The Gweagal are a clan of the Tharawal (or Dharawal) tribe

Tribe

A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...

 of Indigenous Australians

Indigenous Australians

Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....

, who are traditional custodians of the southern geographic areas of Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

.

The Gweagal lived on the southern shores of Botany Bay

Botany Bay

Botany Bay is a bay in Sydney, New South Wales, a few kilometres south of the Sydney central business district. The Cooks River and the Georges River are the two major tributaries that flow into the bay...

 (Kurnell Peninsula

Cronulla sand dunes, Kurnell Peninsula

The Cronulla sand dunes are located on the Kurnell Peninsula in the local government area of Sutherland Shire, Sydney Australia.The Cronulla sand dunes are a protected area that became listed on the NSW State Heritage Register on 26 September 2003.-History:...

). The tribe territory, although not clearly defined, spanned the areas between the Cooks

Cooks River

The Cooks River is a 23 kilometre long urban waterway of south-western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia emptying into Botany Bay. The course of the river has been altered to accommodate various developments along its shore...

 and Georges River

Georges River

The Georges River is a waterway in the state of New South Wales in Australia. It rises to the south-west of Sydney near the coal mining town of Appin, and then flows north past Campbelltown, roughly parallel to the Main South Railway...

, south to the Port Hacking

Port Hacking

Port Hacking is an Australian estuary, located in Southern Sydney, New South Wales and fed by the Hacking River and several smaller creeks, including Bundeena Creek and The Basin. It is a ria, a river basin which has become submerged by the sea...

 estuary and westwards towards Liverpool

Liverpool, New South Wales

Liverpool is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Liverpool is located 32 km south-west of the Sydney central business district, and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Liverpool...

. They were the northernmost tribe of the Dharawal nation.

Culture

The Gweagal were known as the "Fire Clan". A tribe consisted of approximately 20 to 50 people who lived in their own territory amongst social and economic units having strong ties to land and sacred sites. They had no written language and each tribe had its own dialect, they also knew how to light fires long before the arrival of white man

White people

White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...

. They were often seen by early settlers to be naked but with minimal clothing that consisted of a woven hair sash

Sash

A sash is a cloth belt used to hold a robe together, and is usually tied about the waist. The Japanese equivalent of a sash, obi, serves to hold a kimono or yukata together. Decorative sashes may pass from the shoulder to the hip rather than around the waist...

 in which they used to carry tools and weapons and sometimes the optional possum-skin coat for the winter season. They wore resin in their hair that gave it a mop-like appearance and used native animal hide to make fur coats and ceremonial attire. Tool makers chose to grind axes close to pools or streams, as the water was used as a lubricant for grinding and sharpening. The stone that was used was mainly igneous or metamorphic rock, and only one of the ends was ground to a blade. Axe grinding grooves used in for this purpose can be found near a stream between River Road and Slat Pan Creek at Revesby Heights. A former Australian Museum anthropologist (name withheld) dated the grooves to be around 3000 years old. In 1961 a notice was erected describing the site.

The Gweagal Aborigines were the guardians of the sacred white clay pits in their territory. Members of the tribe walked hundreds of miles to collect the clay, it was considered sacred

Sacred

Holiness, or sanctity, is in general the state of being holy or sacred...

 amongst the indigenous locals and had many uses. They used it to line the base of their canoes so they could light fires, and also as a white body paint, (as witnessed by Captain James Cook

James Cook

Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...

). Colour was added to the clay using berries, which produced a brightly coloured paint that was used in ceremonies. It was also eaten as a medicine, an antacid

Antacid

An antacid is a substance which neutralizes stomach acidity.-Mechanism of action:Antacids perform a neutralization reaction, increasing the pH to reduce acidity in the stomach. When gastric hydrochloric acid reaches the nerves in the gastrointestinal mucosa, they signal pain to the central nervous...

. Geebungs and other local berries were mixed in the clay and it was eaten as a dietary supplement with zinc.

Aboriginal rock shelters

Caves in the form of over hanging rock shelters were an important part of the aboriginal lifestyle, they had no modern dwellings in which to live so they often used caves or overhanging rocks as dwelling places and for burial sites. In Kurnell there is a cave known as the skeleton cave that was used to accommodate victims of the smallpox outbreak in 1789. Many indigenous people died in the cave and their skeletons still remain there. There is another cave in an undisclosed location somewhere in the Sutherland Shire area that contains human remains. In the Royal National Park

Royal National Park

Royal National Park is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 29 km south of Sydney CBD.Founded by Sir John Robertson, Acting Premier of New South Wales, and formally proclaimed on 26 April 1879, it is the world's second oldest purposed national park, the first usage of the term...

 some of the caves were used as burial sites. In other parts of the Sutherland Shire, Aboriginals were trapped (permanently) whilst sheltering from heavy rain in the caves. Cave-ins trapped an unknown number of people. One of these sites is in Turriel Point.

Caves and shelters are located in various places along the George's River, which over the years have eroded into the sandstone cliffs. There is a large cave located in Peakhurst

Peakhurst, New South Wales

Peakhurst is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Peakhurst is located 21 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the St George area. Peakhurst is in the local government area of the City of Hurstville. Peakhurst is colloquially...

 with its ceiling blackened from smoke. There are caves located around Evatt Park, Lugarno

Lugarno, New South Wales

Lugarno is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Lugarno is located 23 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Hurstville and is part of the St George area....

 with oyster shells ground into the cave floor. The walls of the cave were adorned with carvings that were destroyed unintentionally by a scout group that tried to restore them. A cave has also been discovered near a Baptist church in Lugarno, and another near Margaret Crescent, Lugarno (now destroyed by development), it was found to contain ochre and a spear head on the floor of the cave when it was excavated. Another cave exists on Mickey's Point, Padstow

Padstow, New South Wales

Padstow, a suburb of local government area City of Bankstown, is located 22 kilometres inner south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, and is a part of the South-western Sydney region....

, which was named after a local aborigine.

They often decorated their caves and rock shelters with paintings, drawings and etchings using white, red and other colored earth, clay or charcoal. In winter they shared body heat in the shelter and used fire to keep warm.

Food source

The territory of the Gwiyagal had much to offer. The Georges River

Georges River

The Georges River is a waterway in the state of New South Wales in Australia. It rises to the south-west of Sydney near the coal mining town of Appin, and then flows north past Campbelltown, roughly parallel to the Main South Railway...

 provided fish (a very important part of the diet of Sydney aborigines), and oysters. Various small creeks, most of which are now covered drains, provided fresh water. Men and women fished in canoes or from the shore using barbed spears and fishing lines with hooks that were crafted from crescent-shaped pieces of shell. Waterfowl

Waterfowl

Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....

 could be caught in the swamplands (Towra Point)

Towra Point Nature Reserve

Towra Point Nature Reserve is a nature reserve of in southern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the southern shores of Botany Bay at Kurnell, within the Sutherland Shire. It is a Ramsar site , as it is an important breeding ground for many vulnerable, protected, or endangered...

, and the variety of soils supported a variety of edible and medicinal plants. Birds and their eggs, possum

Possum

A possum is any of about 70 small to medium-sized arboreal marsupial species native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi .Possums are quadrupedal diprotodont marsupials with long tails...

s, wallabies

Wallaby

A wallaby is any of about thirty species of macropod . It is an informal designation generally used for any macropod that is smaller than a kangaroo or wallaroo that has not been given some other name.-Overview:...

 and goanna

Goanna

Goanna is the name used to refer to any number of Australian monitor lizards of the genus Varanus, as well as to certain species from Southeast Asia.There are around 30 species of goanna, 25 of which are found in Australia...

s were also a part of their staple diet. The Australian Aborigine was a hunter and food collector and regardless of the abundance of fish and other food stuffs in their heavily timbered waterways, he took only what was necessary for his immediate needs. The abundant food source meant that these natives were less nomad

Nomad

Nomadic people , commonly known as itinerants in modern-day contexts, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. Many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but...

ic than those of Outback Australia.

Outback

The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...

 The various middens, rock carvings and paintings in the area confirm this.

Middens

Middens have been found all the way along tidal sections of the Georges River

Georges River

The Georges River is a waterway in the state of New South Wales in Australia. It rises to the south-west of Sydney near the coal mining town of Appin, and then flows north past Campbelltown, roughly parallel to the Main South Railway...

 where shells, fish bones, and other waste products have been thrown into heaps. This gives evidence of where Aborigines camped for long periods, and are found where oysters, fresh water, and strategic views come together. Middens have been found in Oatley

Oatley, New South Wales

Oatley is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Oatley is located 21 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the St George area...

, and Oatley Point was known as a feasting ground. In Lugarno a midden is still existent and may be found in Lime Kiln Bay. Other existing middens have been located in the Moons, and around Evatt Park.

First contact with Europeans

The Gweagal Aborigines made first contact (hostile) with James Cook

James Cook

Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...

 and other Europeans, occupying the area which is now 'Captain Cooks Landing Place Reserve’, Kurnell

Kurnell, New South Wales

Kurnell is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Kurnell is located south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Sutherland Shire....

, on the shores of Botany Bay

Botany Bay

Botany Bay is a bay in Sydney, New South Wales, a few kilometres south of the Sydney central business district. The Cooks River and the Georges River are the two major tributaries that flow into the bay...

. It was in this place that the crew of Captain Cook’s first voyage tried to make contact with the indigenous people of Australia. For eight days between late April and early May 1770, Cook’s ship the 'Endeavour

HM Bark Endeavour

HMS Endeavour, also known as HM Bark Endeavour, was a British Royal Navy research vessel commanded by Lieutenant James Cook on his first voyage of discovery, to Australia and New Zealand from 1769 to 1771....

' was anchored in the bay. This would have been the first encounter the Gweagal people would have had with foreign visitors from the sea in a vessel larger than a canoe. Their reaction to Cook and his crew, was in ways consistent with what is known about the behaviour seen by indigenous people in other parts of the country when, without warning, newcomers came upon their land. This included yelling at and remonstrating with the strangers as well as showing signs of aggression, intimidation, strength and weaponry.

Sir Joseph Banks stated that some of the Aborigines withdrew into the bushes as the Endeavour came near. Several warriors remained on the rocks, "threatening and menacing with their pikes and swords". When Cook and his crewmen tried to land, two of the tribesmen stood on the rocks, warning them off with spears and sticks. After about 15 minutes there was an exchange of musket fire and spears. One shot wounded a local man in the leg, no harm came upon Cook's crew. The Aboriginal spears were ineffective against the more advanced weapon technology of the British. The sailors then proceeded to walk onto the beach and up to an encampment. Both Cook and Banks tried, with great difficulty, to make contact with the local people but without success due to the Aboriginals avoiding contact after the first encounter, they simply went about their daily affairs seeming to ignore the strangers; they fished from canoes, cooked shellfish on the shore, walked along the beach, but at the same time, watched Cook’s crew with caution. There were a few cases where, Gweagal men tried to approach members of Cook’s expedition, before shying away. In all of their responses, the locals sought to deal with them (newcomers) in a way that would allow them “to affirm their rights to their land and their resources and defuse any potential conflict or hostility.

Artefacts from Cook's and Banks' encounter

In 1770, after returning to England from their voyage in the South Pacific, James Cook and Joseph Banks brought with them a large collection of flora

Flora

Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...

 and fauna

Fauna

Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...

, along with cultural artifact

Cultural artifact

A cultural artifact is a term used in the social sciences, particularly anthropology, ethnology, and sociology for anything created by humans which gives information about the culture of its creator and users...

s from their most recent venture. The find included a collection of roughly fifty Australian Aboriginal

Australian Aborigines

Australian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...

 spear

Spear

A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head.The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as flint, obsidian, iron, steel or...

s that were owned by the Gweagal people.

Sir Joseph Banks was convinced the spears were abandoned (on the shores of Kurnell) and "thought it no improper measure to take with them all the lance

Lance

A Lance is a pole weapon or spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior. The lance is longer, stout and heavier than an infantry spear, and unsuited for throwing, or for rapid thrusting. Lances did not have tips designed to intentionally break off or bend, unlike many throwing weapons of the...

s which they could find, somewhere between 40 or 50".

Four of those spears - the only material reminders of the first meeting between Aborigines and Englishmen on the east coast still exist: two bone-tipped three-pronged spears, one bone-tipped four-pronged spear and a shaft with a single hardwood head. Cook gave the spears to his patron, John Montagu

John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich

John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, PC, FRS was a British statesman who succeeded his grandfather, Edward Montagu, 3rd Earl of Sandwich, as the Earl of Sandwich in 1729, at the age of ten...

, First Lord of the Admiralty and Fourth Earl of Sandwich, who then gave them, to his alma mater Trinity College

Trinity College, Cambridge

Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...

. Archaeologists quote them as being priceless, as the spears are among the few remaining artefacts that can be traced back to Cook's first voyage. Although the spears remain in the ownership of Trinity, they are now on display at the Museum of Archaeology

Archaeology

Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...

 and Anthropology

Anthropology

Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...

 of Cambridge University in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.