders. The congregation included around 6,000 people, and sermons were being delivered in
Legacy of the missionaries
The Lutherans worked at keeping the local languages alive, and the Strehlows greatly increased the knowledge of Aranda culture. Much is preserved in the Strehlow Research Centre in Alice Springs, and author John Strehlow, son of Ted, has written a two-volume book about his grandparents, Carl and Frieda Strehlow.[10]
According to musician Warren H Williams, who was born at Hermannsburg, "If the missionaries had not come to Hermannsburg, there would be no blackfellas in Central Australia" – this observation based on the attitude of the English-speaking administrators and other settlers in the region.[10]
Heritage listing
The Hermannsburg Historic Precinct was listed on the
The mission buildings, located adjacent to the town of Ntaria, are empty. The heritage precinct is owned by the local Western Arrarnta people, represented by the Hermannsburg Historical Society, while the Finke River Mission (a term that now embraces all Lutheran missionary activities in the Northern Territory[21]) act as managers.[19]
Facilities
The Finke River Mission operates the general store, by request of the community.[19]
Art
Albert Namatjira (1902–1959), famous for his watercolour landscapes, founded a style later known as the Hermannsburg School of painting.
The Hermannsburg Potters are well known for their ceramic art,[22] and many successful artists live in the town.[23]
Choir
In 1891 Pastors Kempe and Schwarze created a
"Finke River Mission"
"Finke River Mission" was initially an alternative name for the Hermannsburg Mission, but this name was later often used to include the newer government settlements at
As of 2015, there were 21 Aboriginal pastors and many other church workers employed by Finke River Mission, serving over 30 communities in five
Notable people
The Radkes
Reverend Doug Radke and his wife Olga Radke
Other people
- Yvette Holt, a poet from Brisbane, has lived in Hermannsburg since 2009 (as of 2021[update])[30]
- Peter Latz (1941–), botanist, grew up there
- Shane Nicholson, after a visit to Hermannsburg with Warren H Williams, wrote a song called "Hermannsburg" in 2015
- Otto Pareroultja, first painter in the region to paint in a more impressionist style[31][32]
- Ted Strehlow (1908–1978), son of Carl, noted anthropologist, initiated into Aranda customs
- Aboriginal country musicsinger
- traditional ownerof Ntaria
See also
References
- ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Hermannsburg (SSC) (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats.
- ^ "Hermannsburg". MacDonnell Regional Council.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-921536-77-9. PDFp.15+
- ^ a b c Nutting, Dave. "Hermannsburg Lutheran Mission". German Australia. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
- ISBN 0646247921.
- ^ a b c d e f "Finke River Mission 135th Anniversary". Lutheran Church of Australia. Archived from the original on 24 June 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f Watson, Penny (1987). "Early Missionaries of Hermannsburg". Heritage Australia. 6 (2): 31–34.
- ^ ISBN 0724528210.
- ^ ISBN 0859100448.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Egan, Ted (23 December 2019). "Hermannsburg Mission: questions of survival". Alice Springs News. Speech by former Administrator Ted Egan AO at the launch of Volume II of The Tale of Frieda Kaysser by John Strehlow. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- ^ "History". Finke River Mission. 19 October 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
- ^ a b c "Strehlow, Rev. Carl (1871-1922)". German Missionaries in Australia. Griffith University. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- ^ Spencer, Walter Baldwin; Australia. Department of External Affairs (1913), Preliminary report on the Aboriginals of the Northern Territory, Bulletin of the Northern Territory, no. 7, Dept. of External Affairs, p. 23, retrieved 11 November 2022
- ^ Spencer, Walter Baldwin; Australia. Department of External Affairs (1913), Preliminary report on the Aboriginals of the Northern Territory, Bulletin of the Northern Territory, no. 7, Dept. of External Affairs, p. 20a, retrieved 11 November 2022
- ISBN 9780646478104.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-6485919-2-4. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- ^ a b "Hermannsburg Historic Village Precinct". Heritage Register. Northern Territory Government. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
- ISBN 0-644-06201-0. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
Published online 12 June 2011
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ignored (help) PDF - ^ a b c d "Hermannsburg Historic Precinct and Finke River Mission Today". Hermannsburg Historic Precinct. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- ^ "Australian National Heritage listing for the Hermannsburg Historic Precinct". Environment.gov.au. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
- ^ a b George, Karen; George, Gary (17 March 2017). "Finke River Mission - Glossary Term - Northern Territory". Find & Connect. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ "Hermannsburg Potters: Aranda Artists of Central Australia". Hermannsburg Potters. 19 September 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ "Local artists". Hermannsburg Historic Precinct. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ a b "The Hermannsburg Choir". Hermannsburg Historic Precinct. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ Strahle, Graham (29 May 2019). "Indigenous Women's Only Ntaria Choir Reaches Back To Bach". Music Australia. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ "About". Finke River Mission. 29 October 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ "Kintore Campus (Walungurru)". Yirara College. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
- ^ "Mrs Olga Josephine RADKE: Medal of the Order of Australia". Australian Honours Search Facility. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Australia). Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- ^ Barwick, Rohan (16 July 2021). "Historic Hermannsburg Choir tour celebrated in new book" (audio, 30 mins). ABC Darwin. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- ^ "Yvette Holt". AustLit. University of Queensland. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
- OCLC 224953943.
- ^ "Otto Pareroultja". Aboriginal Bark Paintings. 6 February 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
Further reading
- Hermannsburg Aboriginal Mission, Ntaria South Australian History - Flinders Ranges Research
- Krichauff, F. E. H. W. (26 January 1886). "The Finke River Mission Station". South Australian Register. Vol. LI, no. 12, 231. p. 7 – via National Library of Australia. Detailed report compiled in 1885 from data supplied by Kempe and a letter by Schwarz.
- Roennfeldt, D. and the community members (2006) Western Arrarnta Picture Dictionary. IAD Press, Northern Territory, Australia. ISBN 1 86465 069 9.
- Strehlow, T. G. H. (1969). Journey to Horseshoe Bend (PDF). Angus and Robertson.
External links
- "Hermannsburg". MacDonnell Council.
- "Albert Namatjira: Mt Hermannsburg, Finke River". National Gallery of Australia. Painting by Namatjira of the mountain
- Photograph of Hermannsburg in 1994 National Library of Australia
- Hermannsburg Potters