Piper (Indigenous Australian explorer)
Piper (c.1810 – ?), also known as John Piper and Jemmy Piper, was a
Early life
Details of Piper's early life are unclear, except that he was born around 1810 into a Wiradjuri clan near to the site what soon after became the British military outpost of Bathurst. As a boy he survived the Bathurst War between the colonists and his people. It appears that he obtained the name of Piper during adolescence after becoming associated, probably as servant, with the military officer John Piper who was granted the estate of Alloway Bank near Bathurst in the mid-1820s.[1]
Mitchell's 1836 expedition
In 1836, the chief surveyor of the colony of New South Wales, Thomas Mitchell, was tasked with exploring the major rivers to the south-west of Sydney. He arrived in Bathurst in March of that year with his entourage of around 25 men, herds of livestock, and drays filled with supplies. At Bathurst, he entered into an agreement with Piper to act as a guide and envoy to assist the large group through the lands of the 'savage natives'. As part of the arrangement, Piper was given a horse, food, clothes and weapons, including a carbine and sword.[2]
Piper led Mitchell's expedition down the Lachlan River, where he interacted with the local Wiradjuri clans, facilitating the travel through their countries. Piper initially maintained traditional culture such as refusing to emu meat, which was reserved for elders, and following prolonged introductory customs when meeting new tribesmen.[2]
However, as the expedition proceeded, Piper soon realised as being part of an armed British group, he had a unique authority over other Aboriginal people. At
On arriving at the
In a similar situation at Lake Boga, Piper was confronted by a group of 12 local Indigenous men who were angry at Piper for bringing white people to their country and threw spears at him. Piper subsequently shot one of them dead.[2]
As Mitchell's group entered what is now Victoria, Piper became homesick for Bathurst, but Mitchell was very supportive for Piper to remain. Mitchell regarded Piper as the most accomplished member of his group, being the tallest, bravest, best hunter, swimmer and diver, and was now able to speak multiple Indigenous languages. Piper was still able to communicate with the local people in what was a very foreign land and obtained the name of the Wimmera River from local people.[2]
On the return journey to Sydney, Piper continued to assist Mitchell's group, including informing them how to make a sweet drink from steeping ironbark blossoms in water. When an expedition member named Taylor disappeared while crossing the Broken River, Piper was foremost in diving into the river to locate him. Piper brought the unconscious man to the surface but Taylor was not able to be resuscitated.[2]
Life in Sydney and Bathurst
When the expedition arrived back in Sydney, Piper was regarded as a minor celebrity. He was given a coat, and a hat that once belonged to Governor Ralph Darling. He took another wife and was given money by members of the public. He was also given firearms and a brass plate engraved with his name and the title of "Conqueror of the Interior". Piper soon after returned to his homeland of Bathurst accompanied by Mitchell's other Wiradjuri guides Tommy-came-first and Tommy-came-last. Bureemal, the convicted killer of the botanist Richard Cunningham, was also placed under Piper's authority to be returned to Wiradjuri country.[2]
According to Mitchell, Piper journeyed extensively in the years after the 1836 expedition, travelling to Adelaide, Moreton Bay and the Hunter Region.[4]
Mitchell's 1846/47 expedition
In December 1846, Mitchell started on another expedition, this time into the uncolonised northern parts of the New South Wales. He again set out from the Bathurst region and again took on Piper as his main Indigenous guide. Piper was given a horse, clothing, rations and a
Legacy
Piper is remembered by having a street named after him in the town of
See also
References
- JSTOR 24046216. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Mitchell, Thomas (1839). Three expeditions into the interior of eastern Australia; with descriptions of the recently explored region of Australia Felix, and of the present colony of New South Wales. London: T & W Boone.
- The Sydney Monitor. Vol. XII, no. 988. New South Wales, Australia. 27 January 1837. p. 3 (EVENING). Retrieved 28 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b Mitchell, Thomas (1848). Journal of an expedition into the interior of tropical Australia. London: T & W Boone.
- ^ "AT KYNETON". The Age. No. 12, 030. Victoria, Australia. 16 September 1893. p. 13. Retrieved 28 March 2024 – via National Library of Australia.